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Delray Beach homeowner says city will redesign sidewalk to preserve historic pillars and fig tree on North Swinton Avenue
Summary
A resident told the Historic Preservation Board the city agreed to redesign a Phase 2 sidewalk to avoid removing four mission-style pillars and a mature fig tree in front of 1616 North Swinton Avenue; board members and staff discussed who to contact for technical details and asked the resident to keep the board informed.
Charlie Simmons, a Delray Beach resident at 1616 North Swinton Avenue, told the Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board that the city agreed to redesign the Phase 2 North Swinton Avenue underground-utility and sidewalk project so it would not remove four original concrete-and-stucco pillars or a large mature fig tree in front of his home.
Simmons said he and his wife, Kim, moved to Delray Beach four years ago and purchased the house because of its historic character. He told the board he had been informed by city staff that the pillars and the tree would be preserved and the sidewalk layout would be adjusted to accommodate them, though he said he had not yet seen the redesign drawings.
The board’s planners confirmed staff had worked with Simmons and with the city manager’s office and city attorney’s staff. Principal planner Michelle Hoyland noted that the project had gone through multiple community meetings and that public‑works director Missy Barletto had been involved in project discussions.
During the public exchange, board members and staff reminded Simmons that final technical design responsibility may lie with county or state engineers for right-of-way work and that formal approvals could involve multiple agencies. Simmons and board members discussed sidewalk width: Simmons said neighbors had been told a five-foot sidewalk was planned; a board member asked whether the land development regulations require an eight-foot sidewalk. The transcript shows staff said the proposed sidewalk would be five feet and that the LDRs may require different widths depending on location.
Board members thanked Simmons for bringing the issue to the board’s attention and asked that he remain in contact if any aspects of the redesign threaten the integrity of the pillars or the tree. Staff said they would refer Simmons to the appropriate public‑works contacts if he needed additional technical information.
Simmons also raised broader concerns about adjacent construction activity, excavation and drainage improvements in the area, and asked whether developers could be required to document threatened historic buildings before demolition. Planning staff said documenting historic buildings is standard practice when the board is notified about demolitions, and pledged to continue encouraging photographic and archival records when demolition is imminent.
Simmons entered photographs into the record and thanked the board for its attention.
