Palm Beach Gardens annexation plan could bring 8,300 county residents, 1,350 acres into city

PALM BEACH GARDENS — More than 8,000 new residents could be brought into Palm Beach Gardens within the coming year under an ambitious annexation plan pitched to the City Council this week.

The council gave its blessing Sept. 19 to the city staff’s proposal to annex five areas totaling 1,354 acres and 8,352 residents.

If residents in all five areas vote to annex, Palm Beach Gardens' population would grow to nearly 70,000, making it northern Palm Beach County's largest incorporated community. It had 60,175 residents as of July 1, 2022, according to the American Community Survey. Jupiter had 61,126.

The 8,352 people also are about as many as lived in Lake Park as of that date, and is more than lived in either Tequesta or Juno Beach.

How Palm Beach Gardens is growing: 111 townhomes near Avenir win City Council's OK

Officials said during the presentation that the move to annex that land is part of a larger strategy that has been identified by the council and staff to round out the city's boundaries and provide more representation and control over development and redevelopment in those areas.

The enclaves that are included in the list of potential areas are logical additions to the city because they are entirely surrounded by Palm Beach Gardens, the staff said.

While the presentation did not include exact totals of how much would be added in property values with each of the five areas, the annexation proposal comes at a time of increasing property values throughout Palm Beach County and South Florida. The neighborhoods range from older homes to rentals near the water to a golf-club community.

The first step is a feasibility study that is underway now to look at the current conditions in the five areas and examine which resources might be needed to bring those areas “up to a higher standard, perhaps,” Deputy City Manager Lori Laverriere told the council. The study also looks at the current utility providers in those areas.

Which Palm Beach Gardens neighborhoods are affected?

The five areas are:

• Area 1: The largest area, covering 1,244 acres and focused north of PGA Boulevard, includes the Cabana Colony, Crystal Point, Frenchman’s Landing, Captain’s Key and Hidden Key neighborhoods. It’s bounded generally by Alternate A1A to the west, the Intracoastal Waterway and Little Lake Worth to the east and Donald Ross Road to the north. It would bring 3,607 residences and 7,760 people into the city.

• Area 2: South of the recently annexed Ritz Carlton Residences project on the southeast corner of PGA Boulevard and the Intracoastal, this roughly 22-acre section includes 74 residences and about 157 residents.

• Area 3: This section includes the Pirate’s Cove neighborhood south of PGA Boulevard, north of Canal Road and east of Prosperity Farms Road. There are 63 residences and 134 people living there.

• Area 4: This section is an enclave surrounded by the city. It includes the Monet Acres and Monet Heights neighborhoods. There are 71 residences there and about 151 residents in this area on the northeast corner of Prosperity Farms and RCA Boulevard.

• Area 5: This would be the Monet Gardens neighborhood, bordered by Fairchild Avenue on the north and RCA on the south, with Fairchild Gardens Avenue on the west. This is another enclave surrounded by the city, with 113 residences and 240 residents.

A printable map of the five areas is available at www.pbgfl.com/annex, a webpage the city has launched with information about the proposed annexations.

Plans for two parks: Palm Beach Gardens considers recreation complex, ice rink for city sites

Residents will vote in March 2024 whether to approve annexation

The proposal follows a 2017 report where the Palm Beach Gardens staff looked at areas that could be annexed, Laverriere said. There have been other annexations in recent years as part of that “key priority” of the city, she said.

While all five areas of proposed annexation land is in the city’s northeast corner, much of the land that has been annexed over the past decade has been for the Avenir development on Palm Beach Gardens’ west side. Other land has been annexed near that project, including Rustic Lakes, Bayhill Estates and the Preserve at Bayhill Estates off Northlake Boulevard.

The path to annexation involves months of public outreach before an anticipated March 2024 vote by the residents in each area, said city planning manager Martin Fitts.

After the feasibility study is completed, the city will send notices to property owners and residents in each area, he said.

Each area will have a separate referendum on the ballot, with residents in the respective areas only voting on annexation for their area, not all five, Fitts said.

To approve annexation, 50% plus one of the people who vote must be in favor.

The areas identified are logical, based on requests from residents and boundaries for unified services, Fitts said.

The areas are primarily residential, including single- and multifamily homes, he said. There also are several strips of commercial development along U.S. 1 and Prosperity Farms.

Avenir rising: Another 104 home sites nearing approval in Palm Beach Gardens community

Part of the feasibility study looks at the cost of the annexation, which includes the possibility of adding more city employees.

There are benefits to residents in those areas, Laverriere said, pointing to improved customer service and emergency management. Residents in those areas would pay fewer fees, because Palm Beach Gardens does not charge for solid waste pickup or have a utility surcharge, she said.

Any properties that are on wells would not be required to have a water connection, said assistant city manager John Boehm. Those properties would be able to keep their wells.

Should they decide to pursue a water connection, that would be done through Seacoast Utility Authority, not the city, he said, adding that Palm Beach Gardens does not have a water utility and does not require water connections.

The process would begin in earnest with a notice of proposed annexation mailed on Oct. 16, followed by the city delivering the results of its annexation feasibility study to Palm Beach County on Oct. 18.

A public information meeting would be at City Hall on Oct. 26.

The City Council would need to vote twice on ordinances to approve the proposed annexation, with the first vote Nov. 2 and the second Dec. 6.

The annexation would then go to voters in each area on their March 19 presidential preference primary ballot. If approved, the annexation would take effect Oct. 1, 2024.

Palm Beach Gardens plans meetings to answer annexation questions

With anticipated outreach to more than 8,000 people, Laverriere said the city has plenty of work to do. Its staff plans to make presentations to homeowners associations within the affected areas, she said.

The staff will also attend any events possible in those areas to raise awareness, Laverriere said.

“It is not the intent of the city to disrupt or change any of the proposed annexation communities,” she said. “We value and respect the unique character of each neighborhood.”

Pickleball project: Palm Beach Gardens to switch sites for complex, end up with double the courts

Council member Bert Premuroso said he is “totally on board to do this.” However, he asked the city staff to set up at more Palm Beach Gardens events and possibly schedule a second public workshop.

“I just want to make sure we’re doing enough public information,” he said.

Continued annexation has been a council objective “for a long, long time,” council member Marcie Tinsley said. By bringing those areas into the city, Palm Beach Gardens can better assist those residents with concerns and services, she said.

“I’ve already seen comments about this on NextDoor, and there’s a lot of information that you guys are preparing and I think everyone’s going to be very excited to see this,” Tinsley said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Gardens annexation could bring 8,300 more residents into city