Delray Beach board recommends approval of All County Paving conditional uses with landscape condition

Delray Beach Planning & Zoning Board members voted 6-0 on July 21 to recommend that the City Commission approve three conditional-use requests from All County Paving for property at 1180 Southwest 10th Street, with the board attaching a requirement that a hedge be planted outside the north perimeter fence and that the operation meet all applicable laws.

The three separate requests—outdoor storage of concrete products (aggregate), bulk fuel storage for the company fleet, and truck/equipment parking—were considered together because they relate to the same site and overall expansion proposal. The applicant and staff presented site plans, operational descriptions and mitigation measures; one resident spoke in support.

City planning staff said the site’s land-use designation and zoning are industrial and that the conditional uses are permitted in the EI/industrial district subject to public review and the findings required by the Land Development Regulations (LDR). Rafiki Ibrahim, Principal, Current Planning, explained the three file numbers and the resolutions under consideration and noted staff’s analysis that the applications met the LDR and comprehensive-plan consistency tests included in the staff report. Jeff Costello of JC Planning Solutions, representing the applicant, described the expansion onto an adjacent two-acre parcel, the location of concrete aggregate bins and a ready-mix silo in the southwest corner of the site, the private fuel tanks adjacent to the building, and a fleet-parking area on the west side of the property. Costello said the application includes paving, drainage, landscape buffering, and other site improvements.

The applicant told the board the silo and aggregate storage are located at the southwest corner of the combined parcels and that the company intends to install additional landscaping, retention, and screening as part of permitting. Costello said the corporate office hours are roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with contractor and crew schedules varying by shift. He asked the board for a recommendation of approval. "We respectfully request your recommendation for approval," Costello said.

A resident, Christina Morrison of 1000 Lowry Street, testified in favor of the expansion, saying the owner had renovated and stabilized the property and that the company employs local residents. "This is his national headquarters of his company," Morrison said, adding that she had received no neighbor objections after the mailed notices.

Board members’ discussion focused on compatibility with nearby residences across Southwest 10th Street, air quality and dust-control measures, landscape buffering/visual screening along the north property line and the enforceability of conditions. Staff and the applicant pointed to submitted mitigation: an air-general-permit registration with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (included in the backup materials), use of watered or covered aggregate piles, concrete containment for fuel tanks and bollards, and a proposed 10-foot landscape buffer and a 60-foot setback for storage areas from the northern property line.

Board members asked for enforceable appearance and maintenance conditions. Mitch Katz, who moved the motions, added a condition requiring a hedge to be planted on the outside of the north perimeter fence and maintained in compliance with applicable law; Judy Malika seconded each motion. The board then called roll for each of the three resolution recommendations; each passed on a 6-0 vote (one member absent). After the votes the board and applicant discussed next steps: platting and permitting to implement the paved areas, drainage, landscaping, lighting and other improvements.

Votes at a glance - Resolution (concrete products / aggregate storage): motion to recommend approval (mover: Mitch Katz; second: Judy Malika). Roll call: Jeffrey Mezelman — Yes; Mitch Katz — Yes; Derek/Doug Strong — Yes; Chris Brown — Yes; Judy Malika — Yes; Gregory Snyder — Yes. Outcome: recommended for approval, condition: hedge on outside of north perimeter fence; meet applicable law. - Resolution (fuel storage — private fleet tanks): same motion/second and roll-call result; outcome: recommended for approval, same hedge condition and compliance requirement. - Resolution (truck/equipment parking — fleet storage): same motion/second and roll-call result; outcome: recommended for approval, same hedge condition and compliance requirement.

What was decided and what remains The Planning & Zoning Board’s action was a recommendation to the City Commission; the final approvals are subject to commission review. The board’s approvals were conditioned on placement of a hedge on the outside of the north perimeter fence and compliance with applicable laws and permits (for example, the applicant submitted an air general permit registration and a Palm Beach County environmental review for the fuel tanks, according to staff). Staff and the applicant said final improvements — paving, drainage, landscape installation, and building/operating permits — will be completed during the permit/platting phase.

Key numbers and site details (as presented to the board) - Site: 1180 Southwest 10th Street (existing All County Paving facility plus vacant lot to the west); combined lots about 4.86 acres (presented as two lots totaling nearly five acres). - Silo: applicant-stated height ~38 feet and setback ~10 feet from the west property line; applicant also stated the silo is located several hundred feet from residentially zoned property (applicant presentation referenced "about 605 feet"). - Separation and buffers: staff noted the existing building and proposed yard are separated from the residential neighborhood by Southwest 10th Street and about 100 feet of right-of-way; applicant described additional buffering including a retention area and 10-foot landscape buffers along the north perimeter and 60-foot setback for parking/storage areas. - Employment: applicant representative Randall Sly said the facility supports "a little over a 100" active full-time employees, with roughly 50 on site at times and 26 employees who are Delray Beach residents.

Quotes (selected) "We respectfully request your recommendation for approval," Jeff Costello, JC Planning Solutions, representing the applicant, told the board. "This is his national headquarters of his company," Christina Morrison, Delray Beach resident, said in public comment in support. "We have out of our local facility here a little over a 100," Randall Sly (company representative) said when describing staffing.

Background and context Staff emphasized that the proposed conditional uses are not permitted by right and therefore require public review and the specific findings set out in the LDR. Staff also described an associated code-enforcement history on the vacant lot that prompted the city’s technical review and the applicant’s submission of detailed mitigation and narrative materials. Palm Beach County environmental review of the fuel tanks and a Florida DEP air permit registration were included in the applicant’s materials, according to staff.

Next steps The City Commission will consider the three conditional-use requests and the related site- and plat-permitting required to implement the paved yard, drainage, landscaping, lighting and fuel-storage containment. If the commission approves, the applicant will proceed with platting and building/permitting; staff and several board members emphasized that permit conditions and subsequent code-enforcement follow-up will be the vehicle to ensure long-term compliance.

Ending The board’s unanimous recommendation was framed by members as support for an industrial use in an industrially zoned area while attaching conditions intended to reduce visual and air-quality impacts on nearby residential properties. The City Commission will issue final votes on the three conditional-use requests and any additional conditions the commission requires.