Commission advances construction parking and traffic permit rules after residents complain about contractor staging

The West Palm Beach City Commission on June 9 moved forward with an ordinance (No. 5135‑25) to revise construction traffic‑management and construction‑parking permit requirements and establish a permitting and review process intended to reduce impacts of construction on residential streets.

Veronica Altuve, the city traffic engineer, told the commission the proposed changes will create a formal process to track construction parking and traffic plans in the EPL system, require site plans showing staging areas and routes for heavy vehicles, and describe how construction workers will be transported and where they will park. “The construction traffic and parking management plan will provide for us to request the site plan illustrating the staging area and how on street parking will be affected by construction vehicles and storage material equipment,” Altuve said.

The draft ordinance deletes section 86‑245 (Construction Project Parking) and amends section 86‑246 (Construction Traffic Management Plan) in Chapter 86 (Traffic and Parking). Staff said the permit includes a $300 fee for up to two staff reviews; the ordinance text read during the hearing says repeated violations can lead to a stop‑work order after three recorded violations.

Residents raised related concerns during public comment. Artisha Fletch, speaking for the Westfield Neighborhood Association, said the FDOT contractor working on the North Shore Drive bridge project has used a nearby vacant lot in the neighborhood as a docking station where heavy equipment, material and debris have been stored. She said she contacted multiple city departments before learning the contractor had a city permit for the lot. “Why was he given a permit to use a vacant lot in a residential area as a docking station?” Fletch asked the commission.

President Lambert asked for clearer public guidance on where residents should file complaints and how the city would document violations. Armando Fonas, assistant city administrator, suggested creating a web page or EPL link so residents can look up permits by address and pull permit conditions; commissioners also discussed a communication push to direct residents to WPB Key and Engineering Services for complaints.

Why it matters: City staff said formalizing the permit process aims to reduce on‑street parking pressures in residential neighborhoods, ensure routing of heavy vehicles on major streets, and provide enforceable permit conditions.

What’s next: The commission voted to read the ordinance and schedule final reading for June 23, 2025. Staff will implement the EPL tracking, fee collection for reviews, and proposed communication plan for resident complaints.

Ending: The ordinance proceeds to second reading on June 23; residents concerned about the contractor staging asked staff to follow up on the specific permit for the FDOT project.