Developers in Palm Beach once again will be able to seek permits for new restaurants, bars, nightclubs and private clubs.
The town’s yearlong moratorium on those establishments ends July 9, and the rules for permitting will not change after the Planning and Zoning Commission voted June 26 to not recommend any immediate policy shifts.
The 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Michael Vincent Spaziani and William Gilbane opposing, recommended that the Town Council hold off on taking any action until those establishments are addressed in the town’s revamped zoning code.
The meeting marked the latest development in a process that kicked off last year when the Town Council ordered a pause on all new applications for food and beverage establishments while the commission examined ways to curtail the development of these businesses, a process known as a “zoning in progress.” Council members had cited the town’s traffic congestion and increased demand for commercial development approvals in the resolution approved June 12, 2024.
But the commission’s work, originally set to wrap up Dec. 10, has taken longer than expected. The Town Council twice gave it more time so that the town’s traffic consultant, The Corradino Group, could analyze traffic data collected during the height of the season.
The latest extension came during the council’s April 9 meeting when the end date for the pause on applications moved from May 8 to July 9.
On June 3, with the traffic data in hand, the commission endorsed a policy proposed by its consultant, the Corradino Group, to restrict loading operations for restaurants, bars, nightclubs and private clubs during weekday peak traffic hours. That policy is part of the zoning code reform effort.
During that meeting, commissioners rejected another recommendation from the consultant and town staff that would prohibit new establishments from operating before 5 p.m. and cap the amount of restaurant seats in Midtown and the North End at current limits.
That recommendation resurfaced during the June 26 meeting, along with others that included expanding the criteria to grant a special exception for food and beverage establishments and creating a stricter development standard for them.
The Palm Beach Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend against incorporating any new regulations for food and dining establishment until those commercial uses are reviewed as part of the town’s effort to revamp its zoning code.
Eric Czerniejewski of the Corradino Group said most out-of-town visitors arrive in Palm Beach between noon and 5 p.m., which combined with the group’s analysis of where drivers were heading, led to the firm’s recommendation to bar new restaurants from operating during those hours.
But a majority of commissioners argued that the traffic data collected by The Corradino Group did not prove that these establishments were a primary driver of traffic.
They argued that the Corradino Group’s analysis shows that traffic is at nominal levels in the evening, when restaurants are at their busiest.
“My experience is that (restaurants) are not packed” around midday, Commissioner Jorge Sanchez said.
He argued that a large swathe of the town’s traffic stemmed from private service workers who enter and leave the town during morning and afternoon peak traffic hours.
“We have forced the workforce that works for us to leave by half past four or 5 o’clock; we have forced the traffic,” he said. “We just seem to not want to point in that direction.”
Alternate Commissioner Matthew Ailey agreed, noting that “If I’m sitting in gridlock traffic trying to get from the Palm Beach Country Club to south of Worth Avenue at four in the afternoon, it’s not because people are leaving restaurants.”
Alternate Commissioner Victoria Donaldson noted that there has been a significant reduction in traffic since the start of the year, all while the number of restaurants on the island has remained the same.
“I’d rather take a look at the (traffic) numbers without the restaurants,” she said.
Czerniejewski acknowledged that the off season has seen a reduction in traffic but said that in-season traffic will only get worse with development and expansion of food and dining establishments.
Spaziani disagreed with his colleagues and noted that Palm Beach already had too many restaurants. He highlighted testimony from The Corradino Group Principal Joe Corradino that stated the town’s restaurant locations and number of seats have exacerbated traffic.
Though Gilbane said he was originally against banning the development of new restaurants, he admitted the Corradino Group’s analysis illuminated that the impact of traffic from food and beverage establishments is notable enough to warrant immediate regulations.
“We have to cut back on everything in this town to solve this traffic problem,” he said. “We have a volume problem everywhere; it’s landscapers, it’s construction, it’s restaurants and clubs … I’ve come completely around.”
The commission’s recommendation will be reviewed during the Town Council’s July 9 meeting.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach moratorium on new eateries ends July 9 without restrictions
