Riviera Beach council approves Safe Harbor Marina right-of-way abandonment, moves landscaping fee rules to site-plan review

Riviera Beach City Council on Feb. 5 approved an ordinance to abandon portions of Avenue C and East 20th Street to allow redevelopment of the Safe Harbor Marina campus and separately approved a related text amendment that lets waterfront projects request a payment in lieu of some landscape requirements.

The council voted unanimously on the abandonment ordinance (first reading) after staff and the applicant described the project footprint, an approximately 4.81-acre development area within an 18.72-acre site, and a staff-calculated privilege fee tied to adjacent property values. Clarence Sermons, director of development services, said the project footprint, zoning (Downtown Core/Downtown Marine) and future land-use designation (downtown mixed use/working waterfront) were presented to council and that staff had reviewed the applicant’s privilege-fee calculation with the finance director.

Why it matters: The abandonment clears public right of way to consolidate property for a new marine…