Palm Beach's first Intracoastal waterfront restaurant gets OK for more parking spaces

In a contentious split vote, the Palm Beach Town Council approved changes that increase the number of parking spaces for Tutto Mare, the town's soon-to-be first Intracoastal waterfront restaurant.

During their Development Review Committee meeting on Feb. 14, council members voted 3-2, with Ted Cooney and Julie Araskog dissenting, to approve changes to a longstanding document governing how the Royal Poinciana Plaza's owners may use the Royal Poinciana Playhouse property, which includes the space that will house Tutto Mare.

Even with the council's approval, a majority of members voiced reservations about the policies found in that longstanding agreement that supersede current town code.

The entire property including the Royal Poinciana Plaza has 679 parking spaces, and the policy guarantees that a certain number of those spots will be dedicated to the playhouse or accompanying restaurant.

Though the council approved an updated agreement in May 2022, representatives for the project returned to the town recently to request an increase from 45 parking spots to 50 for the restaurant, which is owned by New York-based Tutto Il Giorno Restaurant Group.

Parking for the project follows the town’s code, which requires restaurants to have one parking space per three seats.

“At the time you approved that application, we were asking for 220 seats in the restaurant,” said James Crowley, attorney for the project. “When we came back to you this year, we only asked for 200.”

He said while the restaurant remains at 200 seats, the owners wanted to add those 20 seats back into Tutto Mare’s parking calculations, and also remove two parking spots now dedicated to Royal Poinciana Plaza tenant Marissa Collections. The boutique had received the spots when the council approved its second-floor expansion last February.

“Essentially, what we are trying to do is put seven (parking spaces) back in for those 20 seats that we are not using, while at the same time taking away two that were allocated to Marissa (Collections) for a net of five (parking spots),” Crowley said.

Town officials question "mythical" parking arrangement

Even with this explanation, town officials grappled to understand the parking allocation's logic.

“Boy, you ever want to shoot previous councils for coming up with this concept?” Mayor Danielle Moore said, while begrudgingly accepting the plaza's parking allocation policy as a legitimate concept with historical precedent.

Council President Margaret Zeidman asked Planning, Building and Zoning Department Director Wayne Bergman to clarify what she called a “mythical” parking arrangement.

“Although it is voodoo parking calculations, what Jaime (Crowley) described is absolutely accurate and correct and reflected in the 1979 agreement,” Bergman said.

Crowley said that the calculations weren’t “voodoo,” but instead were based on previous councils' decisions dating back to 1979.

Moreover, he said the council can use the parking plan to hold the restaurant accountable if any issues arise. The parking tied to Tutto Mare was approved by the council on Jan. 10 as part of its declaration-of-use agreement.

However, that did little to quell criticism from Cooney and Araskog.

"It’s under-parked today, and it’s going to be under-parked when there is a 400-seat theater and 200-seat restaurant,” Cooney said. “Providing a credit of even just five measly parking spaces when they’re under-parked, is not something I can endorse.”

Araskog concurred.

“When you say there is plenty of parking, I’m telling you that, that place ... is going to be a nightmare when all this stuff opens,” said Araskog. “I completely oppose this.”

Crowley countered the assertion of being "under-parked" by saying there are parking spaces currently blocked by the playhouse’s construction.

Council member Lew Crampton took a conciliatory tone.

“This is just a projection on our part that it may be awful, it may or it may not be,” Crampton said. “But we approved it ... and frankly I say we have to maintain our integrity and follow through on what we approved earlier.”

The issue proved so contentious that Zeidman's choice to approve came down to the wire.

“That’s a really tough one, because I’d like to send a message, but that’s a political statement I’m not going to do,” Zeidman said before casting her vote in favor.

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 waterfront restaurant gets OK for more parking spaces