PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A code enforcement town hall took place Thursday to address the push to keep commercial vehicles in the Loxahatchee and The Acreage area.
"Because of how expensive commercial and industrial space is, we are the incubator where people can start," Commissioner Sara Baxter said. "We don't want them to stay forever as they get large and they become a truly commercial space, but we want to allow them to grow to that point to be able to afford a truly commercial and industrial space."
Baxter said there are hundreds if not thousands of small businesses that rely on their trucks living in the Loxahatchee, Acreage area.
"I've been doing this for 22 years. Why's it gotta change now? I haven't bothered anybody. Nobody has ever complained," John Ashby who lives in Loxahatchee said. "In this economy, I can't retire. Things are too expensive. I've got to depend on my business to sustain my bills."
He said he runs a tool business through his box truck, which according to code enforcement may be too big to keep on his property.
"Everybody that has a small business, almost everybody goes to work in the morning. One trip out and you come home, one trip home," Ashby said. "We're not on the road all day long. We leave to run our business, and we come home at night."
Baxter is proposing the following changes to the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners:
Hours of operation
-The loading or unloading, movement of any parked or stored vehicles, equipment, other similar activities or arrival/departure of employees is prohibited before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
Business-Related Vehicle Ownership
- The business-related vehicle parked on site must be registered to a resident of the home. No renting of spaces on lots to non-residents of The Acreage.
Driveway Width
- A minimum driveway width of 24 feet. Trucks will still not be allowed to park in swales and roads. A maximum of two vehicles over 16,000 pounds would only apply to The Acreage neighborhood plan area.
Loxahatchee Acreage
Plan moves forward to loosen parking restrictions for truckers
Pia Skoran, who has lived in The Acreage for the last 34 years, was among those who attended the meeting and is opposed to the change proposal.
"The county can call us agricultural residential, but at some point, if we have all these trucks around us, will our insurance company think we're commercial?" Skoran said.
She said roads in her area are too narrow for large trucks and that there's been an issue with speeding and lack of enforcement.
"This is abusive. They're parking in front yards. They're parking on swales. They're parking on roads," Skoran said. "They're important to our economy. They are our neighbors. We do care about them, and we do need a solution"
She's proposing a parking lot for trucks and commercial vehicles outside of the residential area.
It's an idea that Ashby said is not an option.
"We as a county have not put land aside. There's nowhere to go," Ashby said. "And if you find a place to go, your trucks get broken into, so now you have that problem."
Baxter is also hoping to grandfather in current truckers who say they've been in the area for decades.
During the meeting, Baxter also cleared up rumors by telling people that recreational vehicles like RVs are not impacted and allowed in the area.
The first reading for the proposed ordinance is Jan. 25. If it passes a second and final vote will be on will be Feb. 22.