Community Living Facilities (CLF’s) – Sober homes, group homes (disabilities and youth), and larger recovery homes

People in the community have been asking lots of questions regarding the above types of homes. As we have discussed, many of these types of homes have protections afforded to them under the ADA. I recently reached out to the County to ask for an update on the number and location of these homes in our community. I ended up discovering that the County has recently undertaken an analysis of its’ current zoning regulations as it relates to CLF’s, and will be considering possible amendments that relate to it, at it’s Meeting on August 27th. I will share more information on this and the specific proposed amendments once it becomes available but the information I currently have is below.

If this is something you are interested, please read the full analysis and the information I have shared below. You can provide your questions or comments to the Zoning Department or to our County Commission. 

First, in answer to how many of these types of homes are in our community, below is a list of all approved or pending applications with the County in the Acreage Area (unincorporated areas):

Acreage CLF Data

Next for the news release from the County on July 20, 2020, to read the full release, click the link: Medical_Use_Community_Residential_Housing News Release 7-20-2020

“On August 27, 2020 BCC Zoning Agenda, Initiation Round 2020-02 staff
will include this topic as a proposed code amendment to the Unified Land
Development Code.”

Read the full Report/Analysis: https://discover.pbcgov.org/pzb/zoning/AdminNewsReleases/Community_Residential_Housing.pdf

FAQ’s regarding the Report and CLF’s https://discover.pbcgov.org/pzb/zoning/AdminNewsReleases/FAQ_2020.pdf

The Acreage area is designated as Area 9 and 10. You can see the maps below with pins of the locations. There are 40 in the Acreage. 

Area 9 Map and Description
From the analysis, page 1
Area 10 Map and Description
From the analysis, page 2

To see the existing PBC ULDC Use Regulations, it is under Article 4. To read it in full, go here. Below is the two specific pages that apply to CLF’s.

Article 4 - Use Regulationsclfregulations_Page_1

Article 4 - Use Regulationsclfregulations_Page_2

Article 4 - Use Regulationsclfmatrix

SR7 Saga Continues

As many of you know, at the February PBTPA meeting, the SR7 projects were added back on to the LRTP 2045 after being surprisingly removed from the draft LRTP 2045 at the December adoption meeting.

It will come as no surprise that West Palm Beach has now filed a lawsuit against the PBTPA claiming that the statutory requirements for amendments to the LRTP have not been followed. Interestingly enough they did not make the same claim about the December meeting where it was removed without public input and the opportunity for the communities most affected to speak to it.

This lawsuit will be discussed at the April 16 PBTPA meeting which will be held virtually.

I have included the full text of the lawsuit for your review. Please feel to email me at bargue@indiantrail.com with your comments.

I remain, yours in service.

wpb lawsuit against tpa re sr 7 2020-03-23

Get involved! Be a part of the Solution!

Mobility Plan

I urge residents to get involved in the process for creating a Mobility Plan for our community. There has never been a more important time to become involved in the discussions about our community and to help shape our community vision. Yesterday’s discussion at the Palm Beach County Transportation Planning Agency solidified it for me. The need for us to do this is now. There are people who do not live in our community, don’t understand or even appreciate our lifestyles, who think our roads should and can be used to accommodate the regional traffic needs.

The Indian Trail Board of Supervisors is committed to preserving and protecting our lifestyles. The best way to do this is through a Mobility Plan that reflects our community vision and creates safer roads and trails serving the needs of our residents while keeping the surrounding development traffic off of our roads. Indian Trail has retained Kim Delaney of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning agency to assist us in creating a Mobility Plan for our community. A mobility plan includes roads, sidewalks, recreation trails and equestrian trails.

Having a Mobility Plan opens up the opportunity to obtain funds from other sources to subsidize the cost of improvements that are part of the Mobility Plan which is difficult for us to do without.

We had our first meeting last night at the Acreage Library with the community to describe the process of developing the Mobility Plan. Thank you to all those residents who attended. This was an introductory discussion on what a Mobility Plan is and why it is so important to receive community input.

The next meeting will be around the beginning of April at Hamlin House and will include a Food Truck Invasion. The meetings will be advertised on the Indian Trail website at www.indiantrail.com and our Indian Trail Improvement District facebook page.

Over the next month, please pay attention to problems and problem areas you see in our community whether it be sidewalk, equestrian trails or road and intersection issues. What are the things you like? What is working? How can we make our community mobility safer? What would you like to see be addressed? Where are there connectivity issues and safety concerns for sidewalks? Equestrian Trails? Crossings?

You can also submit comments to the facilitator Kim Delaney at kdelaney@tcrpc.org.

Our community resident and partner, Chad Hanna has also offered to have a clipboard for comments to be submitted, on a table outside his Reach Real Estate office at the Acreage Plaza.

The Acreage Landowners Association will also be participating in this planning process.

We look forward to the discussions with our community and creating this Mobility Plan. As always, you can also contact me or any of the Board of Supervisors for discussion and input. My email is bargue@indiantrail.com.

Acreage Community Park – South Expansion Site Plan

Below is the County approved Acreage Community Park South Expansion site plan.

2002 00019 0008 00 acreage community park_acreage community park_fsp

Elements included in the current Phase I project include:

– Multi-purpose Field

– Running/Walking Exercise Track

– Flag Pole and Memorial area

– Amphitheater and seating area

– Restroom in Amphitheater area

– New Playground

– Walking paths

– Equestrian trail

– Restroom and Concession stand

– Garden of Hope

– Picnic / BBQArea

– Bike racks

– Shade pavilions

– parking areas

– ADA compliant accessibility

FDOT and SR7 Extension update

While the application for a permit from SFWMD has been withdrawn for the extension of State Road 7 (SR7) from 60th Street to Northlake, please note the following directly from FDOT council “the Department remains fully committed to this project and looks forward to working with Palm Beach County to complete the SR 7 Extension construction following further review by the permitting agencies.”

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20190718/just-in-state-withdraws-push-to-extend-sr-7-near-grassy-waters-preserve-for-now

2019/20 Budget Discussions

Since I have been on the ITID Board, I have advocated for the restoration of unspent funds appropriated for drainage and paving, to remain in the budget and carried forward year to year. It has been my position these dollars should not be used to supplement other budget items, especially ones that are not board directed. We need to have a plan and stick to it. “Failing to plan, is planning to fail”.

Investment in our infrastructure is my top priority and the board has supported this since I came on board. We have been aggressively investing in the replacement of culverts which have exceeded their life cycle by 20 years. We brought that work in-house and are able to accomplish a lot more as a result. We started with one crew, this year we have added another. It will still take 15+ years to replace them all. We have been setting money aside for the past three years to prepare for the R2 road repavement costs and to replace the inverted siphon in the M1 basin at the M canal and 130th. We have been replenishing road rock on our dirt roads, and have been retrofitting swales and dirt roads throughout the district to improve drainage and lessening work orders on dirt roads. We have also begun reclamation of canal and road easements.

We have maintained updating and replacing park playgrounds at one a year and bringing them up to today’s standards.

We have been working on increasing drainage capacity in the M1 Basin with SFWMD, as well as with alternate drainage and storage options such as Moss project, GL Homes 640 acre impoundment donation, M2 impoundment by-pass and the M0 outfall discharge gate. We have continued to lobby the State for funds to complete the Corbett Levee as well as some of the other projects mentioned. We also continue to seek grant dollars towards these projects as well as for traffic calming projects to mitigate the impact of surrounding development on our roads.

Most importantly we have been focused on efficient and effective delivery of service to our residents through maintenance of swales, canals and grading.

Regarding the park project, the article incorrectly refers to increase in costs as the reason for the shortfall. This is incorrect. While there has been an increase in some costs since the contract was done in 2015 and construction is just now nearing completion, the majority of the shortfall relates to loss of grants and a misrepresentation from former staff that grant dollars were available that were not tied to the contract. In addition, there were monies spent from the utility sale account that could be reallocated. The Board chose to reallocate funds to make up the shortfall. While it has an impact on the dollars available for the 2019/20 budget, it is an issue that has been resolved by the Board.

Regarding our healthcare plan that we currently offer to our employees, ITID currently pays 100% of the HMO employee health plan. This amounts to approximately $750 per month per employee with a 10-20% increase annually absorbed.

There are three healthcare options the employee can apply those funds to 1. Affordable high deductible family HMO plan 2. HMO plan (which is what the 100% $ coverage is based on) and 3. PPO Plan.

I think the District’s healthcare Plan is already exceptional. However we are exploring ways to provide more affordable options for families with minimal increase in cost to the District. I will continue to support 100% coverage to our employees and remain committed to finding more affordable plans for their dependents. I do NOT support paying for dependent coverage. I believe our taxpayers also struggle with providing healthcare for themselves and their dependents and I do not want to burden them further.

It is important to note that ITID’s budget is limited by non ad valorem tax revenue. We don’t get shared revenue from elsewhere. We also do not benefit from market value increases. We have to make sure each penny is spent wisely.

This is the platform I was elected to office for. I remain true to my word and committed to our taxpayers.

I look forward to hearing from you, our taxpayers. How are we doing? How can we do better?

Please feel free to attend the budget workshop July 17th at 5:30 pm or the regular Board of Supervisors meeting at 6:30 pm. You may also email me at bargue@indiantrail.com or you can email any of the other board members.

https://gotowncrier.com/2019/07/sparks-fly-as-itid-board-sets-budget-workshop-for-july-17/

Summer Break – Fun ideas

Summer break is almost here and you may be looking for some fun and affordable ideas for how to spend your time with your children. There are some great ideas and sources for more information here

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/deals-shopping/fl-bz-viz-doreen-christensen-free-cheap-summer-fun-20190523-fakteou22zbtnhlv2z6456ov3u-story.html?outputType=amp

Loxahatchee River Restoration Plan (formerly North County Plan)

The ITID Board of Supervisors will receive a presentation from the District Engineer regarding the currently proposed Loxahatchee River Restoration plan for discussion and Board direction at its meeting on April 17th at 6:30pm.

For the interested public, there will be two meetings for public input as set out below. To learn about the project and to submit written comments, please follow the link below.

Thursday, April 18, 2019, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Town of Jupiter Community Center, Room A/B, 200 Military Trail, Jupiter, FL 33458.

Friday April 19, 2019, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the South Florida Water Management District, B-1 Auditorium, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33416.

To learn more about the plan, please click Here

Royal Ascot Estates, Acreage

There has been some discussion about Royal Ascot Estates and why there is a “Welcome to the Acreage” sign on Seminole Pratt Whitney where the old “Welcome to Royal Ascot Estates” sign was.

Here are the historical plat maps for Royal Ascot Estates. Note the first one references “Royal Ascot Estates RPB Acreage”. We are unincorporated Palm Beach County, we have a unique identity. Those who have lived in Royal Ascot Estates for a long time (20 years or more) prefer that name. While collectively the area is referred to as The Acreage or Loxahatchee. None of them are wrong since we are not a municipality.

The screenshot below is of the County’s site where the Plat maps can be found. I have uploaded the plat maps specifically for Royal Ascot Estates for those interested.

royal ascot estates rpb acreage sec13,14,23,24 twn43 rng40

royal ascot estates sec25 twn43 rng40

royal ascot estates sec24 twn43 rng40

royal ascot estates sec13,24,25 twn43 rng40

royal ascot estates sec13 twn43 rng40

Palm Beach County Traffic Meeting at Seminole Ridge Highschool

For those who were unable to make the meeting last night at Seminole Ridge, I will share my notes (from memory) since I don’t believe there is a recording of the meeting.

First I would like to thank our District 6 County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay for hosting another community meeting (in addition to the recent library meeting) focused on traffic in the area. Traffic is a major concern for our whole area. Second thank you to the members of the panel.

Present on the panel were the following representatives David Ricks, County Engineer, Nick Uhren, Executive Director Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency, Ken Cassell, Town Manager for Westlake, Gerry O’Reilly, FDOT Secretary District 4, Jay Foy, ITID Engineer, Rob Robinson, ITID District Manager.

Presentations were done by each of the panelists addressing their responsibility and jurisdiction for roads in our area. This includes State, County and ITID roads. There was discussion on funding for each of the levels.

The State has an intricate system that allocates dollars first to safety projects, then need statewide and then whatever is leftover is divided up by Districts. We are District 4. The State currently has funded projects in our area that include the expansion of Southern Blvd. from Forest Hill Blvd. west to the Arden development, the Hamlin Blvd. sidewalk project west of 180th to 190th in front of Friedland Park, and traffic calming with ITID on Hall Blvd, 140th Ave N and Key Lime Blvd.

Things discussed:

1. FDOT reported SR7 currently in litigation regarding a legal challenge to the DEP permit. Hearing is in August. It is is still a priority for all stakeholders and FDOT is viewing the project as on hold pending the current legal challenge. Construction contract has been awarded and contractor is on standby.

2. Discussion about Northlake, speed, enforcement by PBG Police

3. Many residents from Bayhill advocating for a light there. County Engineer claims it does not meet the State standards for warrant currently. The County Engineer is going to review the study with FDOT and see if something can be done.

4. We are still waiting for the updated study of Hall/Northlake as to whether it warrants an intersection light. Many people have died or been seriously injured at this intersection. Our community has advocated for this for at least the past 6 years.

5. Road construction to begin at the intersection of Northlake and Seminole Pratt and the widening of SPW to 4 lanes to begin this year (2019).

6. Northlake to be widened to 4 lanes to Coconut next year. Why isn’t it being widened to the ultimate 6 lanes now? This was discussed and to be reviewed.

7. Extension of Seminole Pratt to the Beeline to be reviewed by County but the current opinion seems to be that there will be environmental issues without the Avenir piece to connect to the Beeline. To be reviewed.

8. Widening of coconut to 5 lanes from South of Temple to Northlake currently projected for 2023.

9. Westlake is currently working with county to turn over the ROW for 60th between SPW and 140th

10. Construction of 60th to 3 lanes from Avocado east to 120th currently planned for 2022.

11. Discussion on impact fees and proportionate share payments and how they have to be spent. Basically they have to be spent in our area.

12. Comments on the need for 4-way stops at certain intersection of ITID roads. ITID is already working with the County engineer on this.

13. Comments regarding speed bumps affecting fire rescue response times.

In total there is over $75 million in planned improvements in the next 5 years. $24 million for this year.

There will be a link posted to Melissa McKinlay’s county website and Facebook page for the slides presented by the TPA and County.