Regarding both the Town-Crier letter by Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto (Sept. 9) and an article in the Palm Beach Post (West Palm: SR 7 Extension Would Harm Some Species, Aug. 24). I agree with everything that Mayor Pinto said in the Town-Crier and the species that I am worried about is homo sapiens, namely you and me.
In the face of the build-build-build attitude of the Palm Beach County Commission and the total lack of any growth management, we are faced with a huge traffic infrastructure deficit.
Even at the state level, the travesty of converting the Department of Community Affairs to the Department of Economic Opportunity speaks to a total disregard for growth management and even common sense.
It is stated that State Road 7 is being “extended.” It is not being “extended,” the proposal is to connect the currently built parts of SR 7. That is, presently the SR 7 area being discussed runs from Okeechobee Blvd. to 60th Street North, dumping traffic into The Acreage, and from Northlake Blvd. south to Sandhill Way, dumping traffic into Ibis. The connection of these two already built pieces is required for sensible traffic flow and relief of future traffic impacts, as well as linking evacuation routes. Additionally, if a berm was included between the road and the wetland, then runoff could go to a west side of the road percolation area.
I am a staunch environmentalist, and knowing that traffic/noise could disturb the nesting of the snail kite, I suggest that construction start before nesting season so that the noise will prevent nesting from occurring in the immediate area, thereby avoiding disturbance of ongoing nesting. Rostrhamus sociabilis is an extremely mobile species and will nest locally elsewhere. That is, between Grassy Waters and the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, there are more than 73,000 acres.
I find it strange that Ibis, especially its notable resident, the mayor of West Palm Beach, is fighting the loss of a few acres of these wetlands. That is, if one goes to Google Earth and zooms in on Ibis, it is obvious that that community was built directly in the wetland. Zoom in on places like Sparrow Hawk Drive, Starling Way and Anhinga Lane; they are currently in the wetland!
Build the road and let’s get back to a modicum of traffic concurrency.
Dr. Bill Louda, Loxahatchee Groves
Did we worry about the West Palm water supply or any of the species in the area when we put the Ibis and it’s fertilizer fueled Golf course out there????
Nope.
Westlake? Nope.
At least Avenir has the sense to propose connecting Coconut to PGA Blvd / Beeline. Thank you Avenir, I wish most other developers had half your sense of betterment and integrity. I might be among the first in line for your new community.
SR-7 extension is still the small fight compared to the size Northlake will need to be in order to handle the traffic. Looks like it will become Okeechobee Blvd north. I look forward to waving at Ibis drivers while we both bumper-to-bumper our way into town.
Hear! Hear!
It’s the City of West Palm Beach that holds the western communities hostage. It’s RiverWalk and Ibis and also theTown of Palm Beach (money talks) that protest the road completion.
Former WPB Mayor and now Congresswoman Lois Frankel opposes the SR7 extension proposal.
Lois, btw, was the Mayor when she asked the County Commissioners for an approval of the Riverwalk Community and a promise to support the extension of SR7! She reneged on that promise, but that’s what one gets from a politician who only looksout for the wealthy who support her political seat.
Take note that Clear Lake is a water reservoir for the city of West Palm Beach. It sits between I-95 and Australian Avenue and borders the well traveled Okeechobee Blvd. There are plenty of homes that border this lake and plenty of apartments across from the lake. Billionaire Jeff Greene is even proposing more buildings near the Clear Lake Reservoir!
Will the City of West Palm Beach allow Greene to construct buildings near the Clear Lake Reservoir?!
Wealth over the safety of the residences of the Western Communities.
The County Commissioners are fighting those entities to have the road built.