By Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – Despite assurances from Dirk Smith, chairman of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Parks District, that there will be no private development along Ocean Strand, some residents still seem antsy that a private firm could slip in with a members-only project.
Smith told the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners Associations Tuesday that the district “bought the land to build a park. We are waiting until we hear from all the stakeholders” before proceeding with a recreation area.
Greater Boca Raton Beach & Parks District Chairman Dirk Smith
The chairman said district commissioners “are in the process of working on a plan for the park. I have 14 design applications – and all are for public usage projects,” Smith said as he emptied a bag of notebooks onto a table.
What worries residents, it appears, is the fact that Ocean Strand — the section of the Atlantic Coast that runs north from Palmetto Park Road to Spanish River Boulevard on both the east and west sides of State Road A1A – is currently zoned for residential use. They have been asking the city and the beach & parks district to change the zoning to PR – public recreation.
But Smith told the Federation Tuesday that the district’s legal counsel advised members to rezone the property as part of a rewrite of the master plan. That is going on right now, he said, and should be finished in about a year.
Deputy City Manager George S. Brown, who also attended Tuesday’s meeting, said the city bought Ocean Strand, then turned it over to the beach and parks district, which repaid the city. Records say the purchase took place in 1994 for $11.88 million.
“The property sat undeveloped” for years, said Brown. Then, last year, a developer proposed building a private beach club on a portion of the property as part of a major development planned for downtown.
But nearby residents worry that a beach club, possibly with dining and bars, could change the quiet, residential character of the coastal neighborhood.
Brown and Smith both said the city received a letter about the project from the developer. Smith said commissioners responded by saying the developer could not use the property for such a project.
According to Brown, a private project could not just “slip” in because use of Ocean Strand “is subject to many public actions.”
And Smith said, “I won’t sign or lease it to a private developer. And the other commissioners won’t either.”
Even for public use, said Smith, Ocean Strand will have to undergo considerable scrutiny at public hearings.
He said the district has $150,000 budgeted for planning and design, but nothing in the hopper yet for construction. “We’re looking for input from you,” he said.
Several people from Keep Your Boca Beaches Public.org attended, mentioned their petition and urged the city and parks district to “do nothing” to the “pristine beach.”
The private project called Via Mizner, proposed by Penn-Florida Companies, is part of a $1 billion redevelopment project planned for downtown.
The mixed-use development, approved by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency in 2006, would consist of a 118-room luxury hotel, office space, 192 condominiums and high-end retail stores and restaurants, according to preliminary plans.