It’s not about pavers, it’s about a commitment to consistent quality, Councilman Gary Werner said at the Westlake City Council’s Tuesday, May 6 meeting while discussing an amendment to the municipal code to give developers leeway in the type of crosswalks they can install within commercial properties.
“I bought here seeing a very nice community and a very quality development,” said Werner, asserting that allowing developers to use lower-cost, less-aesthetically pleasing and inconsistent materials puts Westlake on the road to becoming a lower-quality development.
At the same time, the ordinance requires “paver blocks” be used to connect commercial properties to the multi-modal paths at the edge of shopping areas.
“We have no objection to [the paver requirement] when intersecting with the multi-modal paths,” said attorney Kathryn Rossmell, representing Westlake’s largest landowner and primary developer, Minto Communities USA. “But internally, we’d like more flexibility.”
That flexibility opens the door for use of painted lines ($2 to $5 per square foot), thermoplastic ($5 to $10 psf), stamped asphalt ($8 to $12 psf), stamped concrete ($30 to $40 psf) or pavers $22 to $30 (psf), according to an analysis by municipal staff.
“We’ll be creating a hodgepodge,” Werner said.
Since 2017, when the first house was sold in Westlake, it has been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Florida, if not the country. Much of that success is based on Westlake’s image as one of consistent quality, Werner said, before voting against the amendment, which passed 4-1.
When the clerk called Werner’s name, he voted, “No… because I don’t want mediocrity.”
Werner, a city planner by profession, moved from California to Westlake in June 2022. He was appointed to the council in December 2023 to fill a vacancy. In 2024, he began a full four-year term in Seat 1.
Since then, Werner has frequently pushed back against developer requests, saying that the city needs to play a larger role in guiding future land use and ensuring developers keep their commitment to creating a high-quality commercial and residential lifestyle.
In other business:
- Mayor JohnPaul O’Connor noted the importance of residents participating in the Strategic Planning Community Engagement Meeting set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 24 at the Lodge at Westlake Adventure Park (5490 Kingfisher Blvd.).
The meeting is being held in the run-up to the council’s two-day strategic planning workshop in June to establish community goals, objectives and projects for the next two to five years. This workshop is being conducted by the International Institute for Leadership Development and Training.
“There will be a collective effort that will require input from community members to include residents, businesses, community organizations and local leaders,” the City of Westlake’s web site says of the meeting. “The city values your unique perspectives and insights, which will help shape a plan to reflect the needs and priorities of our community.”
O’Connor urged everyone to attend.
“It is so important we get public comment,” he said of the May 24 meeting. “I can’t stress enough how important that is.”
Meanwhile, Westlake also has engaged the engineering firm Chen Moore and Associates to develop a new comprehensive plan to replace the original created soon after Westlake was incorporated in 2016. The deadline for the plan’s completion and submittal to the state for review is Feb. 27, 2026.
“A comp plan is your vision of what the city is going be over the next 10 to 20 years, put together in a way that can be understood,” Westlake City Manager Kenneth Cassel has explained.
He said that the strategic planning sessions and the development of a new comp plan go hand-in-hand.
- The council reappointed four members of the current Education Advisory Board — Anita Kaplan, Lisa Barron, Colleen Forlizzi and Krystal Lexima — for another year and added resident Jennifer Christian-Upia. Christian-Upia holds a master’s degree in education, according to her résumé. Her focus is in social studies, grades 5-12. She has lived in Westlake for approximately two years.
- The council appointed six members of the Art in Public Places Advisory Board — Jennifer Estis, Gail Blair-Lewis, Lauren Mondell, Carole Waldman, Kim Lanza and Johana Jimenez (alternate) — for a one-year term.
- Cassel told the council that the city soon will publish a request for proposals (RFP) for space in a commercial development to be used for city meetings and some office space for municipal workers. The council currently meets once a month at the Lodge at Westlake Adventure Park, but Cassel said the busyness of the lodge limits the council’s freedom to add additional council meetings, workshops or make the space available for other city-related meetings.
