Developer Lamont Humber had a simple idea: He wanted to build an affordable home for a low-income family in one of West Palm Beach’s poorest neighborhoods.
City leaders wanted him to build it, too. So much so that they gave his affordable-housing foundation an empty city-owned lot on the 800 block of Third Street, in a blighted, low-income neighborhood off Tamarind Avenue.
Humber’s foundation drew up plans for a sleek, tidy-looking prefabricated home, a low-cost option that would help ensure an affordable price.
But there was a catch. The site is located in the city’s Historic Northwest neighborhood, a historic district. Which meant the plan had to be approved by the city’s Historic Preservation Board.
And members of the board were not fans of his design.
In a meeting in March, board member Gerald Buxbaum, president of Architectural Resources and Associates, called it a “a very contemporary-looking structure,” when something “more in keeping with the historic part of the neighborhood” was needed.
Board member Kristin Kellogg, principal architect at Smith Kellogg Architecture, called its design “at the opposite end of the spectrum” from surrounding homes.
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“As proposed I can’t find support,” said board member James Murphy, assistant director of planning, zoning and building for the Town of Palm Beach.
“It’s going to be (unconscionable) to allow for a design like this to be on that lot,” said board member Gabriel Jaroslavsky, vice president of design for Related Ross. “I don’t know how we can approve this.”
The board voted unanimously to reject the plan.
West Palm mayor: ‘This is a nonsensical decision’
Humber appealed the decision directly to the city commission. In a May 27 meeting he struggled to control his frustration as he explained how “bewildered” he was by the board’s vote.
He said he understood the need to preserve the neighborhood’s historical integrity. But he pointed out he wasn’t renovating an existing home.
“This specific site does not currently reflect the values we want to preserve,” he said, “but rather it highlights the long-term neglect and disinvestment. It’s a vacant lot.”
Officials from the city’s planning department and Community Redevelopment Agency, which gave the lot to his organization, the Signet Foundation, said they agreed.
And so, too, did the city’s elected leaders.
Mayor Keith James called the board’s decision “nonsensical” and said the preservation rules being applied made no sense for an empty lot in a blighted neighborhood.
“What I struggle with is applying these standards in parts of our city that sorely need revitalization,” he said. “It’s almost like these standards become the impediment to revitalization. We have a vacant piece of land.”
“These standards that are being applied by this body seem to totally ignore the context,” he continued. “This isn’t El Cid. This is an area that needs revitalization, and to me this is a nonsensical decision.”
Commissioner Christy Fox called the board’s decision “ridiculous” and “outrageous,” and she suggested the board’s membership might need to be diversified with residents from different neighborhoods.
“I apologize that this is happening because it’s one of those things about government that I think is so frustrating,” she said. “I don’t know who is on the Historic Preservation Board, but perhaps there should be an appointee that lives in a different neighborhood and can see a different perspective.”
Amanda Skier, the Historic Preservation Board’s chairperson and executive director of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Commissioners voted unanimously to override the board’s decision, giving Humber clearance to move forward with his plan to build an affordable home.
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Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ‘Outrageous,’ ‘Nonsensical’: West Palm leaders clap back after historic board rejects home
Reporting by Andrew Marra, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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