Palm Beach council candidates Corey, Moran make pitch to South End residents

With just weeks until Palm Beach’s March 19 Election Day, candidates vying for the Group 3 Town Council seat met Feb. 22 for their second forum where they shared their positions on a variety of issues, particularly those that concern South End residents, including beach erosion, coastal resiliency, and overdevelopment.

During the event, organized by Citizens’ Association of Palm Beach at the Tideline Resort and Spa, candidates John David Corey and Bridget Moran attempted to differentiate themselves by stressing their approach to problems Moran emphasized using the tools already at the town's disposal, while Corey emphasized taking new approaches to address the issues.

The candidates are competing for the seat held by council President Margaret Zeidman, who announced she would not be running for a fifth term back in October.

A resident of Palm Beach since 1998, Moran highlighted her history as a member of the Palm Beach community, as well as her work with the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation, St. Edward Guild, Safeguard Palm Beach, Town of Palm Beach United Way, The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and most recently, as a regular member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

She said if elected, her priorities would be improving the town’s traffic and parking, maintaining the town’s beaches, opposing developments that would change the town’s character and ensuring the town's spending is responsibly managed.

Corey talked about his time as a visitor of the island before moving to Palm Beach in 2012, motivated by the increased development his former home of Miami Beach had been experiencing.

Corey highlighted his seven years as a member of the Architectural Commission, of which he will soon complete his second term as a regular member on March 1. He also noted his work involving Palm Beach Walks, a group he founded that advocates for improving the town’s walkability and safety.

“I believe we’re at a critical juncture where good intentions are not enough, and we need leadership that translates into action,” Corey said.

A leading topic at the meeting: beach erosion.

Corey said he supported the town's current beach management agreement, though he believes more should be done to protect the area's sand dunes. He said the town should consider planting vegetation with deeper roots that can hold the sand dunes more cohesively during erosion causing events.

Moran also voiced support for the beach management agreement, and said residents can expect another major renourishment project to begin in November.

“I believe that the sand is something that we’re going to manage, but we’re never going to fix it,” Moran said, emphasizing that beach management must be a proactive process.

Expanding to general coastal resiliency, Moran said the town should consider adaptable coastal infrastructure, like seawalls that can be elevated if required. To bring lakefront property owners into the fold, she recommended requiring homeowners to replace their seawall if they are renovating more than 50% of their property.

However, she said, the town must find a way to support and encourage homeowners to invest in making their properties resilient.

“We cannot force people to spend money they do not have,” Moran said. “So (it’s about) looking at it holistically as a town to protect our town ... because if the water comes in, that house is gone.”

Corey agreed with adopting such a requirement, but also advocated for the town to find additional strategies outside of seawalls to hold nature at bay — strategies such as tidal gardens. For private homeowners, he said the town could create a bond system to encourage homeowners to invest in coastal resiliency.

“As people decide to do the (coastal resiliency) project, they could tap into those bonding reserves that the town will back,” Corey said.

As the list of proposed development within the town rapidly grows, the candidates were asked by moderator and Citizens' Association co-counsel Stephen Jacobs how they will judge future South End development projects.

Corey said he would oppose developer-proposed zoning code amendments, which he said would allow developers to build projects "well outside of the traditional zoning code." is this a direct quote

As an example, he cited the proposed zoning code amendment from developers of the Ambassador Hotel project, which was scrapped earlier this month after facing significant backlash.

“I think, actually, properties can be redeveloped very nicely,” Corey said about the current zoning code.

Moran said the town should approve only projects that reinforce Palm Beach’s unique character.

“I want to make sure that line is not blurred any more than it already is,” Moran said. “It hurts my heart that people can move to (West) Palm Beach and think, ‘oh, I’m so close, all I need to do is walk across the bridge and I’m in Palm Beach.’ We’re different here.”

The forum then moved to addressing recently proposed and approved development, during which both candidates criticized the rebuilt Royal Poinciana Playhouse project.

Moran questioned the math that permitted developers to shuffle parking spots in the entire lot based on the maximum potential that could be granted to each tenant on the property, while Corey criticized the the project's management and the demolition of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse's original building.

However, the candidates appeared reluctantly open to the Paramount Theatre redevelopment project. While both feared the project's potential to increase traffic to the surrounding area, Moran was hopeful the project could become something residents support. She cited the redesigns made following the a development review meeting in January.

Corey appreciated the redesigns, but said he would need to see a study on the development's impact to the area's foot and vehicular traffic before he would consider approving it.

Their opinions also differed regarding an extensive residential redevelopment project proposed for nearly 6 acres east of the landmarked Wells Fargo Bank Buildings on South County Road and Royal Palm Way.

Moran was against the project's proposal to zone the area in a way that would effectively create a district with its own guidelines and restrictions.

"I think we have a good set of rules, and I think we need to enforce them," she said.

Corey saw hope for the Wells Fargo development project, noting that the lots are currently zoned for commercial use, so a development that could transform the area into low-density residential zone may be the best solution for the town.

"It's about 'de-intensification,' that's how we're going to get control and bring the island back to the residents," Corey said.

During his closing remarks, Corey portrayed himself as a voice for all town residents who will place their needs above those of potential developers.

"I'll put our needs ahead of the needs of developers and speculators, many of them are impacting our quality of life," Corey said. "Now is the time for strong, smart leadership."

Moran highlighted the need for a leader with realistic goals, who will be honest even when "the truth is sometimes hard to hear."

"So on Town Council, it's my goal to have everybody work together as a community and come together for good results that we can all be proud of," Moran said.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach council candidates pitch vision during South End forum