The Palm Beach Town Council picked apart a long-awaited traffic and parking study that members say failed to take into consideration key factors including the rebuilt Royal Poinciana Playhouse and its accompanying restaurant, set to open later this year.
While the yearlong study by Miami-based consultant The Corradino Group gave some insights to the traffic and parking patterns on the island, council membersat their Feb. 13 meeting questioned whether the data used reflected current traffic conditions.
Now Corradino representatives are expected to meet again with the council later this year to present an updated analysis which will include the impact of all future developments in the town and West Palm Beach, updated peak afternoon traffic hours and updated annual growth rate of the town, among other recommendations from the Town Council.
Approved by the council last February, the study examined 23 intersections, with and without traffic signals, using data collected during a 96-hour period in the early months of 2023. Intersections were rated depending on the time a driver had to wait before passing through.
According to the study, all intersections examined with and without traffic signals operated at an “acceptable” level apart from the intersection at Cocoanut Row and Royal Palm Way during the morning traffic peak, and the intersection on Bradley Place and Sunset Avenue during the afternoon traffic peak.
However, Corradino's engineering division manager Eric Czerniejewski noted that the study was done before the 200 block of Sunset Avenue’s switchedto a one-way eastbound.
Beyond the need to update Sunset Avenue's traffic data, the council criticized the 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. peak traffic periodchosen by The Corradino Group, saying that the town’s afternoon peak begins much earlier.
“Even looking at your charts ... it shows the (afternoon) peak time at 3 (p.m.),” council member Julie Araskog said.
Council members requested that the firm reexamine the afternoon peak with an expanded range of 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Council President Margaret Zeidman questioned whether the data was outdated, saying that traffic currently seems worse than it did when the data was collected.
Where the council agreed with the study, was in its reported average of 38,400 one-way trips coming into the town daily. Czerniejewski said 11,247 of those were destined to major attractions including the beaches, commercial areas and golf courses. That number jumped to 15,806 during the weekends, he said.
Using the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency’s regional planning model, the consultants estimated a1% annual growth rate in population and employment for the town, but council members said that number was too low.
The study also examined the future impact of the Vineta Hotel, set to open later this year at the intersection of Chilean Avenue and Cocoanut Row, and the Paramount Theatre redevelopment project, which is set to have its next Development Review Committee hearing on March 13.
Araskog noted that the study omitted the Royal Poinciana Playhouse and its accompanying restaurant, as well as The Breakers’ property on the south side of Royal Poinciana Way, which reserves the rights to build 140 homes.
Breakers officials told the Daily News the company has no interest in developing the area.
Notably missing from the study, Zeidman said, were current and projected developments in West Palm Beach.
“You’re going to find out from West Palm Beach what they have done over the last year and what the plans are for the future,” Zeidman said to Czerniejewski.“And then you are going to need to overlay that with what is happening here.”
The study also examined parking, including the valet parking operation of 18 restaurants, and parking patterns in the town's commercial areas.
Council Member Lew Crampton noted that the study’s parking recommendation coincides with thecomprehensive parking plan the town is currently implementing.
"I just want everybody to know that the work that the staff and the business and administrative committee have done, has been borne out in the parking study," Crampton said.
The study also recommended the town's zoning code be changed to include public/private partnerships between the town and the various private lots in town. Crampton, who heads the business and administrative committee, received the council’s approval to turn the committee’s efforts to developing these partnerships.
"I'm just trying to take the study and take it into problem-solving approaches," Crampton said. "I think we should grab the whole team until we find the football, and then get after it."
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at thePalm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him atdlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism.Subscribe today.
