A building code change approved by the Manalapan Commission could allow three single-family homes to be built on the first eastern lots north of the Boynton Inlet. Rendering provided
By Dan Moffett
Manalapan commissioners took a first step toward opening development on the town’s southern oceanfront by approving building code changes that would allow primary residences east of State Road A1A.
The code changes have a narrow impact, affecting only seven lots, divided by the highway, and adjacent to the town’s entrance at the Boynton Beach Inlet. Palm Beach developer Jeff Greene owns three of the lots and wants to use them to build homes along the ocean.
Manalapan’s traditional building pattern in that zoning sector has allowed primary residences on the Intracoastal side of A1A, and only beach houses, cabanas and decks on the east. The new building rules commissioners approved for setbacks and lot coverage reverse that existing pattern.
Greene and other property owners had argued that most of their land mass was along the ocean, so it made no sense to force home construction on slivers of lots along the west side of the highway. The town’s zoning board agreed.
The commission voted 4-1 for the changes during the town meeting on April 23, with Commissioner Hank Siemon absent and Mayor Pro Tem Jack Doyle voting no. Doyle had voiced concern about potential storm damage. The state does not allow construction of sea walls in that part of town, so sand dunes will provide the only protection for houses and the road.
The last word on what development will look like in the area will come from the state. The Department of Environmental Protection must approve the final building plans of projects, and construction could be many months away.
“At the end of the day, our job is to represent the community of homeowners and properties and protect the town,” Mayor Keith Waters said. “We are doing that. I think this is something that will be good for the town and certainly good for the homeowners. I don’t see any negative effects.”
Waters said because of the lots’ history and location, plans to develop them are likely to undergo “greater scrutiny” than with parcels elsewhere in the town. He said the commission intends to make sure that construction “is in keeping with the character of this community.”
Building buy a no-go
In other business, Town Manager Linda Stumpf told the commission that efforts to negotiate a deal to buy the vacant bank building at Plaza del Mar have failed.
Stumpf said a New York-based buyer has offered the full $1.6 million asking price for the former BB&T building — a number that’s higher than the town is willing to go.
Commissioners had hoped to buy the property and use it as headquarters for Manalapan’s expanding Police Department.
“There were two offers on the table, and theirs was substantially higher than ours, with no contingencies,” Stumpf said. “The price was well above our appraisal.”
The sale was expected to close before May 1, and the new owner will inherit at least two potential complications.
Because decades ago a service station operated on the site, there may be environmental contamination problems from buried fuel tanks. Also, last year the town placed a moratorium on business development at the plaza. No work can go forward on the property until the commission lifts the moratorium.
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