height requirement - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T13:00:39Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/height+requirementOcean Ridge: Commission again rejects supermajority referendumhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/ocean-ridge-commission-again-rejects-supermajority-referendum2019-10-30T17:33:02.000Z2019-10-30T17:33:02.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>For the second time, Ocean Ridge commissioners considered a ballot referendum to the town charter that would require a four-vote supermajority for approving increases to height and density development rules.<br /> And for a second time, the commission rejected the idea, again on a 3-2 vote at the Oct. 7 town meeting.<br /> Mayor Steve Coz and Commissioner Phil Besler voted against the proposed referendum, as they did last November. They were joined by Commissioner Susan Hurlburt, who was elected to the commission in March, taking over the seat held by former Mayor James Bonfiglio, another supermajority opponent.<br /> Hurlburt said she worried about “unintended consequences” of the charter change and urged residents to have more faith in their elected commission.<br /> “You guys have got to trust us because we’re five residents here,” Hurlburt said. “We really care what our town looks like.” <br /> Vice Mayor Don MaGruder and Commissioner Kristine de Haseth again cast the two votes for putting the supermajority requirement on the March 17 ballot.<br /> MaGruder and de Haseth have argued that the town’s coming transition from septic tanks to municipal sewer systems could open the door to a new wave of development and put commissioners in the cross hairs of influential developers. They argued a supermajority requirement would help insulate the town from special interests and shortsighted development.<br /> This time during supermajority discussion the commission heard from all five members of the town’s charter review committee. Last year it recommended advancing the proposal, but did so on a 3-0 vote, with two members absent and another, Polly Joa, later saying she reconsidered her yes vote.<br /> “The one thing when we started out is we talked about how infrequently you make changes to the charter and how serious that is,” Joa told the commission. “I don’t think at this point we go back and change the charter.”<br /> Two former mayors on the committee, Ken Kaleel and Geoff Pugh, said the supermajority requirement would hurt the town.<br /> “Over the umpteen years I was involved with this town, I can’t tell you how many positive things came out of a 3-2 vote,” Kaleel said. “You wouldn’t even have this Town Hall if it wasn’t for a 3-2 vote.”<br /> Pugh wondered why the supermajority idea had even come up. He said the town has “very, very strict zoning areas” and allows no commercial development. He said that although Ocean Ridge has changed over the years, it has controls in place to stop excessive development and protect its quality of life.<br /> “If you look at our town and see the eclectic nature of our town, the town has changed but the character of the town has not changed,” Pugh said. “I do believe that the town and its very vocal residents tell the commissioners what they want and what they don’t want.”<br /> Two former commissioners on the charter review committee, Terry Brown and Zoanne Hennigan, supported the supermajority idea. Brown said commissioners should approve putting it on the ballot so residents could make the decision.<br /> “Why not let the voters have a direct vote on the way in which the character of the town remains,” Brown said. “Let them decide. What are you afraid of?”<br /> Hennigan, who chaired the committee, said the proposal was needed to protect the town from narrowly approved development decisions such as those that have changed the character of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.<br /> “This amendment may be the single most important thing our community can do to preserve our unique and special lifestyle,” she said. “The bottom line is the voters in Ocean Ridge deserve their voice to be heard.”</p></div>Ocean Ridge: Commission to revisit supermajority vote, may put issue on ballothttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/ocean-ridge-commission-to-revisit-supermajority-vote-may-put-issu2019-10-02T16:30:00.000Z2019-10-02T16:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Ocean Ridge commissioners are poised to take a second look at a charter amendment referendum proposal that would require a four-vote supermajority to change the town’s density or height requirements for new construction projects.<br /> The measure came before the commission in November and was rejected with a 3-2 vote.<br /> Supporters say the change is needed to rein in the influence of aggressive developers.<br /> Opponents believe the supermajority requirement would allow a two-commissioner minority to obstruct the will of the majority, shifting the balance of power the wrong way.<br /> During the Sept. 9 town meeting, Vice Mayor Don MaGruder said he wanted to bring the issue up for discussion again at the commission’s Oct. 7 meeting, which would enable the proposal to go to the voters in the next municipal election.<br /> MaGruder said he’s heard “over and over again” from residents who worry that if the town converts from septic tanks to a municipal sewer system, it could open the door to unbridled development and redevelopment. The issue is under preliminary study.<br /> “I think we need to bring this back for a first reading in October,” he said. “Then in November we can have a second reading, then we can put it as a referendum in March.”<br /> What’s different this time around is the makeup of the commission.<br /> In November, then-Mayor Jim Bonfiglio, Commissioner Steve Coz and Commissioner Phil Besler joined to vote down the proposal. MaGruder and Commissioner Kristine de Haseth were on the losing side.<br /> Bonfiglio has since left the commission, and Commissioner Susan Hurlburt now holds his seat. Whether the charter amendment moves forward appears to come down to which side Hurlburt takes.<br /> During her campaign last spring, Hurlburt seemed to oppose the amendment. The commission has to be “ahead of the game,” she said, “and you don’t need a supermajority to do that.”<br /> Hurlburt, in an email to The Coastal Star after the Sept. 9 meeting, said she is still studying the matter: “I have not made up my mind … gathering info/input and expect to hear quite a bit more about the question before and during the next Commission meeting.”<br /> Besler said he believes the supermajority issue should be kicked back to the town’s charter review committee, which originally recommended the idea last year. He said he is concerned about unintended consequences.<br /> “Why are you bringing this up?” Besler asked. “Because you’re worried about sewers or because you want a second bite of the apple with a new commissioner?”<br /> He said a conversion from septic to sewer would take years, so the commission has ample time to examine the supermajority proposal fully.<br /> “Basically, I agree with everything you want to accomplish,” he said. “But I’m afraid that you’re not going to accomplish what you want to accomplish.”<br /> Coz was absent for the September meeting. De Haseth said she’s “in full support” of bringing the proposal back and then letting voters decide.<br /> <strong>In other business</strong>: With a 3-1 vote, commissioners approved setting the tentative millage cap for the 2019-2020 budget at $5.35 per $1,000 of taxable property value.<br /> De Haseth voted no, arguing the commission should set the rate slightly higher and take less from reserves to narrow the budget deficit.<br /> Town Manager Tracey Stevens said it might take as much as $296,367 from reserves to balance the budget. The town has a long list of stormwater and drainage repairs to make, and it had to increase the salaries of employees after a survey showed Ocean Ridge had fallen behind pay scales in neighboring communities. <br /> The deficit shrank by $180,000 when the town’s Police Department won the contract to provide law enforcement services to Briny Breezes.</p></div>