PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The future of commercial trucks parking in Loxahatchee and The Acreage will soon be up for vote by Palm Beach County commissioners.
"We're going to do the best we can to find a balanced approach that everyone can live with," District 6 Commissioner Sara Baxter said.
Baxter hosted a town hall Thursday bringing people in favor and against the proposal that would allow commercial vehicles to continue parking in Loxahatchee and The Acreage.
"I want to hear the common ground," Baxter said. "I want to hear the balance. I want to hear the compromise."
For her, the proposal is that compromise, which asks to allow up to two vehicles over 16,000 pounds on properties in The Acreage, with limited hours of operations, only if they belong to someone that lives in the house with a minimum 24-foot wide driveway.
District 2 Commissioner Gregg Weiss disagrees. He's one of three commissioners who voted no in the first round of the proposal, saying the vehicles would be too large and too many for the area.
"Potentially you could have a giant crane, heavy equipment parked in someone's yard," Weiss said. "We're saying, what roughly 32,000 potential vehicles out there, is that good policy for a residential neighborhood?"
That's a point Baxter said won't be an issue.
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"There's been this negative connotation out there that once it's allowed, they're going to be in every parking lot in everyone's area," Baxter said. "They were allowed since 2008, all the way through 2019, and that wasn't a problem."
According to Weiss, there are about 170 commercial vehicles registered to homes in the area.
He said that doesn't account for people who have rented parking spaces at their properties for trucks from other areas.
The first reading for the proposed ordinance change is Jan. 25.
If it passes a second and final vote will be on will be Feb. 22.
"If it doesn't pass on Thursday what's next for them?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked Baxter.
"They're going to have to probably move, leave The Acreage with their trucks," Baxter said. "So what are we telling them? What message are we sending? I think that would be heartbreaking."
Weiss said he doesn't believe that those with large trucks will have to move if the proposal doesn't pass.
He said he's looking into federal funding to build a place where small businesses can park their large trucks legally and continue to operate.
"We have lots of people in Palm Beach County that operate semi-trucks and heavy equipment that don't park them at home," Weiss said. "They have the proper facilities in commercial and industrial areas where they store those vehicles."
Baxter said there's no convenient land or local people to park their larger trucks, saying due to its value, more and more people have sold their land.
"It would make it more valuable to be able to do these sort of things in an area that you live, and you don't have to then worry about security and things getting stolen off your truck," Baxter said. "If we are saying that one lot is supposed to be the place that everyone parks their truck, I have to ask is that reasonable?"
A concern for Weiss is that the portion of residents that operate large trucks is small, comparatively, but the damage that large trucks will have on portions of the area that have smaller, unpaved roads will be large.
"That means every other taxpayer who doesn't own one of those vehicles is now going to have to pay at a higher level to maintain that road system," Weiss said.
Weiss said Palm Beach County isn't responsible for the affected roads, and that they are maintained by the Indian Trails Improvement District.
He said they have sent documentation that the equipment will cause additional damage to the roadway system.
"I am 100% in trying to find a solution in working with our residents, and I'm a big supporter of small business," Weiss said. "This isn't about small business. This is about good policy and maintaining the character of a residential neighborhood."
Baxter said in 2019 that Indian Trails sent a letter saying that it isn't an impact on the neighborhood.
Regardless she is looking into possibly a fee for new truckers that move to the area, which can contribute to maintaining the roads affected.
"I don't think that there's going to be any answer that makes 100% of people happy," Baxter said. "We are going to do the best we can to find a balanced approach that everyone can live with so that it's the best approach for the most amount of residents."