MELBOURNE, FL - Melbourne City Council rejected a reworked plan for Parkway Place Apartments, a long-controversial affordable housing project. City leaders cited inadequate drainage and related flooding in surrounding areas as it voted unanimously against a rezoning request by developer Richman Group Inc. of West Palm Beach.
Richman Group originally proposed a 216-unit affordable housing complex for Parkway Place. It revamped the plan to add commercial property and slash the number of housing units to 96, with a maximum of only 40 percent affordable, after hearing residents decry the crime and declining property values it has seen from nearby Wickham Club, another affordable housing complex.
This time, residents cited the flooding the area saw with Tropical Storm Fay as one of the reasons they did not want the development. Parkway Drive and Wickham Road shut down after the August tropical storm dumped more than two feet of rain. "Anything additional is going to cause that to worsen," said Richard Nink, who spoke on behalf of his neighbors in Park Place subdivision. Cliff Repperger, attorney for Richman Group, said the flooding from Fay was a historic event. Most drainage systems are designed to accommodate much less rain.
Parkway Place, he said, should not be compared to Wickham Club, saying that Richman Group would have been bound by covenants developed with city staff to screen tenants. If violated, the complex would face code enforcement fines or court action. The promises did not sway residents who said the proposal didn't fit with the surrounding neighborhood. "It is far from being a fit and does not meet a need," said Joe Whetsel, a resident of the nearby Weston Park subdivision.
Jamie Perry of Weston Park described the shooting, stabbings and break-ins that have increased since Wickham Club opened. Perry said her doors have scrapes where thieves have tried to break in. "The crime rate has really skyrocketed in the last two years," she said. Perry said she wants to help the poor, but questioned why another low-income development was needed when the four already located within a mile of her home offer free rent to fill vacancies. "Do we really need that many in one area?" she asked city council members. "How many low-income housing areas do you have next to you?"
Many called on Richman Group to develop the property as a community for residents 55 years and older. "I don't think there'd be any objections from the community. I think they'd love it," Weston Park resident Joseph Hunt said.
Source: FloridaToday.com.