Residents are airing their concerns about redevelopment plans for the historic Paramount Theatre that will be presented to the Palm Beach Town Council on Wednesday.
In a letter to residents Monday, former Architectural Commission member John David Corey expressed his opposition to the revised plans, asserting that they could potentially increase vehicular traffic, create congestion, intensify the site and impact the quality of life of residents.
Plans will be presented at 2 p.m.
“NO to more private clubs, restaurants, cafes, parking garages, and large commercial developments,” Corey wrote. “We do not need more.”
The plans, which will be presented to council members for the fourth time after three previous versions were deferred, retain a planned 475-member private club and church uses, and reinstate existing retail space that had previously been eliminated.
Additionally, in an effort to address council members’ comments regarding supplemental overflow parking, property owner Lester Woerner said he has entered into an agreement to use the surface parking lot at 40 Cocoanut Row for supplemental valet parking on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
The 55 additional spaces result in 101 parking spaces that are available to accommodate parking needs for the project, according to town documents. A variance will be required for these spaces as the location of the parking lot is more than 500 feet away from the property.
Four townhouses that originally had been planned to be built on the property’s parking lot are not in the revised plans that will be presented Wednesday.
“While the four townhouses proposed to be built on the parking lot are off the table,the proposal still contains a massive private eating club which would badly affect area residents with intensification pressures,” Corey wrote.
The Neighborhood Alliance of Palm Beach also expressed opposition to the project, citing concerns about potential impacts on traffic and congestion.
“Palm Beach residents are sick and tired of overdevelopment which has destroyed the quiet enjoyment of our homes and our ability to traverse the island safely and conveniently,” the group wrote in an email Sunday. “It’s time for the Council to prioritize our residential quality of life over developer greed. We have reached our capacity for intensification.”
Woerner, a Palm Beach resident who bought the nearly century-old property in 2021 with his son, Trent, told the Daily News that he is working to address residents’ concerns.
The new plans, he said, includes limits on occupancy of the private club in an effort to “de-intensify” the property.
Currently, the existing structure is permitted to have 1,123 occupants, according to the town, but Woerner said no more than 412 would be permitted at any given time.
“As the owner, I am as concerned as the community is on the impact traffic has on the island,” Woerner said. “Now, the town has a great opportunity to work together and approve this plan, which will be a great win for Palm Beach.”
Council members will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Town Hall for their regular meeting and at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday for development review. Members of the public can participate in person or via Zoom. Those wishing to make public comments virtually can access the Zoom link on the town’s Meeting Audio page.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Traffic concerns in Palm Beach spur backlash to Paramount Theatre redo
Source Agencies
