This rendering of Milani Park, to be constructed on a 5.6-acre parcel at the south end of Highland Beach, has calmed fears that the park would be an eyesore. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
Maggie Chappelear was pleasantly surprised when she first saw the 3D model of what the controversial Milani Park could become in a couple of years.
“I thought it was going to be a boring, traditional park with an asphalt parking lot that would be an eyesore. Instead, it was something I’d never seen before that encompasses nature in design and that creates a user-friendly environment,” said Chappelear, who had offered ideas for the park’s development and was subsequently invited to share her concepts with the architects.
The 3D model — created by the design firm of Brooks & Scarpa, which was hired by Palm Beach County to develop the 5.6-acre park — is now on display at Town Hall after being presented to Highland Beach Mayor Natasha Moore during a meeting with county leaders in February.
“Overall, I was struck by the innovation and how much they implemented the feedback from Highland Beach,” Moore said. “It will be a beach park with a lot of different elements that people can enjoy without necessarily having to be on the sand.”
One example, Moore said, is the possibility the park would include “lookout points” on the eastern portion for people who don’t want to be on the beach. The park could also include a few shade shelters on both sides of State Road A1A.
The 3D model is still mostly conceptual, Moore said, with county officials planning to get more input into the final design during a public meeting in April. Still, it is almost certain that the design of the park will meld well with the natural surroundings.
“It’s going to be aesthetically beautiful and fit in with the natural environment as much as possible,” Moore said. “They said there’s no other county park like this because of all the innovative features and because of the architect promoting the area’s natural features.”
On the east side of A1A, the tentative plan calls for a boardwalk winding through the parcel, which has been left mostly untouched. The boardwalk, Moore said, could have a railing on one side and a bench-like rail on the other side so visitors could stop and rest along the way. A portion of the boardwalk will go over an archeological site, believed to be a native American burial ground, and will most likely be raised so as not to disturb the site.
“One of the solutions being considered is to rely on pilings to support a system of boardwalks,” said county Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Cirillo. “Such an approach will minimize ground impacts on archeologically sensitive areas.”
The county also plans to have a lifeguard station and perhaps a small office on the east side on a portion that once included a home.
“The east side is going to be fabulous,” Chappelear said.
Development of the west side of the park has been more controversial and has drawn the greatest objection from nearby residents, especially those in the Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina. That parcel will include 100 parking spaces, which residents have feared will be an eyesore.
In creating the conceptual design for the 3D model, lead architect Jeffrey Huber took those concerns into consideration.
While the number of parking spaces won’t change, Huber’s plan includes shade trees with large canopies to camouflage parking spaces, according to Moore. Also, instead of asphalt, the plan includes paving stones throughout most of the parking area, which allows grass to grow between the voids so water can flow through them.
A wetland area on the north end of the west parcel could include walking trails, although Cirillo said that a survey of plant species is underway in that area and on the east side as well.
“Invasive species will be managed and native species encouraged per our park natural land management practices,” she said.
Part of the county’s plan for development of the park includes getting 2.319 acres on the National Register of Historic Places, which would give the county “an opportunity to recognize and preserve the site’s archeological/historical relevance for generations to come,” according to Cirillo, who said the county has budgeted $8.6 million for development of the park. The state, in November, sent a nomination to the National Park Service, which will make a final decision on the listing.
The property was used centuries ago by native American populations and in the early 1900s by Japanese-American farmers who formed the Yamato Colony in the Boca Raton area.
Chappelear, who along with Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina resident Laura Thurston has been providing input on the design at the invitation of County Commissioner Marci Woodward, believes the emphasis on history and the educational elements will be a plus for the park.
“I think a lot of people in town are going to love it,” she said.
If You Go
What: Public meeting on plans for Milani Park
When: 6-8 p.m. April 2
Where: South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach
Who: Lead architect Jeffrey Huber from Brooks & Scarpa, the team selected by the county to design the park, will present design plans. County Commissioner Marci Woodward, county parks and recreation staff and other county leaders plan to attend.
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