ocean breeze - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T14:38:12Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/ocean+breezeBriny Breezes: Council decides against research trip to see homes on stiltshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/briny-breezes-council-decides-against-research-trip-to-see-homes-2023-03-29T13:41:05.000Z2023-03-29T13:41:05.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}11007340701,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}11007340701,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="11007340701?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></strong><em>In one of Ocean Breeze’s residential districts, a single-family manufactured home sits on a traditional foundation next to others elevated on concrete stilts. The one in the center has an exterior elevator. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Joe Capozzi</strong></p>
<p>As part of an ambitious resiliency project, town leaders are working on a land-use proposal that would give Briny Breezes residents a flood-protection tool allowing them to raise their homes on stilts and pilings. <br /> But their research will not include a field trip to a waterfront mobile home community in Martin County that has homes on stilts, as some members of the town’s planning and zoning board had suggested. <br /> “I know that flies in the face of due diligence, perhaps, but I find this to be counterproductive,’’ Town Manager William Thrasher said March 23 when he recommended against a visit. <br /> A trip to Ocean Breeze, a town of 300 residents on the Indian River next to Jensen Beach, would give Briny Breezes leaders a physical look at what raised homes in Briny might look like. <br /> But the idea was proposed at a time when on-again, off-again efforts by some in Briny to market the town for sale have caused divisions among residents, who are also concerned about the effects of rising sea levels on their coastal town. <br /> Briny Breezes’ proposed code changes call for the creation of a district allowing homes damaged by storms and floods to rebuild on stilts or pilings. <br /> “This code may not be perfect on first go-around, but it would at least establish a tool by which a person could improve their home. And if there are major damages we have tools in which we can allow reconstruction,’’ Thrasher said. <br />The planning and zoning board is still working on the language in the code, but it could be presented to the Town Council later this year. <br /> Thrasher said he has heard “rumors” around Briny Breezes that “the purpose for this exercise is to create another Ocean Breeze. We all know that’s not it. We all know that’s not possible,’’ Thrasher told the council. <br /> “I am thinking that the tour is counterproductive and can create more confusion than what we are already dealing with,’’ he said. <br /> Ocean Breeze and Briny Breezes are the only two Florida towns where residents live in a mobile home park bearing the name of the town, according to the census. Both towns are bordered by water. <br /> But the similarities end there. <br /> Briny is a co-op of individual shareholders, and any changes to Briny Breezes’ code would require not only approval from the Town Council, but also from Briny Breezes Inc., the corporation of homeowners who own the 43-acre mobile home park. <br />Ocean Breeze, which has a Publix-anchored commercial district, is managed by a Michigan-based company that owns other manufactured homes and RV communities across the United States. <br /> “More than half of their community is on stilts, up high. It is different from Briny in the fact that it is owned by a single entity that rents space to these people. It’s not a co-op like Briny,’’ Jerry Lower, Briny’s planning and zoning director, told the council. <br /> “It’s the same thing as Briny as far as dealing with sea-level rise being right on the Intracoastal,’’ he said. “That’s where the huge similarities are.’’<br /> Lower is publisher of The Coastal Star.<br /> If any field trip were taken, it could only involve one member of the planning board and one member of the Town Council because of Florida’s Sunshine Law, which requires open meetings. <br /> Council member Liz Loper said she liked the idea of a field trip.<br /> “I would just like to see what one of the raised places would look like. Not to say that’s going to be all Briny, but if someone wanted to do it, you could say, ‘Well, this is kind of what it would look like,’’’ she said. <br /> A visualization can be accomplished by going online and seeing photographs of homes with stilts in Ocean Breeze, council President Christina Adams said. <br /> “My big concerns are grouping a lot of us together, the Sunshine Law and misrepresenting what our code is trying to do. I don’t want to do that,’’ Adams said before the council agreed to cancel the field trip. <br /> “We want people to be able to build and rebuild and have safe and healthy homes they can live in, but it’s not going to be another Ocean Breeze. We are always going to be Briny Breezes, and by taking a group of people, I don’t want to misrepresent what we are doing in the town, either.’’<br /> <strong>In other March action</strong>, the Town Council named Adams as president. Sue Thaler, a council member for 12 years, had been the previous president. <br /> Budget hearings will be held Sept. 14 and Sept. 28. </p></div>Boca Raton: Council for now takes hands-off stance on Ocean Breeze planshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-council-for-now-takes-hands-off-stance-on-ocean-breeze2022-11-30T16:05:42.000Z2022-11-30T16:05:42.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10895636094,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10895636094,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="443" alt="10895636094?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>The City Council won’t stand in the way of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s efforts to develop the former Ocean Breeze golf course property.<br />Council members informally agreed on Nov. 7 that they like the district’s conceptual plans for the 212-acre site. Although they’d like to see a firmer proposal, they don’t want to hold up the district’s work to create one.<br />“I encourage moving forward and being supportive in a collaborative way,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke.<br />“Please, go forward,” said Mayor Scott Singer.<br />District Chair Erin Wright was gratified by the support. “I am so glad you guys have given us the go-ahead,” she said.<br />The cordial interaction between the two government bodies stood in contrast to disagreements that marred previous efforts to work together on projects.<br />This time around, the district wanted to give city leaders an early look at its plans so council members and city staff could voice any concerns now to head off time-consuming and costly project delays later on.<br />The site was slated to become the Boca National golf course two years ago. But that plan was scuttled when The Boca Raton donated the Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club to the city, eliminating the need for another golf course. The district has been considering what to do with Ocean Breeze ever since.<br />District officials have held public workshops, surveyed community residents and hired engineering and landscape architect Miller Legg to create the conceptual master plan.<br />That plan is ambitious. The site has been divided into four quadrants with different features and facilities. Multi-use trails, which Wright said are a “top priority,” run throughout the property.<br />One quadrant is devoted to golf, including an executive 9-hole course, short-game and putting areas, driving range and clubhouse. <br />The layout is intended to complement the city’s championship course at the Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club — the new name for the former country club — which is perceived as too difficult for many players.<br />A second quadrant has a dog park, community garden and butterfly/botanical garden and playground. The third features a racquet center, indoor and outdoor pickleball and tennis courts and playground. A fitness area, splash pad, boardwalk, swimming pools and field house are in the fourth.<br />The district wants a public-private partnership to operate the golf and racquet facilities, and partnerships for the aquatics center and field house.<br />The price tag would be about $27 million. But Wright said the actual number is about $20 million since the higher figure includes a $5 million contingency fund and $2 million already in hand to cover design costs. <br />The site would be developed in two phases, with most of the facilities completed by 2025 and the rest by 2028.<br />“I really, really like what we have come up with,” Wright said, while emphasizing that the plans are not final.<br />They do not address concerns from people living near the site about increased traffic and security, but Wright said both will be dealt with.<br />Although council members are not stopping the district from moving ahead, it isn’t clear whether that hands-off approach will last.<br />Deputy City Manager George Brown voiced an apparent concern at an Oct. 25 council meeting when he said the district has not identified what kind of public-private partnerships it will be seeking.<br />Council members Monica Mayotte and Yvette Drucker questioned whether too much emphasis had been placed on golf and related amenities, but did not ask for any changes.<br />They and O’Rourke wanted Brown or City Manager Leif Ahnell to specify any issues they had with the plans.<br />But Ahnell said city staffers could not do that because the plans are not firm yet and any alterations could affect their analysis. That analysis, he said, would come after the district submits a detailed site plan.<br />Singer urged staff to voice any concerns or objections as soon as possible so that the district can address them early on.<br />After the meeting, Wright said she was hopeful that would happen. </p></div>Boca Raton: Apparent end to dispute clears way for ideas on old golf propertyhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-apparent-end-to-dispute-clears-way-for-ideas-on-old-go2021-03-03T16:50:11.000Z2021-03-03T16:50:11.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District is soliciting ideas for what to do with the former Ocean Breeze golf course property.<br />The 212-acre site was slated to become the Boca National golf course. But that plan was scuttled when the Boca Raton Resort & Club donated the Boca Golf and Tennis County Club to the city, eliminating the need for another golf course.<br />District commissioners unanimously voted Feb. 1 to issue a request for information intended to garner ideas on the best uses for Ocean Breeze. Responses are due by April 9.<br />Commissioners want Ocean Breeze to be a recreational facility. The only commercial development that would be allowed would be ancillary to recreation, such as a snack bar.<br />But the RFI wording does not rule out some type of golf activity, although much more limited in scope than the Boca National grand plans.<br />Proposals would serve as a starting point for discussions between the district and the City Council on how to best make use of the land. The results of a needs assessment survey also would be considered.<br />“The concept is to gather ideas,” Commissioner Craig Ehrnst said. <br />Even before the vote, residents were weighing in at district meetings. Ideas included a 9-hole executive golf course, croquet courts, and, of course, pickleball courts.<br />“We are getting a lot of response,” Executive Director Briann Harms said at the Feb. 16 district meeting.<br />In a related matter, commissioners voted unanimously March 1 to contract with CSR Athletic Construction to clean up the Ocean Breeze property. CSR’s bid of $520,000 was the lowest of four submitted.<br />The company will demolish buildings and parking lots and plant sod on cleared land. Trees will be trimmed or removed if they are unhealthy, and underbrush, vines and invasive plants removed.<br />While the district is moving forward on Ocean Breeze planning, what appeared to be shaping up as a major battle between the city and the district has been averted. They have reached an accord on amending an interlocal agreement on how the two bodies will work together on Ocean Breeze.<br />The agreement initially was written when the city and district intended to build Boca National. The aim, district officials said, was to eliminate wording that Ocean Breeze would be transformed into a major golf course.<br />City staff took exception to some of the district’s proposed wording, and amended the district’s revisions. Staffers said they could not accept certain changes that disadvantaged the city. That angered district commissioners, who said the city changes prevented them from making plans for Ocean Breeze and hiring a consultant to create a master plan. <br />“The agreement we got back was even more encumbering than before,” Ehrnst said at the Feb. 1 meeting.<br />“I am so disheartened by this whole thing,” said Commissioner Erin Wright.<br />The commission unanimously passed a motion rejecting the city’s changes.<br />Harms attended the council’s Feb. 8 workshop to tell members about the RFI and to request a joint meeting of the two bodies.<br /> All five council members supported a joint meeting, which has not been held in the past year because of the pandemic. It will be in April.<br />“I think it is imperative” to have one, said council member Monica Mayotte. She wanted the dispute over the interlocal agreement “ironed out.”<br />Deputy City Manager Mike Woika said he would meet with Harms that week to clarify the issues, and later said he thought an agreement could be worked out in a matter of weeks.<br />Two weeks later, a deal had been reached. Harms will bring it to commissioners on March 15 for their approval.<br />“It is certainly a step in the right direction for the relationship between our two bodies,” Commissioner Robert Rollins said at the March 1 meeting.<br />The revision is “a far cry from earlier drafts that were less honorable,” said Sam Goren, the district’s attorney. Ú</p></div>Boca Raton: Ocean Breeze golf course property to get cleanup, maintenancehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-ocean-breeze-golf-course-property-to-get-cleanup-maint2021-02-03T15:13:28.000Z2021-02-03T15:13:28.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Now that the former Ocean Breeze golf course is no longer slated to become the Boca National course, Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District commissioners have decided to clean up and better maintain the 212 acres as they decide what to do with it.<br />Commissioners voted to request bids for the project at their Jan. 4 meeting. Bids are due by Feb. 12.<br />The project includes demolishing buildings and parking lots and planting sod on the cleared land. Trees will be trimmed or removed if they are unhealthy, and underbrush, vines and non-native plants removed. Split rail fencing will be installed in six locations.<br />Existing cart paths will be connected to create a walking trail.<br />“We need to clean up the property,” Commissioner Robert Rollins said.<br />Commissioners also want to improve the entrance to the property. “It definitely needs work,” said Executive Director Briann Harms.<br />They can’t do that immediately because the land is owned by the San Remo Homeowners Association.<br />Commissioners directed Harms and the district’s attorney to attempt to reach an agreement with the association that would allow the district to use public money to pay for the work.<br />District officials have spoken with the association in the past about possible lease or acquisition of the property, but Commissioner Susan Vogelgesang said those talks broke down.<br />District commissioners and City Council members intended to build the new Boca National golf course on the Ocean Breeze property, but the project bogged down because of disagreements about the cost and whether the city or the district would be in charge of the project.<br />The back-and-forth ended abruptly in October when the Boca Raton Resort & Club donated the 167-acre Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club to the city, eliminating the need for a new golf course.<br />Commissioners are now eager to create a new plan for the Ocean Breeze land. But once again, the district believes the city has thrown up a roadblock that so far is keeping commissioners from hiring a consultant to create a master plan, while the city denies it is causing delays.<br />Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke said at a Jan. 11 council workshop meeting that it would be a good idea to schedule a joint city-district meeting to “make sure we are on the same page.”<br /> Council member Monica Mayotte agreed.<br />“There are great things that can happen in that space. We should put our heads together and get a joint meeting on the calendar,” O’Rourke said.<br />In other beach and park district business on Jan. 4, commissioners unanimously agreed to keep their current leadership lineup.<br />Vogelgesang will remain as chairwoman, Erin Wright as vice chairwoman and Craig Ehrnst as secretary-treasurer.<br />“I think we have a great group in place and I wanted to keep them together,” Rollins said</p></div>Boca Raton: Beach & Park District to ask again for help with Ocean Breeze costshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-beach-park-district-to-ask-again-for-help-with-ocean-b2018-07-04T15:54:29.000Z2018-07-04T15:54:29.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District wants the city to pay part of the cost of rebuilding the Ocean Breeze golf course.<br /> District Chairman Robert Rollins calls it “Erin’s question” — “How much are they going to give us from the sale of the municipal course?” — after Commissioner Erin Wright first raised the issue months ago.<br /> Wright and her colleagues are sure to seek an answer from the Boca Raton City Council at the next joint meeting July 23. At the May 9 joint meeting, two Boca Raton residents asked council members the same thing.<br /> “I would encourage you to seriously consider not burdening the new golf course with so much debt when there is a substantial amount of proceeds coming from the sale of the existing golf course,” resident Kevin Wrenne said.<br /> Barry Tetrault called the $65 million the city will reap from the sale a “windfall.”<br /> “I haven’t seen or heard anyone on the City Council even acknowledge the fact that they’re going to put money into the [Ocean Breeze] golf course. That’s scary, it really is,” Tetrault said. “Are you going to chip in for the financing of this course?”<br /> Mayor Scott Singer replied that the council has not discussed how to spend the $65 million.<br /> Rollins, at the next Beach & Park District meeting, summarized the reaction. <br /> “It was like watching a hot potato getting tossed there on the council — nobody wanted to touch that. ‘Well, we’ll get back with you, we haven’t thought about that yet,’ ” Rollins said.<br /> Commissioner Craig Ehrnst agreed with Wright and Rollins. <br /> “I don’t think we should foot the bill for everything,” Ehrnst said.<br /> Their request to help pay for reconstructing Ocean Breeze raised alarms on the city side that the district may be running out of money.<br /> “We’re hearing … that they’re wanting us to participate [in rebuilding Ocean Breeze] and we have no plans or anything in the budget or forecast for funding that sort of thing,” City Manager Leif Ahnell told council members a week after the joint meeting.<br /> “We have a number of other projects that are already on the books to be funded by the Beach & Park District that we’re having concerns they may not be stepping up as our partners to pay their fair share, in the millions and millions of dollars,” Ahnell continued.<br /> City Council member Monica Mayotte, at a candidate forum before she won her seat in March, said some of the money from the golf course sale should go toward Ocean Breeze.<br /> “That makes sense — golf for golf,” Mayotte said then.</p></div>