Riviera Beach planning board backs replat for Marina Village Element 8, sends recommendation to city council

The Riviera Beach Planning and Zoning Board on May 15 recommended that the City Council approve a replat combining three parcels for the Marina Village Element 8 development, staff said, and the board voted to forward the plat with a recommendation of approval.

City planning staff told the board the plat (identified in the staff packet as plat PA 25-301) combines 57 East 12th Street, 1124 Broadway Avenue and a portion of 1195 Avenue C into a single 2.44-acre parcel and includes a dedication of right-of-way for 12th Avenue to the city. Staff said the replat complies with Chapter 30 of the city subdivision regulations and chapter 177 of the Florida Statutes and that all city departments have approved the plat, allowing one draft staff condition to be removed from the recommendation.

Kurt Thompson, principal planner, summarized the project and staff review. He said the site is vacant, lies within the city’s Community Redevelopment Area and has a downtown mixed-use land-use designation and downtown core (DC) zoning. "The staff has reviewed this extensively, and this proposed replat has been found to be consistent with chapter 30 of the subdivision regulations and chapter 177 of the Florida statutes," Thompson told the board. He also noted the plat includes a dedication granting fee simple right-of-way to the city for 12th Avenue.

A staff member advised the board that, because a third-party reviewer for the city — the firm Brown and Phillips — had reviewed the plat and one board member disclosed an employment relationship with that firm, the board member should abstain from voting as a precaution. The disclosure and the staff advice were read into the record before the board considered the replat.

An applicant representative and two people from the applicant team were present; staff asked that questions be held until the end of the presentation. One member of the public, identified in the record as Ty Dye, spoke during public comment about an unrelated zoning sign and scheduling for a separate item on 20 Third Street; Thompson and other staff confirmed the 20 Third Street matter was not on the board’s agenda that night and remains under departmental review.

After discussion, a board member moved to accept the replat as read into the record. The motion was seconded and the board recorded affirmative votes from Board member Gallen, Board member Shepherd, Vice Chair Fernandez and Chairperson Wiley. The board chair announced the motion passed and the plat will be transmitted to the Riviera Beach City Council for final action.

Staff listed several department reviewers by name during the presentation, including engineering (Terrence Bailey), water utilities (John Armstrong) and the fire department. Thompson told the board that, because those departments have signed off, the conditional language in the staff report can be stricken and the plat can proceed with the stated dedications and signatures.

The board handled attendance and procedural items earlier in the meeting: two members (Renee Burgess and Lucy Joseph) had notified they would be absent, and staff noted vacant alternate positions for Districts 2 and 4 and a board vacancy for District 5. The board also scheduled a public workshop on the comprehensive plan for May 29 and asked staff to circulate the public materials and a video to encourage resident participation.

The replat recommendation now moves to the Riviera Beach City Council for its public hearing and final decision; the staff presentation and the board’s recommendation will be part of the council record.