The Coastal Star March 2012

Page 1

March 2012

Volume 5 Issue 3

Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach

Delray Beach

Caron sues city over sober house restrictions

Briny Breezes

Lantana Bridge Closing

Developer pitches idea for condos, hotel

By Tim Pallesen The Caron Foundation has sued Delray Beach after the city denied its request to operate a sober house for seven recovering alcoholics and drug addicts at 1232 Seaspray Ave. City commissioners also had responded to outrage over sober houses near the ocean on Feb. 21 by approving three ordinances to make it more difficult and restrictive for treatment providers to operate in the city. “The city might not like it, but our rights are well settled by federal laws,” Caron vice president Andrew Rothermel responded, calling the city’s actions discriminatory. “I don’t think the commissioners had the will to do the right thing in light of the public outcry.” The denial to operate the Seaspray house came in a Feb. 22 letter from planning and zoning director Paul Dorling, who said Caron had failed to show why seven residents were necessary for the house to be “therapeutically successful” and “financially viable.” A parade of upset residents See SOBER on page 12

By Tim O’Meilia

The 1950 Lantana Bridge will be replaced with a taller, wider span. The first bridge on the site was built in 1911. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Demolition to begin March 19 on 62-year-old span By Tim O’Meilia

Back in the early 1900s, Lantana Point jutted into Lake Worth, just as it does today. Neatly, in the shallows of the lake, the point separated INSIDE oyster beds on the north from oyster beds on the n  Town plans south. farewell party A drive down Lantana for bridge, Avenue (now East Ocean Page 26 Avenue) ended at the point, a dock leading to the fish n  Businesses house to the north and plan to stay another pier leading to a open, Page 27 store to the south. It was the logical spot for a bridge to the barrier island, especially since Hypoluxo Island was so close. But there really

A July 4 parade crosses the Lantana Bridge during its dedication in 1950. Courtesy of the town of Lantana was no need, unlike that faced by neighbors to the north and south. The bridge built in 1911 over Ocean Avenue See BRIDGE on page 26

Five years after a half-billion dollar sale collapsed, Briny Breezes’ 43 acres of ocean-toIntracoastal mobile homes is on a land developer’s shopping list. An unnamed development firm has pitched the idea of erecting twin 20-story towers and a 350-room hotel on the beach and constructing a row of three-story condos on the west side of State Road A1A — totaling more than 1,200 units — where rows of mobile homes now sit. Briny Breezes Inc. directors outlined the plan to homeowners at a Feb. 20 board meeting five days after they attended a closed-door session at a Boynton Beach hotel with the developer, the Duane Morris law firm that represents the mobile home park and a handful of other residents. “At this point, you can’t even call it a proposal. It’s certainly not an offer,” said past board member Ray Oldis. “It’s more of a concept.” It was a concrete enough idea that the developer brought renderings of his concept to See BRINY on page 22

Our Private Clubs

Best-kept secret is out: Club a friendly, relaxed haven By Mary Thurwachter You could easily drive down A1A just south of Briny Breezes and not have inkling about the existence of the St. Andrews Club. There is a small sign, if you look closely, but well-manicured ficus hedges and swaying palm trees mostly hide the 27-acre club on both sides of the road. Members say the seaside gem is the best-kept secret around.

Inside Coastal Fashion Star

A designer from the county pocket goes on reality show. Page 37

The bonanza of amenities is OUR something to PRIVATE CLUBS boast about, after An occasional all. The club has a challenging parseries three 18-hole golf course designed by Pete and Alice Dye; three Har-Tru tennis courts; a world class croquet lawn; a modern fitness center with fetching See ST. ANDREWS on page 16

Municipal elections

Ocean Ridge and Delray Beach voters to choose new commissioners. Pages 9, 11

New congregation forms

The Avenue Church draws 350 worshipers weekly in Delray. Page 14

Croquet players take to the courts at St. Andrews Club, near Gulf Stream. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Pests take aim at landscaping

Gardeners face off against ficus whitefly, and flower lovers turn to a hardier variety of impatiens. Pages 33, 46

Meet Your Neighbor

Gulf Stream’s Pam Carey wrote a book on minor league baseball. Page 32


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