Frustrated by the pace of change on the island, some Palm Beach residents are pushing back on plans by the new owners of The Vineta Hotel to redevelop the historic structure.
Citing concerns about potential noise, parking and traffic intensification, they are urging the Town Council to limit the scope of the project and maintain the number of approved restaurant and bar seats.
The council will weigh in a second time on the controversial plans during its development review meeting at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Town Hall. The project is scheduled to be presented at 2 p.m.
"We loved the quaintness and beauty and tranquility that we found here in Palm Beach when we moved here, but have seen a big change in traffic and congestion over the last ten years," residents Mikell and Frank Howington wrote in a letter to the council. "We believe that if things go any farther, the desirability of the island will begin to diminish."
After voting last month to move forward with a portion of the renovation project, the council is expected to perform site plan review and consider additional special exception and variance requests for the project at its meeting.
In February, the council approved one variance request related to an elevator override on the hotel's roof, and agreed to let the new owners proceed with work on the structure's windows and doors.
More:Things to know about the Reuben brothers, new owners of The Chesterfield Palm Beach
But they deferred a decision on the remainder of the project after hearing testimony from residents who expressed concerns about noise, parking and traffic intensification.
Residents who live near the four-story landmarked building at 363 Cocoanut Row, which was formerly called The Chesterfield, plan to speak at Wednesday's meeting. Many others have submitted letters to the town voicing their objections to the project.
"I am looking forward to a refreshed Chesterfield (Vineta) Hotel that can serve as a boutique, quiet, and sophisticated establishment here in Palm Beach," John David Corey, a resident and member of the town's Architectural Commission, wrote in a letter to the council. "However, the matter at hand are variances and special exceptions which would increase non-conforming uses and affect the quality of life within the residential neighborhood."
Renovation plans for the building, which waspurchased in April for $42 million by London-based brothers David and Simon Reuben, include external sitework improvements; façade renovations and alterations; and "substantial" interior demolition and alterations that would include enlarging the existing hotel rooms on the second, third and fourth floors, and interior layout changes to the ground floor to accommodate an expanded food and beverage program.
The building is licensed as a 57-room hotel with 113 dining seats and nightclub use, but the owner is requesting approval to reduce the number of rooms from 57 to 41, and increase the number of restaurant and bar seats to 197.
All of those seats would be contained along the ground floor of the hotel, with 35 located within a lounge north of the courtyard, 66 within the main dining room of the former Leopard Lounge space, 44 within the open-air courtyard, and 52 in and around the pool bar toward the eastern portion of the site. Sixteen of the pool bar seats are proposed to be outside.
In order to add 84 restaurant and bar seats to the 113 that the hotel already is licensed for, the Town Council would have to approve the first of five variances that have been requested by the owner, according to town staff. That variance would allow for the continuation of nonconforming uses for the hotel — which was built nearly a century ago under a different zoning code — and permit 197 seats in the its restaurant, nightclub and pool area.
The additional 84 seats would come from the reduced number of rooms as part of the redevelopment project, the town said.
Residents have expressed concern about the additional seats for dining, which they say will intensify restaurant, bar and nightclub uses and disrupt their quality of life. They have asked the council to maintain the hotel's restaurant seating at 113.
The hotel's owners, however, say they are not adding restaurant seats as part of their plans, but instead plan to reallocate them.
Restaurant seating at the old Chesterfield hotel included 113 seats in one room, Philippe Perd, chief development officer for Oetker Collection, the hotel's new management company, wrote in an editorial letter to the Palm Beach Daily News.
Additional food and beverage service, he added, historically extended to other rooms at the hotel, including the Rotary Room, Tea Room, Board Room and courtyard.
Perd noted that the approved seat count of 113 is based on the restaurant's business tax receipt, and there is no set limitation on the other BTRs for the hotel, which would have included the nightclub, pool, and hotel in the Chesterfield's 100 years of operation.
"Many Palm Beach residents and hotel guests remember using the various dining options offered within the hotel," Perd wrote. "The restaurant and Leopard Lounge seating included 113 seats just in that one room. The courtyard contained 35-40 seats, Rotary Room 48 seats, and the Tea Room and Boardroom approximately 30 seats.
"Despite other rumors in the community, you can clearly see that the total 197 seats we requested in our zoning application is in no way proposing to add seats to what has been historically used in this hotel."
Council President Maggie Zeidman said she and her colleagues will work to balance the concerns of residents with the need to redevelop the nearly century-old hotel.
"The council has many tools at its fingertips to protect residents' peace and quiet, and I am certain we will engage those tools," she said. "The Chesterfield was not a good neighbor. The hotel needs a renovation, and we are hopeful that things can be worked out in such a way to protect our residents, keep our streets safe and not add noise and congestion to an already dense area of town.
"The Vineta will be a beautiful hotel and a welcome addition to the neighborhood if it is kept low-key."
Also Wednesday, the council will review plans to redevelop, improve and expand a 1970s-era office-and-retail building owned by developer Frisbie Group at 125 Worth Avenue.
At its meeting last month, the Architectural Commission declined to conduct a full review of the renovation plans, instead forwarding the project to the town council.
Council members are expected to review the site plan and take action ontwo special exception requests and 10 variance requests, including one dealing with the height of the building and another related to parking requirements.
The Council also will meet Tuesday for its regular monthly meeting. At that meeting, the council will:
• Hear a presentation on the townwide undergrounding project.
• Discuss potential limitations on scooters, electric bikes and other such devices on sidewalks.
• Hear presentations and make appointments to the Architectural Commission, Landmarks Preservation Commission and Retirement Board of Trustees.
• Hear an update on a proposed City of Riviera Beach mooring field adjacent to and within Town of Palm Beach municipal limits.
Council members will meet at Town Hall at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Members of the public canparticipate in person or via Zoom.Those wishing to make public comments virtually can access theZoom link on the town'sMeeting Audiopage.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at thePalm Beach Daily News, part of theUSA TODAY Florida Network.You can reach heratjwagner@pbdailynews.com.Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
