Palm Beachers are fortunate to live in a near-perfect setting, a place where officials and residents alike work hard to preserve the stunning vistas, the historic architecture and the laid-back charm.
But as all islanders know, the town’s growing popularity has increasingly made it a magnet for people, redevelopment and traffic — putting at risk the environment that residents find so attractive.
The close proximity of Palm Beach to its much larger neighbor also exposes it to the unavoidable effects of a growing number of construction projects under way or planned across the Intracoastal Waterway.
There is so much redevelopment in downtown West Palm Beach that island residents had better brace themselves for even more headaches spurred by growth, most notably traffic congestion.
With that in mind, Town Council members have urged residents to pay attention to West Palm Beach development and voice their opinions to the city’s planners and developers. That’s a wise warning.
Jennifer Hofmeister, a senior planner for Palm Beach, recently detailed for the council the dozens of projects in review, under construction or approved in downtown West Palm Beach and vicinity.
All those projects are bound to attract more people and cars, contributing to gridlock in the region and boosting the number of visitors to Palm Beach, where officials and residents have struggled to adapt to traffic trouble, especially during the high season.
A flood of additional people is bad news for a barrier island where roads are over capacity with no room for expansion and there is limited bridge access to the mainland.
“The more people that move here, the more that will come to the island,” Council Member Julie Araskog said during the July 14 council meeting. “And the more things that are built, the more people that will come to the island — and we just don’t have the road capacity.”
With that in mind, Palm Beach officials advise residents to get involved, by participating in upcoming West Palm Beach meetings on the city’s downtown waterfront and possible changes to its master plan.
Town residents also should consider serving on or monitoring a countywide or regional committee that looks for transportation and traffic solutions, or by helping organize support for candidates who champion controlled growth, as Council President Pro-Tem Lew Crampton has suggested.
Those are good ideas. Palm Beach is an island that is paying strong attention to the effects of development within its boundaries. But residents aren’t removed from the congestion that affects the region, particularly as they, town employees, workers at island businesses and contractors must commute to and from the mainland.
The days are long gone when Palm Beach could easily ignore what was happening across the bridges.
It makes good sense for Palm Beachers to carefully watch what’s going on in West Palm Beach and to voice their concerns whenever possible.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beachers need to watch West Palm Beach redevelopment | Editorial
Reporting by Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board, Palm Beach Daily News | USA TODAY Network
