Richard Nielsen’s letter (Time For Honesty About RaceTrac, Dec. 11) echoes something written by an attorney rather than a concerned taxpayer or resident.
While “legal” does not always equate with “appropriate,” that simply means many laws, zoning and otherwise should be re-examined periodically so that they can be consistent with an evolving community’s desires.
We live in a country that embraces personal property rights, but the counterweight should be an impartial council that protects neighboring citizen’s property values, preventing junkyards and bordellos being built randomly.
Gas stations bring a high degree of extra traffic, noise and pollution. Even more so with cheap gas for anyone without a Costco card. Will that bring in large trucks and buses for diesel fill-ups? Perhaps Mr. Nielsen feels lines of cars waiting at the pump and obstructing traffic patterns going in and out of the RaceTrac facility is an attractive picture. He should build his dream house next door to this proposed project.
The two banks previously occupying the property did not go out of business because it was an obscure corner location. They failed because of bad business practices. The corner of Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and Southern Blvd. is a heavily trafficked location. Certainly, it would be attractive to an alternative, low-impact enterprise.
A decade from now, no one can predict if there will even be a need for gas stations. Electric or alternative energy cars may have a serious impact on the market. Once underground gas/diesel storage tanks are buried beneath the tarmac, the land use becomes even more limited and is subjected to stringent guidelines established by the EPA for any construction on previous gas station sites.
That area and that particular corner are already amply congested due to the restrictions on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and the abundance of traffic on Southern Blvd. Opening up a high volume operation of any nature would be just another poor decision by the village council.
Lenore White, Royal Palm Beach
Editor’s note: Ms. White is a candidate for the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.
How many more times does the council have to hear how bad this idea is for the Village. And shame on the Sanatmaria family for even considering this development next to their truck stop! Lenore sounds like a rationale, intelligent candidate that deserves serious consideration. Jeff Hmara lives in a bubble – says no one is opposed to the Race Trac. That’s just not listening councilman Hmara.