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Delray Beach moves to change commissioner terms

Executive Director Marjorie Ferrer of the Downtown Development Authority gives Delray Beach city commissioners an update on the accomplishments and goals of the DDA Tuesday evening.

Executive Director Marjorie Ferrer of the Downtown Development Authority gives Delray Beach city commissioners an update on the accomplishments and goals of the DDA Tuesday evening. Among the successes: the Night and Day Downtown Delray marketing campaign.

By David Sedore, Palm Beach Business.com

DELRAY BEACH — Delray Beach voters will be given the chance to change  commissioner terms in office from two years to three years when they go to the polls come March 13.

That assumes that commissioners approve final reading of an ordinance placing the question on the ballot for the upcoming municipal election. It also assumes that there will indeed be a municipal election in March.

Commissioners approved first reading of the ordinance Tuesday evening.

Members of the Delray city commission, mayor included, now serve two-year terms; they may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms — a total of six years. Voters will decide whether the city charter should be updated so that commissioners would serve three-year terms instead. They’d still be limited to a maximum of six years in office.

Proponents have touted the move as a money-saver; the city now holds a municipal election every year. Under the proposed system, the city would skip an election every third year. They also argue that it would make commissioners more efficient in their work, because they wouldn’t be perpetually running for office.

The catch is whether there will be a municipal election in March. Commissioners passed an identical ordinance earlier this year that placed the issue on the ballot last March. Commissioners later canceled the election because of a lack of competitive races.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at the Jan. 3 meeting.

Also Tuesday, commissioners gave their approval to three waivers needed for the conversion of four abandoned historic homes on South Swinton Avenue into a spa-restaurant project called Swinton Social.

One waiver allows the property owners to build a six-foot fence on the back of the property instead of the maximum four-foot height allowed by city regulations. Another waiver allows the owners to have a 22-foot wide driving aisle in a valet parking lot planned for the project. A third waiver dealt with landscaping requirements for the lot.

Those waivers were fairly innocuous and really didn’t generate any heat on the commission. But they did ignite a discussion about something the city’s Historic Preservation Board did. That board reduced the number of parking spaces the project is required to have by 20, which some commissioners said was too big of a break.

However, architect Bob Currie said without the waiver for the additional parking, the project couldn’t go through, and the historic buildings would be lost.

“Frankly, it wouldn’t work financially,” Currie said.

Otherwise, commissioners liked the project. Commissioner Angeleta Gray called it “a plus for the block.”

Commissioners refused to affirm a Parking Management Advisory Board decision to give a downtown valet parking license now held by Cuigini Grille to Vic and Angelo’s. The parking board wanted the switch because the restaurant has been closed since May. However, the valet parking operation has continued regardless.

Commissioner Adam Frankel said he would have to see evidence of a “breach” of the license agreement before voting to take the license away from an operator. Frankel said saw no such breach with Cuigini Grille. Other commissioners agreed.

All valet licenses expire in March, and commissioners are likely to take a look at how the licenses are allotted, the requirements to hold one and whether the city should be operating the downtown valet queues instead of private businesses.

Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Marjorie Ferrer gave commissioners an overview of DDA operations over the past year and its goals for the coming year. The DDA is charged with marketing the downtown as well as making improvements to it.

Ferrer said the DDA’s Night and Day Downtown Delray marketing campaign has helped produce an economic impact of about $200 million. The DDA kicked in about $101,000 to finance the campaign, while other sources brought the total spent to $1.4 million.

The DDA is drafting a retail recruiting program as a way to attract more shops to the downtown. It’s also about to launch a “night-time ambassadors” program.

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