HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Special Meeting_09/07/1989
VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA
Post Office Box 3273 • 357 Tequesta Drive
Tequesta, Florida 33469-0273 • (407) 575-6200
FAX: (407) 575-6203
V I L L A G E O F T E Q U E S T A
D O W N T O W N D E V E L O P M E N T T A S K F O R C E
D E S I G N C H A R R E T T E
M E E T I N G M I N U T E S
S E P T E M B E R 7 1 9 8 9
I. WELCOME
The Tequesta Downtown Development Task Force held a 5-day Design
Charrette beginning on September 7, 1989, a. t. the Lighthouse Gallery,
373 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, Florida. The purpose of the Charrette
wa.s 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 no r.t.h, plus Dorner land north of Vi.ll_age Boulevard.
Vice-Mayor, Edward C. Howel.l_, welcomed, on behalf of Mayor .Joseph
C`apret.ta, the Village Council, a.nd. the Downtown Development. Task
`r'orce which planned the Charrette, the public, Image Network, and
• ±.he entire Design Team. With over 100 people a.t the opening
:=,ession, their attendance spoke we.l1 for the Village of Tequesta.
Tequesta has grown from a sandy resort: development .in 1957 to a
solid, established_ community at the northern t.ip 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 ha.s brought, i.t instability, landmarks seem to
disappear, new roads are created -- the landscape seems to be
changing every day-. We are now looking for more permanence a.nd
guidance. Tequesta i.s becoming more of a place where working,
shopping and recreation can t.a~,e place, all within a rea.sonabl.e
distance. Tequesta must be a pleasant town in which to live.
Tequesta must equa.t.e 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 do~.~ntown within the framework of a Master Plan,
where the old will benefit from the new.
II. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
')owntown Development Task. Force Chairman, Carlton Stoddard, thanked
.~,ye Schr. ecengost of L,ight.house Gallery for offering the entire
;.;~ 1 1 erg- for f i ~~e da,y ~ as ~ 1 o^~t.i nn fc~r the t~harrettP .
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 blaster 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 wi1]_ 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 t.o 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 oppor.tuni.ty
• ;"'or Tequesta - a. magnetic field which can attract prosperous new
;rowth in Tequesta. Good things are happening to set the stage for
'?tis: Hundreds of Queen Palms and .ir.riga.ted grass slots are being
t;lanted up a.nd down: U.S. Highway 1. Beach Road Association and the
Village of Tequesta are landscaping CR-70l 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 i.s 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 al.l 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
infrastrttct.ure 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 peat. 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 developei:s and landowners will
want to buy into it.
• TV. 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 art,eri.es 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 t,o existing codes.
Mr. Schimmenti explained the Charrette Process:
Da.y 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
presentation to the Village.
V. COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS
of the Ma.st.er Plan and its public
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 t.o
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-ra.il 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 ide.nt.ification than the present, existing signs, but until
all data has been collected, it, wi7.1 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
haw 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 rai.lwa.y 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,
~~~i G~~ p~~~~-~e~~~
;~~~:3n F'si t *~e7,:~
Recording Secr.etar3•
DATE APPROVED:
September 28, 1989
~~~ ~~
i~~ .t,~.~i`j. .
Bill C. K scavelis
Finance Director / Village Clerk