Former Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio was appointed to the Planning & Zoning Commission Tuesday, filling one of two open seats on the seven-member board.
Palm Beach Daily News
Palm Beach property owners who want to build wider docks or piers that wrap around their lakefront lots may face a hurdle in the future.
A memo sent to the Planning and Zoning commissioners by Zoning Manager Paul Castro expressed concern about owners taking advantage of an existing loophole in the Code of Ordinances that doesn’t limit how wide a dock can be.
Further, Castro said, the loophole has provided an opportunity for developers and property owners to extend backyards over the lake.
“If they (property owners) can get a permit through the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), we have nothing to control how wide a dock can be,” Castro told the Daily News. “In some cases, they’re building 30-foot-wide docks going out 15 or 20 feet into the water.”
Planning board to recommended extended trial period for expanded outdoor dining
Palm Beach Daily News
After spending the past several weeks reviewing outdoor dining in the town, the Planning and Zoning Commission will recommend to Town Council that the existing expansion should continue on a trial basis for another year and that restaurants should not be allowed to increase their total number of seats.
In a meeting Tuesday, commissioners also agreed that outdoor seats should not go beyond the perimeter of the restaurant; they will make that recommendation to the council when it meets next month.
Zoning Director Wayne Bergman told the commission that council members discussed the issue at their recent meeting and did not want the town to be a dining destination.