Royal Palm Beach’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 23 began on a somber note with a moment of silence in memory of Patrick Lynch, one of the alternates to the board, who passed away last month.
Commission Chair Jackie Larson announced Lynch’s passing at the start of the meeting.
“For those of you who may not know, the alternates work as hard and have as much responsibility as the regular board members,” Larson said. “We certainly want to send out our deepest condolences to his family and certainly thank him for the service that he gave us in the time that he was with us.”
The commission considered two items on its agenda, including one from CubeSmart pertaining to the colors and logo for the storage facility’s sign on Business Parkway.
Alternate David Leland asked about the franchise’s sign deviating from the white letters on a red background or red letters on a white background of the other CubeSmarts he has seen have, including those in Royal Palm Beach.
“Shouldn’t the branding be consistent with what the franchise does?” he asked.
Nicole Sullivan of GM Signs explained that locations in Broward County have the proposed sign design — the top part has a red background with white letters while the bottom has red letters and black numbers on a white background.
“There are several locations in Broward County that have this design,” she said.
Leland questioned having two different signs in Royal Palm Beach, using the example of different McDonald’s franchise owners wanting a blue arch instead of a golden arch.
“If we’re approving a look in our village, they should be consistent, I would think?” he asked.
Sullivan noted that the sign process has already taken a year and asked how to expedite the process.
Development Review Coordinator Kevin Erwin searched to see whether CubeSmart has a registered color trademark. Neither of the two active trademarks list color as part of the trademark.
Commissioner Richard Becher brought up the point that Business Parkway is a private road, and there aren’t really sign codes on Business Parkway. He asked whether CubeSmart can make its sign whatever colors it would like.
“Given that it’s on Business Parkway, does that not allow them to have the colors that they want, if it’s reasonable?” he asked.
The sign is an improvement upon the purple sign there now, Larson said, noting that Business Parkway does not have sign rules.
Becher made a motion to approve the new monument sign, with the condition of new landscaping, which passed 4-1 with Leland dissenting.
The second item on the agenda was a request for architectural approval for single-family home models for the Cypress Key Mixed Use Development. The applicant, Gentile, Glas, Holloway, O’Mahoney & Associates, landscape architects and land planners, proposed four single-family home models that range from 2,394 to 3,679 square feet and either two-car or three-car garages. Three models are two stories and one is a single story.
The single-family homes are located on the northwest side of Cypress Head Ave. and Southern Blvd. The four models suggested by the applicant would replace the previously approved models for the homes.
Representing the applicant, George Gentile explained that there are four models, with the ability to mix color schemes, accents and stone, and there is diversity with the garage choices.
Becher asked about the impervious and pervious area ratio for the lots, and Erwin clarified that for the single-family homes, up to 50 percent of the lot area could be impervious.
Becher’s concern stemmed from the garage variation, and whether new residents want pools. Ewing explained that the houses will have to be matched to the available lots. The lots are of various sizes, Gentile explained, pointing out that differing landscaping will create additional diversity.
Larson expressed concern about the harmonious but not monotonous parameter, to which Gentile pointed out that the homes can be customized, and that with the four models, four color schemes, and then the garage choices, there will be a great deal of diversity within the developed community.
The new models were approved 5-0.
Royal Palm Beach has given it’s approval for apartments to be built behind Lowe’s but also expect even more apartments to spring up in this area on Acme Road.
A bridge is being built over the C-51 Canal near 103rd Street to link the area with Southern Blvd. Real estate Development Companies do not spend all this money just for one group of apartments.
The land surrounding these newly approved apartments has been gobbled up by LLCs, (check Property Appraiser’s website) so expect more apartments in the future. That will impact nearby schools and add more and more traffic to the already overloaded/over capacity intersection of 441/SR7, plus the need for more police to patrol this multifamily area. One can also bet that nearby Little Ranches in Wellington will be getting ‘visits’ from the apartment dwellers who will walk over to their neighborhood.
So long, ranchettes, hello, overcrowding.