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Commissioner urges caution on downtown master plan, cites traffic, resiliency and housing questions
Summary
Commissioner Kristi Fox said she supports a denser, more walkable downtown but urged delaying final action until traffic studies, resiliency measures, staffing capacity, and a clear affordable-housing program (or stronger guarantees than in-lieu fees) are in place.
Commissioner Kristi Fox told colleagues she supports the downtown master-plan vision for greater walkability and concentrated housing, but urged the commission not to rush adoption until key questions are addressed about transportation, infrastructure, sea-level rise and housing guarantees.
"I fully support the direction of this plan and the vision of a more walkable city," Fox said, then listed concerns she has heard from residents, including an unfinished traffic study, the need for measurable mobility benchmarks before unlocking additional height and density, and upgrades required for aging underground infrastructure.
Fox also pressed for clearer assurances on waterfront resilience for areas along Flagler Drive that already experience frequent flooding, asked whether the fire department has equipment and training to respond to many more buildings over 25 stories, and questioned whether the police department and other city services can scale to a denser downtown.
She called for a multi-department workshop so residents can hear operational details and for advance definition of any programs that would spend in-lieu fees for affordable housing or mobility improvements, saying she preferred building affordable units rather than allowing developers to pay a fee to opt out.
The comments framed a broader policy conversation rather than a formal decision; commissioners agreed more technical briefings and additional hearings would be helpful before the commission takes final action on the master plan.
