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Delray gives initial OK to West Atlantic hotel project

By Palm Beach Business.com

DELRAY BEACH — Developers of a proposed hotel for West Atlantic Avenue finally got initial approval from Delray Beach city commissioners for a zoning change needed to build a parking lot for the project on SW 10th Avenue.

The change wouldn’t seem that controversial, at least on the surface. The site, owned by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, is now vacant; the neighboring property to the south is another parking lot, and the land to the north is where the proposed hotel is to be built.

But a month ago, when the zoning change ordinance first came before commissioners, a motion to approve died for a lack of second — without so much as a word of debate or explanation.

Commissioners later cited the potential for crime at the hotel as one of the reasons behind their reluctance to move on the zoning change, but they agreed to reconsider the matter anyway at their August 7 meeting. Skepticism lingered Tuesday; even if the ordinance receives final approval when it comes back to commissioners on Sept. 4, there is no guarantee that the hotel itself will get the city’s OK despite backing from the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, the CRA and the West Atlantic Redevelopment Coalition.

The CRA also owns the land on which the hotel is to be built, and sees the project as a catalyst for development along West Atlantic.

“This proposal really represents the first substantial private investment that’s come a long in many years,” CRA Executive Director Diane Colonna said.

As envisioned by developer Delray Prime Hotel, the project would be four-stories, with a maximum of 128 rooms. Delray Prime has conditional approval to “flag” the property as a Fairfield Inn & Suites, a brand owned by Marriott. It would give the city an affordable hotel it now lacks; the hotels now Delray are so expensive that a consult the has city hired to develop a marketing plan for the Congress Avenue Corridor stays in Boynton Beach or Boca Raton when he visits the area.

“You need a quality business class hotel such as this,” Delray Beach Economic Development Director Vince Nolan told commissioners.

Said Commissioner Al Jacquet, “A vote against this is a vote against the community; a vote against this is a vote against the city.”

But Commissioner Adam Frankel wasn’t totally convinced. Frankel said he has concerns about any 24-hour business operating near the Interstate as a potential magnet for crime. Officially, the police department is OK with the hotel but Frankel said he spoke with a number of officers, including some now retired, who expressed doubts. Frankel also cited crime statistics from a hotel off the Interstate at 45th Street in West Palm Beach.

Mayor Woodie McDuffie similarly expressed skepticism.

A spokesman for Prime Delray outlined security measures developers are planning, both  inside and outside the hotel.

“I’ll be OK with this tonight,” Frankel said. “But going forward I need assurances that these measures will be put in place.”

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AUGUST 21, 2012 click to go home
 
         
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