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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 5A_9/28/1989 . , 71-A ;. VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA 0a Post Office Box 3273 • 357 Tequesta Drive r 111:lrlip oTequesta, Florida 33469-0273 • (407) 575-6200 • v FAX: (407) 575-6203 h C, VILLAGE O F TEQUESTA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE DESIGN CHARRETTE MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 7 , 1 9 8 9 I . WELCOME The Tequesta Downtown Development Task Force held a 5-day Design Charrette beginning on September 7 , 1989 , at the Lighthouse Gallery, 373 Tequesta Drive , Tequesta, Florida. The purpose of the Charrette was to examine, study and design a downtown Village Center for Tequesta, generally described as an area encompassing approximately 90 acres from the FEC Railroad on the west to U. S . Highway 1 on the east, from Bridge Road on the south to new road "Village Boulevard" on the north , plus Dorner land north of Village Boulevard. Vice-Mayor, Edward C . Howell , welcomed, on behalf of Mayor Joseph Capretta, the Village Council , and the Downtown Development Task Force which planned the Charrette, the public, Image Network , and the entire Design Team. With over 100 people at the opening session, their attendance spoke well for the Village of Tequesta. Tequesta has grown from a sandy resort development in 1957 to a solid, established community at the northern tip of Palm Beach County, the largest county in the State of Florida. But , much remains to be done . Time is showing its wear and tear on some of the buildings , growth has brought it instability, landmarks seem to disappear, new roads are created -- the landscape seems to be changing every day. We are now looking for more permanence and guidance . Tequesta is becoming more of a place where working , shopping and recreation can take place, all within a reasonable distance . Tequesta must be a pleasant town in which to live . Tequesta must equate with the definition of Tequesta living -a modern-day Village with strong commitment to its community and its people. Among these people is a group of individuals who have worked tirelessly to produce this Charrette about to be held. They have put together the tools to achieve the goals of a beautiful , and financially viable downtown within the framework of a Master Plan, where the old will benefit from the new. II . HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. Downtown Development Task Force Chairman, Carlton Stoddard, thanked Faye Schrecengost of Lighthouse Gallery for offering the entire Gallery for five days as a location for the Charrette . Downtown Development Task Force Design Charrette Meeting Minutes September 7 , 1989 Page 2 Mr. Stoddard explained that the Charrette is a design symposium, a forum of facts , pooling the intelligence of everyone . Tequesta is confident that this Charrette can produce a Master Plan providing a golden future for downtown Tequesta . Intelligent analysis and preplanning must come before the bulldozer, before the ground is broken , before the building begins . For the next five days Lighthouse Gallery will be a beehive of activity, a lot of ideas will be presented, making Tequesta Village more beautiful and desirable . Mr. Stoddard retraced the history of the evolvement of the Charrette . Six months ago the Village Council , with Village Manager Tom Bradford, conceived the idea of a Downtown Development Task Force . The assignment of the Task Force was to create a Master Plan for a Village Center, comprising 90 acres at the heart of Tequesta' s Golden Circle . The Golden Circle circumscribes an area one mile in diameter, beginning on the ocean at the 25-acre Coral Cove Park, west to Seabrook Road, and from CR-707 north to County Line Road, the gateway to Palm Beach County. This whole area includes all of Tequesta business district. Herein lies a goldmine of opportunity for Tequesta - a magnetic field which can attract prosperous new growth in Tequesta. Good things are happening to set the stage for this : Hundreds of Queen Palms and irrigated grass slots are being planted up and down U. S . Highway 1 . Beach Road Association and the Village of Tequesta are landscaping CR-707 east to the bridge. Chairman Stoddard assured landowners and business people in the Golden Circle area that the Village cannot have patchwork planning, that this Charrette would not be a dictatorship, but the Charrette would point the way this plan could help everyone . There is an approximate 50-acre open space in downtown Tequesta which could offer an opportunity for an up-scale residential section. This area is within easy walking distance of all five shopping centers in Tequesta. This opens the possibility of pedestrian planning which could open up a completely new shopping clientele . There would also be the possiblity of a beautiful retirement center designed around lagoons , reflection pools , or a small lake area which could provide on-site water retention, recharging the water table . The infrastructure of the Village is already in place and expansion could be done at moderate Village expense. Tequesta Drive, upon completion, will be widened all the way to U.S . Highway 1 , with four lanes across the railroad tracks , and six new turning lanes, creating a new lifeline for the downtown Village Center. It will give a more spacious feeling to the downtown area. The Golden Circle Master Plan can, indeed, create a distinctive new character for downtown Tequesta. • Downtown Development Task Force Design Charrette Meeting Minutes September 7 , 1989 Page 3 III . INTRODUCTION Jack Horniman , Village Planning Consultant, explained that the next five days will not only be intense , but very exciting . A city should be vital , vibrant and alive . More than anything else , a community needs to believe in itself . The Downtown Development Task Force has recognized an obvious concern, that the downtown center, the focal point of the community, has some problems . However, their approach is a positive one . Plans should emerge and should emanate from the community. Professionals can put their technical skills to work, but the citizens are the heart-throb of the community. It ' s important that the community be involved in the Charrette process and their presence at the opening session today proves their concern. At the end of the five-day Charrette , there will come a Master Plan and some development codes that hopefully will be so attractive to the community that the developers and landowners will want to buy into it. IV. PRESENTATION Mark Schimmenti , of the Duany firm from Coral Gables , Florida, and Image Network, demonstrated to those in attendance the urban design principles and a computer-generated perspective conveying ideas that will be used in creating the Master Plan for Tequesta. A graphic slide presentation was given with explanations of previous projects of downtown development that have been done by Image Network, and how it is done . The presentation showed visual changes within a development area before development actually occurs , along with a zoning impact analysis . Mr . Schimmenti pointed out that in 1957 this area was named the Village of Tequesta, but there' s no downtown Village Center - no sense of community. The Golden Circle will create that needed. downtown neighborhood center. Urban design principles to be emphasized on are neighborhood design as opposed to asphalt jungle design, which present codes encourage . Pedestrian walkways should be encouraged. The site under study is ideal because of the major arteries going into it , and a lot of land to work with . Mixed use of the land is encouraged. Minds need to be opened to the potential . Downtown Development Task Force Design Charrette Meeting Minutes September 7 , 1989 Page 4 Victor Dover , President , Image Network , demonstrated the computer- aided design Image Network would be using during the Charrette workshop, showing the changeability of study areas . He also demonstrated "what if" - best and worst case scenarios - with a zoning impact analysis - demonstrating the maximum buildout according to existing codes . Mr . Schimmenti explained the Charrette Process : Day One - site review; interviews to determine issues . Day Two - interviews of those involved with the infrastructure of Tequesta, those dealing with the environmental issues , those dealing with every day issues of the site . Work on the design would begin. Day Three - putting together separate issues to synthesize the Master Plan. Day Four - a strong sense of direction determined by this time . Day Five - the finalization of the Master Plan and its public presentation to the Village . V. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS Jim Pilz, Task Force Member, asked how freely the Charrette will be open to the public . Mr . Schimmenti explained it was open as long as the Design Team was there and that the public should feel free to come at their convenience . Another citizen asked, since the Village Center needs a point of identification, would new signs be a consideration? Also, there has been a strong impact in southeast Florida with the tri-rail system -- would tri-rail be considered for the Tequesta area - even though it is a bedroom community? Mr . Schimmenti said that Tequesta needs to have more identification than the present existing signs, but until all data has been collected, it will not be known whether a landmark will evolve . Regarding tri-rail : whether or not it is possible, the Village should say this is a good location for a stop - this is how it should happen - this is how it should tie into the city center, in case it ever does happen, it would be part of the Master Plan . He explained the FEC railway people would be in for interview on the second day of the Charrette . • Downtown Development Task Force Design Charrette Meeting Minutes • September 7 , 1989 Page 5 Mr . Horniman stated if there were any further questions , the Charrette would be open for the next five days , and welcomed anyone to feel free to stop in with their questions and input . V. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10 : 10 A.M. Respectfully submitted, • 42l�i� Fran Bitters Recording Secretary DATE APPROVED : ATTEST: Bill C . Kascavelis Finance Director