News

By Dan Moffett
    
    In August, Ocean Ridge town commissioners rejected a last-ditch proposal from the Sivitilli family to renovate their beleaguered commercial building at 5011 N. Ocean Blvd.
    As it turns out, however, that was only a penultimate-ditch rejection.
    At its Oct. 6 meeting, the commission had a change of heart and gave the Sivitillis one more reprieve. Commissioners told family representative Rob Sivitilli they would rewrite the town’s rules to allow the building’s renovation.
    On a 3-1 vote, the commission approved assigning Town Attorney Ken Spillias to draft an ordinance that will grandfather Ocean Ridge’s only remaining commercial property into compliance with the town’s zoning and comprehensive plan.
    Spillias said the proposed ordinance he intends to bring to the Nov. 3 meeting will have a “repealer” provision that will allow the commission to remove the law from the books if the Sivitillis don’t follow through on their promises to overhaul the 55-year-old structure.
    “We agonized over this thing,” said Mayor Geoffrey Pugh. “I just don’t want to see this property sitting for the next two or three years looking like it does now.”
    The Sivitillis appeared to have exhausted the commission’s patience in August after offering a bare-bones renovation plan. But Rob Sivitilli came with details and concessions in October.
    He said the family was prepared to spend at least $250,000 on the project and would let the town hold the money during construction. He said the Sivitillis were willing to pay for all the legal expenses the town had incurred during more than a decade of court cases against the family. He brought a scale-model rendering by architect Randall Stofft and said the building would look “like new” in fewer than 90 days.
    And Sivitilli said he intends to live in Ocean Ridge and personally oversee the building’s use. “This property is going to stay in this family for as long as this person’s alive,” Sivitilli told commissioners.
    Commissioner James Bonfiglio was unimpressed and voted against the ordinance. He said the Sivitillis didn’t deserve concessions because they had sued the town twice.
    He said other property owners are likely to come forward now and ask for a similar break, and so might other developers. “Briny Breezes is going to come back and want to develop,” he said. “We had a strong position against Briny Breezes because we were 100 percent residential. Now we have a much weaker position.”
    Commissioner Richard Lucibella agreed that the town had been “jerked around” by the Sivitillis over the years, but agreed to give them a final chance.
    “The highest and best use of the property is mixed use, I’m convinced,” Lucibella said. “For the owners and for this town.”
    Vice Mayor Lynn Allison worried that turning down the Sivitillis’ plan could create a derelict building that would be an even worse eyesore. “I can’t understand why we wouldn’t do something that could improve the town,” Allison said.
    Commissioner Gail Adams Aaskov, whose real estate business has an office in the building, recused herself.
    In other business, commissioners tabled until November a discussion of enforcement guidelines and signage for the recently passed beach ordinance.