Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
— Bertolt  Brecht

    Construction cranes on the horizon. Traffic backups on A1A as property is cleared for new construction and roof trusses, swimming pool tiles and landscaping are delivered at new home sites. These are some of the unmistakable signs of change that began in 2011 along our coast.  
    What’s ahead for 2012? I don’t have a crystal ball, but here are some changes I know we can watch for:
    In both Manalapan and Ocean Ridge, elected officials are discussing allowing larger homes to be built.
    Ocean Ridge will likely revisit its ban on commercial properties as Manalapan continues to discuss the size of beach houses and the current and future zoning of the more-than-four-acre Benjamin property on The Point.
    In Gulf Stream, we’ll be watching as new six-story oceanfront condos are occupied and the first subdivision in recent memory makes it way through the approval process.
    In Delray Beach, small houses will continue to be replaced by larger homes and any remaining empty lots will be built on. And how those homes will be used (and by whom) will continue to be a hot topic — one that could have repercussions in neighboring coastal towns.
    In South Palm Beach, one strong nor’easter (or hurricane) will send oceanfront condos scrambling again to reinforce their seawalls against pounding waves and disappearing dunes.
    In Lantana, the closing of the bridge will force Hypoluxo Island residents to spend a couple of years driving through South Palm Beach and Ocean Ridge to reach the mainland.
    And in Briny Breezes, the now-annual fear brokering about the park’s future infrastructure needs has begun and is steaming toward what could become an irreversible discussion with a new prospective buyer for the 48-acre waterfront location.
    To add to the uncertainty of these changes is a March election. Several commission seats are up for grabs and rumors of long-serving mayors not seeking re-election are sounding more and more likely.
    With shifting governmental leadership — and an increasing number of lawyers at commission meetings — it’s hard to miss the incoming tide of change in our little towns.
    If the change that’s made is the change you want, it will require turning off the incessant television fixation with the national elections and paying attention to what’s being discussed in the planning and zoning meetings at the local level. We have dedicated residents who volunteer to serve on these boards, but they need to hear from residents as to what is and isn’t acceptable zoning and development for our area. This is normally the first place that proposals surface.
    If there were ever a time for our coastal towns to join forces in the development of an area master plan, the time is now.
    Will we agree on every issue that arises in 2012? Not likely. But if we can locate the low-hanging fruit and plant seeds illustrating our unified commitment to the coastal lifestyle we want to preserve, we can lay the groundwork for our future.
    To paraphrase Jack Welch: Let’s change before we have to.

7960362887?profile=original— Mary Kate Leming
Editor, The Coastal Star

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