Does West Palm Beach's open waterfront need a marina? Ask the public | Editorial

The reflective views, from the foot of historic Clematis Street, across the Lake Worth Lagoon to the Palm Beach mansions, are among the city’s most prized assets. The Flagler Street esplanade provides residents and visitors with a scenic backdrop that is a breath of fresh air and sets West Palm Beach apart from other towns in South Florida and throughout the state. So, why move forward on a project like that without a modicum of public consent?

The proposal conjured in some residents’ minds a year-round version of the Palm Beach International Boat Show, which for four days a year sacrifices all views and diverts traffic for blocks around, to allow the marine industry to tout its wares and collect money from vendors and boat-sellers, while ticket-paying members of the public stroll the temporary docks to look at fancy boats and dream. A fun and lucrative event for a few days. But, year-’round? Why, why, why?

City Commission gives 'conceptual approval' for marina without consulting voters

West Palm Beach residents awoke recently to the stunning revelation that their elected officials were clearing the way for a $16 million marina on the cherished downtown waterfront.

City commissioners, who gave conceptual approval during a special meeting on June 5 to a proposal by City Harbor LLC, saw their in-boxes swell with complaints. How could they unilaterally approve such dramatic and permanent change without consulting the voters who put them in office?

The mayor and commissioners know better. For many different projects, the city has conducted charrettes or other outreach events, to solicit community preferences and ideas and incorporate them into final plans. Standard operating procedure in West Palm Beach and municipalities across the nation.

Rather than apologize for the lapse, which might have restored faith in his intentions, Mayor Keith James dismissed the complaints. At a city commission meeting this month, he dissed the “disinformation” swirling around the proposal. The idea was to create a public asset, not something that walled off the public from the waterfront, he asserted. Public comment would be solicited in due time.

In truth, the proposal by City Harbor LLC, at least according to the firm’s initial, conceptual presentation to the commission, is not the horror story a surprised public might have assumed. Yes, its docks, with 84 slips for boats up to about 130 feet long, would partially block views of the waterfront. But the layout would allow view corridors and the docks would be open to pedestrian amblers. And while the design would accommodate the annual boat show, the marina would not take over the waterfront the rest of the year. It would provide a profit to the developer but be branded, to the extent possible, as an ungated, public space.

So, what matters is what the public wants.

West Palm Beach public opinion matters more than developers' wants

To be sure, there's no reason the city needs this project. And there is no obligation to hand over our waterfront to a for-profit developer/manager. The question is whether residents want a scene with boats and piers, with Intracoastal views in between, or, do they want the existing open setting left unencumbered? Ask them.

The estimated $324,000 that the project would contribute to West Palm annually, over a 100-year marina management agreement with City Harbor, would seem to be a pittance. As far as “activating” the waterfront, the city already has a walking pier, and docks for day shoppers and restaurant-goers. And there's plenty of activity there, from the seasonal Green Market, to SunFest, amphitheatre concerts and, yes, the boat show, not to mention the crowds attracted daily by the entertainment district's restaurants, bars and shops.

The issue arose after City Harbor approached the mayor with the idea of a marina. The city then issued a request for competitive proposals and after hearing presentations, commissioners voted to negotiate with City Harbor, over another experienced firm, Safe Harbor. Among the bells and whistles: City Harbor pledged 340 full- and part-time jobs, to make an effort to fill them with minority employees, contractors and subcontractors, and to involve local youths in a marine-learning program.

But city officials need to consult the public before taking one more step with the developer. Meanwhile, the public would be wise to tell the mayor and commissioners what it wants and not wait to be told what it’s getting.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach must consider public opinion on downtown marina plan