Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHandouts_Environmental Advisory Committee_1/11/2023 (2)Itiv�� . �► l�svr At Council's December 81h meeting, Ordinance 15-22 was discussed at First Reading. Among other items, it included proposed changes to Front, Side and Rear setbacks in the R3 zoning district. The ordinance was not voted on, but tabled for possible revision. But during discussion of the Ordinance, several Council members expressed their reluctance to approve a 5' setback from the 1979 Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL). Justification for these sentiments included questioning the "Science behind it" and where is the "Definitive Data" to support it. Besides the fact that the proposed setback revisions were developed by the Village's own staff, vetted by a Village attorney and approved unanimously by the Village's Local Planning Agency in November, impending sea level rise is the science behind justification for moving redevelopment construction further away from the ocean and the dunes. By all accounts including the scientific community and governmental agencies, sea level rise on the east coast of Florida will be approximately 10-14 inches in just the next 30 years. Coupled with this sea -level rise will be the encroachment of the ocean over the beach and closer to any structures built adjacent to it. NASA estimates that for every foot of sea level rise, the ocean will move up an over the beach between 75-100 feet. Further, Florida's DEP Engineering Staff currently assess this narrowest portion of Jupiter Island that falls within Tequesta's border as "Critical" relative to the severity of beach erosion. Sea -level rise and the loss of beach and dunes are all inevitable. But the failure to respect the science is reversible. If Tequesta's Village Council fails to take even the most modest steps to prolong the integrity of the beach dune ecosystem as well as insure the safety of residents on a critically endangered barrier island, it's inaction shall be judged harshly in years to come. 1. If the Village Council had adopted the Zoning in Progress ordinance earlier this year the emotions of current condo property owners would not have been so high as everyone would have known that the Village was studying what they want to implement in the R-3 zoning district in an orderly fashion. 2. The Village Council keeps forgetting important pieces of information in their deliberations over on Beach Road. These oversights are: oCurrent residents and voters are telling the Village Council in an indirect manner they wish to sell out and in all likelihood leave Tequesta. You are listening to people that want to leave the Village! They have one foot out the door while attempting to sway you to maximize their special interests (profit) which is not your responsibility. oInstead, the Village Council should be listening to those people that currently have no voice, meaning the future residents of the condos that will replace those older ones soon to be torn down. These future residents will want you to take steps today to protect their soon to be investment in Tequesta so that their property is not undermined by storms and that they have enough parking to accommodate not just residents, but visitors, caretakers, and service personnel. oThe decisions the Village Council makes, or fails to make, today will be remembered by all those that are currently witnessing the current events. oThe beach front in Tequesta has been deemed Critically Eroded by the State of Florida. Obviously, a condo footprint location chosen 40 or more years ago is no longer prudent today. To ignore this today can easily be considered as a gross form of misfeasance tomorrow when disaster strikes. Beaches are small parts of much larger coastal ecosystems. These systems include nearshore marine environments, watersheds, wetlands, dunes, and coastal hammocks (such as you see at Coral Cove). As a village, we should be promoting long term beach preservation for the benefit of the public. Coastal areas and existing dune that are currently free of development should be protected via proactive means that do not interrupt coastal processes. • This can be achieved through Establishment of beach setbacks based on current and historical erosion trends and projected sea level rise In areas where erosion threatens existing coastal development, we should adopt appropriate long- term solutions that maximize public benefit. Long-term solutions to erosion include: • Updating land use plans to avoid rebuilding in `harm's way;" improving development standards • Restoration of existing dunes; utilizing natural materials to build living shorelines that can withstand increased erosion and future sea level rise. • And Landward retreat of structures from dynamic shorelines Due to the need to update land use plans, establish more sustainable beach setbacks, enhance and restore dunes, and protect current and future residents, please do all you can do to preserve our coastal environment.