FIRE STATION #7 AND ROEBUCK ROAD ARE INTERTWINED
by Max Harper
Regatta Cove Ð Baywinds
June 5, 2005
Those of you who attended the CityWatch meeting at Andros Isle on May 18, and listened to the comments of County Commissioner Koons and City Commissioner Liberti, had reason to leave the meeting with renewed optimism that we would be getting the proposed fire station soon and that we would not be getting Roebuck Road anytime soon. Answering the rumor that the county won’t give traffic approvals needed for the fire station until the city agrees to sell land to the county it needs to extend Roebuck Road, Commissioner Koons said that County Engineer George Webb would never put Roebuck Road ahead of public safety. Webb, who was present at the meeting, said nothing to the contrary. Both Commissioners said the parcel of land designated for the fire station was already vested with traffic concurrency, leading some in the audience to believe that construction of the fire station would not be delayed due to concurrency issues. Commissioner Koons repeated that construction of Roebuck Road is not in county’s 5-year plan. Subsequent information, however, has shown that not all the relevant information was revealed about the fire station or Roebuck Road, and how they are intertwined.
The latest proposed site for the fire station (including emergency medical transport) to serve the communities along Okeechobee Boulevard is part of Oakton Commons, a proposed residential and commercial project facing the north side of Okeechobee, backing up to Andros Isle and west of RiverWalk. As reported by Tom Collins in The Palm Beach Post on May 31, 2005 (May 31 Post Story), Developer George Elmore wants to build residential units and shops at the site and is willing to give the city 2 acres of that land for a new fire station once the larger project is approved. But the project would add more cars to the nearly maxed out capacity of Okeechobee Boulevard so the project can’t go forward without the county giving approval for the increased traffic. The city planning board at their meeting on May 17 acknowledged that the parcel for the fire station is vested with traffic concurrency but made their unanimous approval of the larger project subject to approved traffic concurrency for the entire project. The May 31 Post Story also states that Webb says it would be foolish to allow that traffic without first getting the land needed to extend Roebuck Road from State Road 7 east to Jog Road thus lessening the burden on Okeechobee. He said the time to extend Roebuck Road is drawing near and he’s considering taking the land for the road, adding that the board of county commissioners has set aside money for him to do so.
The developers of Baywinds and the developers of Andros Isle provided the county with land to build Roebuck Road just north of the developed portions of those communities. However, the land needed for the road north of RiverWalk is owned by the city. Thus far, the city has declined to sell the land to the county but, as mentioned above, the county has the option to take it by eminent domain. As for the often-repeated statement that the construction of Roebuck Road is not in the county’s 5-year plan, everyone should be aware that next year’s 5-year plan may bear little resemblance to this year’s 5-year plan.
The June 4, 2005, editorial page of The Palm Beach Post divulged even more information. It states there would be no RiverWalk if not for West Palm Beach’s promise 11 years ago to Palm Beach County that it could build Roebuck Road. The editorial says that the city isn’t objecting to the road extension on environmental grounds (which are real concerns), but just wants to keep misleading residents who still believe they can stop the road.
And so, my fellow residents, I believe Roebuck Road has become a crossroad for us. Adding to the near capacity traffic already on Okeechobee, will be the continued development in the Acreage and massive other development west of State Road 7. From Palm Beach County’s perspective, their failure to provide relief for the ever-increasing traffic congestion would be irresponsible. The county has the power to acquire the needed land for the road extension and, based on Webb’s plain statements, they are prepared to use it if necessary. I believe it is time for both the city administration and the affected residents to replace politics and emotion with realism and common sense logic, acknowledging that Roebuck Road is in our future; it’ s just a matter of time. Although it would be an uphill battle, the affected residents in Baywinds, where the proposed route runs much farther south than in either Andros or RiverWalk, might consider a lobbying effort to determine whether environmental considerations could allow the road to be shifted farther north -- perhaps along the northern boundary of the Baywinds preserve. Any such change in the preserve would require the approval of the South Florida Water Management District.
I also think we have every right to be disappointed in the city administration for failing to plan earlier and more effectively for meeting our public safety needs. It now appears, however, if the city will agree to sell the county the land it needs for the Roebuck Road extension, the county will approve traffic concurrency for Oakton Commons thus allowing the project Ð including the fire station Ð to proceed on a fast track.
Let’s all take a deep breath and start fresh. But, starting today, let’s hold our elected officials strictly accountable for how they treat public safety issues!
(Note by writer: Additional information on this subject, penned by Len Fintzy, will be published in the next few days at www.citywatchpbc.com.)