08-04-87SpMtg AUGUST 4, 1987
A Special Meeting of the~City Commission of the City of Delray
Beach, Florida, was called to order by Mayor Doak S. Campbell in the
Commission Chambers at City Hall at 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, August 4, 1987.
Roll call showed:
Present - Commissioner Richard J. Dougherty
Commissioner Marie Horenburger
Commissioner Mary McCarty
Mayor Doak S. Campbell
Absent - Commissioner Jimmy Weatherspoon
Also present were - Assistant City Manager Robert Barcinski
and City Attorney Herbert W.A. Thiele.
Mayor Campbell called the meeting to order and announced that
this meeting has been called for the purpose of (1) Considering request
or final plat approval for the Second Amended Plat of Rainberry Estates,
a proposed two lot subdivision, being a replat of Lots 67, 68 and 69 of
the Amended Plat of Rainberry Estates, located at the southwest corner
of Davis Road and Riviera Drive; (2) Considering request for final plat
approval for Rainberry Bay Section Nine-A, being a replat of Lot 19 of
Rainberry Bay Section Nine, to allow for the extension of N.W. 23rd Lane
into Rainberry Estates. The property is located within the Rainberry
Bay development at the northernmost corner of the site; (3) Considering
acceptance of an easement deed granting replacement easements for
utility purposes, subject to the abandonment of streets and cul-de-sacs
within the Rainberry Estates subdivision; (4) Considering Resolution No.
27-87 abandoning all public streets and cul-de-sacs within the Rainberry
Estates subdivision. The property is located on the west side of Davis
Road, between N.W. 15th Street and Lone Pine Road; (5) Considering award
of contract, for installation of Gravity Sanitary Sewer along Lake
Drive, to the low bidder, Whitaker Plumbing, Inc., in the amount of
$15,890, with funds to come from the 1986/87 budget.
1,2,3 & 4. Mayor Campbell advised that items 1, 2, 3 and 4 all relate
to Rainberry Bay. They have had a request by the attorney for several
homeowners to postpone a vote on the matter; he is presently in a trial
and has not had a chance to come before the Commission.
Mrs. McCarty moved to postpone a formal vote on the four items
pertaining to Rainberry Bay until next Tuesday. Motion FAILED for lack
of a second.
Mrs. Horenburger stated she had made a commitment some time
back to a number of people on both sides of this issue that she would
not continue to postpone this indefinitely.
Mr. Dougherty suggested that the residents of Rainberry Bay
have a referendum and decide what they want; he did not believe it was a
problem the Commission should be deciding. When the residents make a
decision then let them come back, and if it is in accordance with all
the code requirements, the Commission would act on it.
Mrs. McCarty advised that she agrees with Mr. Dougherty in that
it is not something the Commission should be taking up; however, she
wanted the residents to have the opportunity of having the attorney
present their case.
Sol Horne, 801 N.W. 26th Avenue, stated that Rainberry Bay has
achieved an outstanding reputation as an adult community. It is this
reputation that enhances the potential of developing Rainberry Estates.
Three years after rezoning it has made no progress and bringing it in
under Rainberry Bay is perhaps the only viable course of action. It
follows that unless 23rd Lane is opened they will all be losers. Mr.
Horne advised the elected homeowners on the Board of Directors
unanimously support the request for a permit and urged the Commission to
do likewise.
Phil Edelson, speaking for those who oppose the opening of 23rd
Lane, asked that the Commission allow their attorney to bring forth
information in this matter, thus enabling them to make a better judg-
ment.
Ben Denenburg, a member of the Board of Directors of Rainberry
Bay, stated he could assure that any of the decisions they have made
over the past two and a half years have never been done arbitrarily or
capriciously, but based on what they felt was in the best interest of
the community at large. They support the developer's petition to have
the street open; what better way to eliminate the problems of that
undeveloped property, i.e., dune buggys, motorcycles and the dumping of
trash than to have the developer purchase the property to expand the
community within the legal limits of their condominium documents.
Cynthia Solov, 3100 N.W. 10th Street, presented a petition
containing over 200 signatures of residents of Rainberry Bay in support
of the opening of 23rd Lane.
Roslyn Sohmer, who resides on N.W. 14th Street at the corner of
23rd Lane, stated when they purchased their property in 1984 they were
told it was a deadend street; if they open 23rd Lane there will be a lot
more traffic. At last week's Commission meeting she gave the Commis-
sioners a flyer; on there she had said they were told the hearing would
be on August llth, not today. Mrs. Sohmer stated they have engaged an
attorney and he has not had a chance to go over everything. She urged
that the Commission at least give them a fighting chance.
Abe Brant, N.W. 15th Street, stated he is directly affected by
the opening of 23rd Lane. Upon question by Mr. Dougherty as to the
Board of Directors' ability to render decisions, Mr. Brant advised that
there was an emergency meeting called with regard to the question of
opening 23rd Lane. There were arguments for and against the opening and
after much discussion he rose and asked for a vote; this was refused by
the Board. The next day there was an announcement on their television
information channel that the Board had voted unanimously not to oppose
the opening of 23rd Lane.
Mr. Dougherty moved to consider the request for final plat
approval for the Second Amended Plat of Rainberry Estates as proposed.
The motion FAILED for lack of a second.
Mrs. McCarty moved to postpone the four issues until next week.
Mayor Campbell passed the gavel to Vice-Mayor Horenburger and seconded
the motion. Upon roll call the Commission voted as follows: Mr.
Dougherty - No; Mrs. Horenburger - Yes; Mrs. McCarty - Yes; Mayor
Campbell - Yes. Said motion passed with a 3 to 1 vote.
Before roll call the following discussion was had:
Mr. Dougherty stated he is convinced that if they have a
legitimate Board of Directors and the developer has not really inter-
fered adversely with the fact that he has a two thirds majority, so to
speak, but has not exercised, he would prefer to consider this and get
it over with.
Mrs. Horenburger advised she did say that she would not agree
to postpone this, although in all fairness she felt they should hear
from the attorney. Her position is at this point if she votes No then
they could possibly have a 2-2 vote, and this could keep going all
evening.
At this point the roll was called to the motion.
Mayor Campbell declared a recess the time being 7:40 P.M. The
meeting was reconvened at 7:46 P.M.
5. Mrs. Horenburger moved to award the contract to the low bidder,
Whitaker Plumbing, Inc., in the amount of $15,890 and decide how the
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project is to be paid next week, seconded by Mrs. McCarty. Upon roll
call the Commission voted as follows: Mr. Dougherty - Yes; Mrs.
Horenburger - Yes; Mrs. McCarty - Yes; Mayor Campbell - Yes. Said
motion passed with a 4 to 0 vote.
Before roll call the following discussion was had:
Mr. Dougherty stated that in the information furnished the
Commission there was no indication relative to an assessment roll being
prepared allocating the cost for the improvement to these properties.
Everyone else who has sewers has paid their fair share. He made refer-
ence to several lots in the beach area; there was a consensus of the
Commission at that time to charge so much per linear foot and then the
excess would be picked up by the City. In this instance there isn't any
extraordinary cost involved (a little over 1000 feet) so that everyone
should be assessed on the contract price.
Upon question by Mrs. Horenburger, the Assistant City Manager
advised that the Commission had never formally approved a formula for
the charge; it was approved for that one instance but not as an overall
policy. The Assistant City Manager stated the approximate cost, if you
take the contract price and divide by the front footage, would be a
little under $15 a linear foot. The average lot size is about 130 feet.
At this point the roll was called to the motion.
Mayor Campbell declared the meeting adjourned at 7:54 P.M.
ATTEST:
MAYOR
The undersigned is the City Clerk of the City of Delray Beach
and that the information provided herein is the minutes of the meeting
of said City Commission of August 4, 1987, which minutes were formally
approved and adopted by the City Commission on~~ ~/F~Y ·
NOTE TO READER:
If the minutes that you have received are not completed as indicated
above, then this means that these are not the official minutes of City
Commission. They will become the official minutes only after they have
been reviewed and approved which may involve some amendments, additions,
or deletions to the minutes as set forth above.
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