LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — City leaders in Lake Worth Beach are moving forward with a plan they say will bring more clarity to how the city grows.
During Tuesday night's commission meeting, officials unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance to update the city's Comprehensive Plan — aimed at cleaning up inconsistencies between its zoning map and future land use designations.
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The update would revise the city's Future Land Use (FLU) table to better align with how properties are already zoned.
Specifically, it adds the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zoning district to the Artisanal Mixed Use (AMU) category and the Single-Family Residential (SFR) zoning district to the Medium Density Residential (MDR) category.
City planners say the changes won't increase development density but will make zoning rules easier to interpret and more consistent with the city's long-term goals.
"We're just trying to get crystal clear that in one portion of the city, SFR zoning, which allows seven units an acre, can be utilized to implement a medium-density future land use category," said William Waters, the city's Community Sustainability Director.
For longtime resident Amy Mihelich, the update offers reassurance.
"We also became aware that there is already single-family zoning within medium family residential, so that gives us some precedent in order to say it already exists in the city, and so we can have it here too," said Mihelich.
She's been part of a 20-year fight over a proposed housing development at 826 Sunset Drive, near Lake Osborne, where neighbors have opposed higher-density projects.
"I think that this amendment gives the city back some control," said Ruth Lynch during the commission meeting. "For many of us, this isn't about restricting growth but about placing it where it makes sense," said Mihelich.
While Mihelich supports the ordinance, she notes it won't be finalized in time for the next hearing on the disputed property, set for November 4.
The ordinance will now be reviewed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity before returning to the city commission for a final vote.
