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From blueprints to buildings: A look at how developments happen in West Palm Beach · Inside West Palm Beach

22:56:57
Welcome to the City Center Podcast. I'm
22:57:00
Jerry Morisolo. West Palm Beach is on
22:57:03
fire with new business, new growth, and
22:57:06
breathtaking new buildings.
22:57:07
But why is it happening in this city?
22:57:10
What makes us so attractive?
22:57:12
We'll explore the phenomenon and learn
22:57:15
how developments go from
22:57:16
the drawing board to reality.
22:57:18
Next on the City Center Podcast.
22:57:28
And joining us today is Armando Fauna,
22:57:31
Assistant City Administrator for the City
22:57:32
of West Palm Beach. Armando, welcome.
22:57:34
Thanks, Jerry. Great to be here.
22:57:35
Now, West Palm Beach seems to be a
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favorite with world-class developers.
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They're all flocking here.
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The question that comes to
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mind is, why are we so popular?
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Well, what's not to love, right? I mean,
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West Palm Beach has become almost the
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place to be when it
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comes to South Florida.
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Miami's been growing for a long time.
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It's sort of almost grown out. Fort
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Lauderdale and Broward County, definitely
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there is nowhere else to develop.
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West Palm Beach is always kind of the
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stepchild of the town of Palm Beach.
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And so we've stepped up on our own now,
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particularly post-COVID. It became just a
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really popular place for people to come
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get out of the
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Northeast, get out of the cold.
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Even during the summertime, the COVID
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changed everything. Folks came here. A
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lot of them stayed during the
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hot months of the summertime
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where they thought it was almost
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unbearable, and they realized, you know
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what? They got air conditioning there.
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Things functioned just the way they do in
22:58:28
New York and maybe a little bit better.
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And I think a lot of the folks that I've
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spoken to who have actually immigrated
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here from New York and other parts of the
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Northeast and even California,
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realize that the summers are not that
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much worse than they are in other places
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in the country, and that we have so many
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more amenities than what folks thought.
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I always like to say we're a small town
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with a big town amenities.
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We have world-class restaurants. We've
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got entertainment districts. We have the
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Kravitz Center, which is fantastic.
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The Norton Museum of Arts. We have a lot
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of amenities that towns of this size or
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cities of this size
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may not have typically.
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And everything is so easy to get to. I
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mean, no matter almost where you are in
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the city, you're five to 10 minutes away
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from an international airport.
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You're close to getting to the other
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cities where it was jumping on Bright
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Line. You can go to Orlando. You can go
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to Fort Lauderdale to Miami.
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So there's just so many options. It's
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very central to get to
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anywhere in the state.
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And it's just an attractive place to be.
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And I think folks have figured that out.
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We've always were attracted. We had many
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of these items that you
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just mentioned already in play.
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But it seems like you pointed out that
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the COVID pandemic is what really sort of
22:59:42
shined a light on West Palm Beach.
22:59:43
Yeah, it really did. I mean, that changed
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everything. It was a game.
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Unfortunately, it was a pandemic.
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So there's nothing positive about that.
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But at the end of the day, it did bring a
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lot of people into this area who normally
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wouldn't come,
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especially during the summer once.
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And they realize that it's a great place
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to be all year round,
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not just for the winter.
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So a lot of people sort of discovered
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West Palm Beach at that particular point.
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One of the things that I wanted to talk
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to you about is that not only is it a
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very attractive place, but it's also a
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good place to do business.
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Tell us why West Palm Beach has sort of
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taken that tack that we
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were business friendly.
23:00:17
Yeah, absolutely. As more people moved
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here and realized that this is a nice
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place to live all year round, I think
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businesses have also realized that.
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First of all, you have the tax advantages
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that all of Florida has compared to some
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other states where there
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is no state income tax.
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Generally, Florida is a business friendly
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state as compared to some other states.
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And I think businesses are realizing that
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and flocking here in many ways.
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But the city of West Palm Beach in
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particular, when I speak with individuals
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who have done business here at
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corporations, one thing they always say
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is we are friendly in terms of being able
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to sit down with staff in the city or
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with the mayor and talk through ideas and
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what their vision is for what they want
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to bring to the city.
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And that we are open to listening and we
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are opening trying to make those visions
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come a reality within the parameters that
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we have in the code.
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But other places I have heard where it is
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just difficult even to get a meeting, we
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try to be very open.
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Matter of fact, we try to encourage those
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individuals who want to open up a
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business, who want to create a
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development opportunity to come to us
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early so that we can talk through some of
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the challenges and some of the benefits
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that we may offer as a city.
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And identify things early on so we are
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not hit with surprises or they are not
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hit with surprises
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midway through the process.
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So we are very open and encouraging in a
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sense of just having an open door policy
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for individuals in business to discuss
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what they want to do.
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So if a developer comes to you with an
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idea, what is involved?
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What are the steps in the process of
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going from the drawing on the napkin to
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something that is really happening?
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Yeah, that is a great question.
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There is a multiple number of steps you
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take, but the first one that we try to
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encourage is to have a
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pre-development meeting.
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And that is where we get all of our
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disciplines that typically
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we would review a project.
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So it would be the land management part
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of it, I should say
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the land use part of it.
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So development services, our city
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planners, the zoning, whether zoning will
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accommodate what they want to do.
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And then we also look at utilities, what
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types of utilities are going to need to
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be brought in or created for particular
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projects, especially
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large scale projects.
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Do we have sufficient
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infrastructure to support it?
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What kind of traffic would
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this type of a use generate?
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So it is good to have those
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pre-development meetings to go
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over those big picture issues.
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And then a site plan is
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created by the developer.
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And that site plan is submitted, which
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then gets into more of the details.
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It goes from the napkin to a piece of
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paper with the details, sometimes civil
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engineering plans that then lay out how
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the project will fit within the actual
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site, what types of utilities they might
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need, the size of the pipes, the
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elevations, those kind of things.
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And then that gets submitted again to a
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committee within the city that looks at
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it and gives comments to the developer
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about what things need to be corrected
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potentially or where they
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see might be some challenges.
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There's some back and
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forth that takes place.
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And depending on the size of the project,
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it's a small project that generally
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doesn't take very long.
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Larger projects could take many, many
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months of drawings coming in, our staff
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giving their opinions or their comments
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on them, what needs to be changed.
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And then they address those comments.
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And then there may be some back and forth
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for several months before there is a
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final site plan product that can then go
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through the approval process.
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And the approval process may
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depend on where it's located.
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In some cases it goes, for example,
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downtown has a downtown action committee,
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which is a citizen committee that
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actually goes through the site plan,
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looks at the requirements within
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downtown, and then decides whether or not
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that site plan meets the requirements of
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the zoning within downtown.
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Other districts may go to
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the planning and zoning board.
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Others may go to city commission.
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It depends on the location sometimes as
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well as what types of development it is
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and what they're
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looking for from the city.
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If they provide a product or a project
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that is by right, that it meets the code
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exactly, they may not have to go through
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any approvals besides an administrative
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approval with the city staff.
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So it's absolutely not
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an overnight process.
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There are many different stages.
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A lot of stuff happens with the staff
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behind the scenes, as it were.
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And once it's fleshed out, it's – and
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then it goes through, as you point out,
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an approval process that involves both
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experts and citizens
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that are taking part.
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So it's a long, long haul.
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And sometimes experts,
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citizens, and elected officials.
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So there's times where there was multiple
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public hearings as well.
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Now, one of the things you mentioned,
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early on – very early in the process,
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there is a discussion of land
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use and how land is classified.
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And that particular point follows through
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the entire approval process.
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Tell us a little bit about how a parcel
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of land is marked for a certain style of
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building or type of building.
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Right. Yeah. Good.
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So the city is divided – all cities are
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divided up into zones that are classified
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based on the types of
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use that are allowed.
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So, for example, you may have residential
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districts – I should say districts
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instead of zones, but residential
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districts, you have commercial districts.
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You may have a mixed-use district where
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you can have a little bit of both.
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We also have industrial areas as well.
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Not a whole lot here in the city of West
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Palm Beach, but we have a few.
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And then, depending on the types of uses
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that are allowed in that specific
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district, that's what
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the developer can do.
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So, you know, sometimes they're, "Why do
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they allow this type of project here?"
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It's because that's what the
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zoning code will allow for.
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So it's not like you can just plop a
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building in the middle of a single-family
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home district, for example.
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Right.
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Or even a residential district, you may
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not be able to have
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commercial properties or projects.
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So – and that's a
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process that we go through.
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And it gets tweaked here and there.
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For example, right now we're going
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through the Downtown
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Master Plan revision.
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So we've had a consultant that has come
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out and has been working with citizens,
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with other stakeholders like developers,
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and other stakeholders throughout the
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city to get feedback on what
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modifications, if any, we should look at
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within our downtown and
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our Downtown Master Plan.
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And that will determine some things like
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uses, but also setback requirements.
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So how far a building or a structure is
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set back from the street, things like
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height, different zoning requirements
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that periodically need to be
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revisited as the city grows,
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as the city changes,
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our population changes.
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We need to – probably every 10 years,
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you need to be looking at your zoning
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code to see what changes need to be made.
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What limitations do we have on buildings
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that may be not
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suitable for our landscape?
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Someone comes to you and says, "We want
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to build a 75-floor
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building." What would happen then?
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Well, it depends on the
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location, a lot of it.
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So downtown has a lot more flexibility
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because we want a dense downtown.
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That's another thing I think people
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understand is part of the strategy with
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any urban area is to create density
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within that urban area
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so that you have a multitude of uses
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within that density so that individuals
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can live, work, and play
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within that same general zone.
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And that's generally
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going to be urban downtown.
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So, you know, as folks, you hear
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sometimes the complaints about getting in
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and out of downtown traffic wise, right?
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But the whole idea is to create that
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density in downtown.
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And we have right now more residents
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within downtown than we've ever had.
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So we have people who are living
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downtown, who are working downtown, who
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never even have to get into a car.
23:08:23
So creating that is ideal.
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But yes, if you want to build a structure
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that is not allowable
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under the zoning code,
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whether that's because of the way it's
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shaped or the height or the type of use,
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then it just simply gets rejected.
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Now, there are some times where you can
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get a variance which
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is built into the code,
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the process for getting a variance and
23:08:49
where variances may occur.
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As an example, if you are proposing a
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building on an irregular size lot or odd
23:08:57
shaped lot where our zoning code is just
23:09:00
not conducive to something
23:09:03
getting built on that lot,
23:09:05
then you can request a variance for the
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setbacks from the sidewalk or there might
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be other landscaping or there might be
23:09:11
other variances that you can request
23:09:13
because otherwise that lot makes it empty
23:09:15
for a very long time.
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And so that's the reason for variances.
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It's not a way really
23:09:20
to get around the code.
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It's meant for when there is a difficulty
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with a particular site to be able to
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develop it because of its shape, because
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of its where it's located.
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So there has to be some
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flexibility built into the code.
23:09:32
Otherwise, you'd have a lot of parcels
23:09:35
that would get undeveloped,
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which is not good for the city,
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not good for the city in terms of not
23:09:40
just the tax base that's
23:09:43
created when you have a new project,
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but not good for even like how the
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citizens interact with the city.
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We're very mindful about how buildings
23:09:50
look, how they interact
23:09:52
with the public realm.
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And so you need to have some flexibility
23:09:56
to make sure you can make these tweaks,
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so the developer can make the tweaks
23:09:59
working with the city to make the best
23:10:01
possible product for that site.
23:10:03
There's generally not a
23:10:06
100% one size fits all.
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You mentioned residents and the public.
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What sort of voice do they have in the
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decision making process as far as
23:10:15
buildings are concerned?
23:10:16
So that's a great question
23:10:18
because we get that a lot.
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I mean, we have the downtown master plan
23:10:21
process that I talked
23:10:21
about that is occurring now.
23:10:23
We've had extensive outreach on that, and
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we've had great participation, both
23:10:26
citizens coming to feedback meetings.
23:10:29
We've had online polls that have been
23:10:31
done, surveys, I should say, to get that
23:10:34
feedback from the public on those changes
23:10:36
into the downtown master plan.
23:10:39
And then when there's variances requests
23:10:41
that come in from a project,
23:10:44
if they have to go through a public
23:10:46
approval process, and most variances do,
23:10:48
either through one of the citizen boards
23:10:50
or through the city commission,
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number one, the boards are made up of
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citizens who have been appointed.
23:10:57
But they also use typically as an
23:10:59
opportunity there for public comment.
23:11:01
So citizens can come out and voice their
23:11:04
concerns or maybe their
23:11:06
support for a project,
23:11:08
both at these boards, whether it's the
23:11:09
downtown action committee
23:11:11
or planning and zoning board,
23:11:12
or they can do it at the city commission
23:11:14
and provide their opinion there.
23:11:17
But it's important for folks to
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understand that the best time to do the
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comments is when we
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are going through a code
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or a zoning change like we are now at the
23:11:26
downtown master plan,
23:11:27
because once it is set in the code, as
23:11:31
long as the developer is developing
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within those
23:11:33
parameters that are in the code,
23:11:35
then the citizen, even the elected
23:11:38
official, has very limited ability to
23:11:41
stop or to impact a development
23:11:44
because they are by right
23:11:46
allowed to do that development.
23:11:49
So it's important for folks to get
23:11:51
involved at that stage.
23:11:53
And the reason we have elected officials
23:11:54
is they're
23:11:55
representing the citizens' rights.
23:11:56
So some of it you have to leave it up to
23:11:57
your elected officials and their judgment
23:11:59
if you voted for them to make some of
23:12:02
those decisions as well.
23:12:03
We've talked a little bit about the
23:12:05
downtown master plan.
23:12:07
Go into exactly what that is.
23:12:09
And is there still time for people to
23:12:11
have their input into that plan?
23:12:14
Yeah, we're pretty far into the process.
23:12:16
We've had a lot of input so far, but we
23:12:18
do have several public
23:12:19
hearings that will be left.
23:12:21
One of them will be the
23:12:21
downtown action committee.
23:12:23
There's actually going to be a
23:12:24
presentation at our August, I believe,
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yes, our August mayor
23:12:29
commission workshop,
23:12:30
that will then provide some opportunities
23:12:33
for people to at least hear what's the
23:12:36
input that we've seen so far
23:12:37
and some of the recommendations that are
23:12:39
potentially going to come out, and then
23:12:40
they can provide input
23:12:41
on those recommendations.
23:12:44
I believe we may have a website as well.
23:12:48
We can link that up on this show to find
23:12:50
out that people can give input that way.
23:12:52
But the downtown master plan is basically
23:12:54
like a roadmap that sets the rules for
23:12:57
developers on what they can construct
23:12:59
and the land use and the setback
23:13:01
requirements and what are the general
23:13:03
building requirements or land use
23:13:06
requirements within downtown.
23:13:08
It's a form form base,
23:13:10
meaning that kind of is what it is.
23:13:13
There's not a lot of variances or things
23:13:14
that are allowed within downtown because
23:13:17
it's already built to be flexible.
23:13:20
As I said, the idea of a dense urban area
23:13:23
is to create that place where you can
23:13:25
live, work and play a mix of uses.
23:13:28
While you're here, you can you have
23:13:30
residential, you have commercial, you
23:13:33
have entertainment districts.
23:13:34
There's just a lot of things happening in
23:13:36
downtown. You have obviously
23:13:37
recreational parks, green space.
23:13:40
So there's a combination of things
23:13:42
happening right now in
23:13:43
downtown that are exciting.
23:13:44
One is a downtown master plan.
23:13:45
The other is the waterfront your way
23:13:48
effort that is underway as well, which is
23:13:51
providing that the input that we've
23:13:52
gotten from citizens on
23:13:54
our waterfront in downtown
23:13:55
and what folks want to see their
23:13:57
activation of the waterfront.
23:14:00
Some folks want to leave it as it is.
23:14:01
More green space, more shade.
23:14:03
We've gotten a lot of feedback and
23:14:05
there'll be a presentation coming soon on
23:14:06
that effort as well.
23:14:08
And people will still have
23:14:08
opportunities to provide input.
23:14:11
And one of the great ways to have input
23:14:12
is through your your representative.
23:14:15
So we have our commissioners, our
23:14:17
district commissioners.
23:14:18
And if you voice your opinion on what you
23:14:20
want through them, they generally will
23:14:22
act as as the voice for their their
23:14:25
district and their citizens, as well as
23:14:26
the mayor, who's open to
23:14:28
input from his citizens.
23:14:28
And so if you're a resident and you're
23:14:30
not sure who your your representatives
23:14:32
are, who your who your commission
23:14:33
commission commissioner is, you can find
23:14:37
it on the website at WPB.org.
23:14:39
That's correct. We have all the
23:14:40
commission districts listed listed there.
23:14:42
Fantastic. What's a bigger
23:14:44
hot button, water or traffic?
23:14:47
That's a great question. I'd
23:14:48
probably say traffic right now.
23:14:50
Traffic is one I hear about all the time,
23:14:52
although there is
23:14:53
concerns about the water.
23:14:55
One of the more common questions when I
23:14:58
hear about development being questioned
23:15:00
by citizens, maybe the density
23:15:02
of it, how big it is as well.
23:15:03
Do we have enough water to maintain all
23:15:07
this growth or to keep
23:15:08
up with all this growth?
23:15:09
And the answer is yes, we have the park.
23:15:11
Our water capacity has been evaluated and
23:15:14
based on current growth trends, we're
23:15:18
good for at least another 50 years when
23:15:20
it comes to our water capacity.
23:15:22
We are we have applied and have gotten
23:15:23
approval for a permit through the South
23:15:25
Florida Water Management District, which
23:15:27
will allow for additional capacities and
23:15:30
more importantly, a more of
23:15:33
a diverse source of water.
23:15:35
Right now, our water comes from surface
23:15:36
water, Lake Okeechobee, Grassy Waters
23:15:39
Preserve, and then our
23:15:40
lakes here in downtown.
23:15:41
We are exploring the opportunity to be
23:15:45
able to use what's called the Florida
23:15:47
Well, which is a deep well system that is
23:15:50
used throughout Florida, particularly in
23:15:52
areas south of here, which will diversify
23:15:55
our water sources and provide us another
23:15:57
source of water for well into the future.
23:16:00
And better to not have all your eggs in
23:16:02
one basket, we will have
23:16:03
multiple ways to access water.
23:16:05
So we're we're good with water.
23:16:06
The one area that we have to look at and
23:16:08
we do evaluate when a new project comes
23:16:10
in is the age of our infrastructure to
23:16:13
that transports the water.
23:16:15
Right. So we're constantly looking at
23:16:17
that, evaluating the condition and age of
23:16:20
our of our distribution system for water
23:16:22
and wastewater, making those upgrades.
23:16:25
And as developers come in, they typically
23:16:27
will have to foot the bill to make those
23:16:30
types of upgrades when their project
23:16:33
requires, let's say, a larger pipe size,
23:16:35
whether it's water or wastewater.
23:16:37
They have to they have to pay for that.
23:16:39
Sometimes we'll kind of share in cost to
23:16:42
extend a new water line to an area that
23:16:45
then will benefit well into the future
23:16:47
for other developments that may come.
23:16:48
So it's a it's a bit of a shared process
23:16:52
when it comes to the private
23:16:53
sector and the public sector.
23:16:55
And then with traffic, traffic is a
23:16:57
challenge everywhere in South Florida.
23:16:59
Yeah, I think it also depends on where
23:17:01
you're coming from. Right.
23:17:02
I moved here 10 years ago from Broward
23:17:05
County. I was working
23:17:05
in Miami-Dade County.
23:17:07
And this is a delight compared to those
23:17:09
two counties when it comes to traffic.
23:17:11
We don't want to get to where they were.
23:17:12
So we've actually just in the process
23:17:14
recently of updating our downtown
23:17:16
mobility plan, which lays out within
23:17:19
downtown how to increase capacity
23:17:22
potentially, how to move people, not just
23:17:25
cars, move people around downtown more
23:17:27
efficiently and identify
23:17:29
the areas where there are.
23:17:32
Especially roads where there where
23:17:34
there's a lot of traffic and
23:17:36
traffic is being jammed up.
23:17:38
How do we alleviate that?
23:17:39
One way we're looking at is opening up
23:17:41
Fern Street to a crossing right now is
23:17:44
only two ways again to downtown
23:17:46
Okeechobee Boulevard and Banyan.
23:17:49
We're looking at a third
23:17:50
option, which is Fern Street.
23:17:52
That would then be a third way you can
23:17:53
get in through Australian
23:17:54
Avenue to enter downtown.
23:17:56
That would help alleviate some traffic.
23:17:59
We've already gotten some
23:17:59
preliminary permits for that.
23:18:01
That's probably a five year project to
23:18:03
get it all complete.
23:18:04
We also we're getting ready to award a
23:18:06
contract to a provider who will provide
23:18:09
us with mobility services.
23:18:11
We used to have a trolley downtown.
23:18:13
Folks remember the trolley may have a
23:18:15
nostalgia for the trolley.
23:18:16
Well, we're going to have trolley 2.0 and
23:18:18
not just to move people around downtown,
23:18:20
but a system that will move
23:18:22
people in and out of downtown.
23:18:24
So we're really excited.
23:18:25
It's the most resources the city has ever
23:18:28
put into mobility within within the city.
23:18:31
So I think the residents will be really
23:18:34
excited once they see the final product.
23:18:36
And we expect the very late parts of this
23:18:39
year, early part of 2025, excuse me,
23:18:41
early 2026 to be able to start launching
23:18:45
that new service that will bring people
23:18:47
in and out of downtown and within
23:18:48
downtown and help
23:18:50
alleviate some of the traffic.
23:18:52
But traffic is it's
23:18:55
really a countywide issue.
23:18:56
And we are working also with our partners
23:18:58
in the county and other municipalities.
23:19:00
There's an effort right now to create a
23:19:02
countywide mobility plan.
23:19:04
The city is participating in that effort,
23:19:06
which will lay out what are some of the
23:19:09
improvements that can be done on a
23:19:10
countywide basis
23:19:11
because you're traveling.
23:19:13
It doesn't matter what the county what
23:19:14
the lines are between cities.
23:19:16
Your traffic is the traffic.
23:19:18
And so we want to make sure that we're
23:19:20
working in conjunction with our our
23:19:22
neighbors for the south and to the north
23:19:24
and as well as the county to implement
23:19:28
strategies, implement systems.
23:19:29
That will move people more efficiently,
23:19:33
not just within the city,
23:19:34
but in and out of the city.
23:19:35
It seems like most of this, most of our
23:19:36
discussion here is forward looking things
23:19:39
that will be coming up in
23:19:40
the next two or three years.
23:19:43
Let's take a second
23:19:43
look into our crystal ball.
23:19:44
What do you think is going to be
23:19:46
happening for next year as far as our
23:19:48
development in our in the thriving
23:19:50
businesses we see and what's going to be
23:19:52
happening five years from now?
23:19:53
Will the trend continue?
23:19:55
Will we be as as successful as we've been
23:19:59
over the past five years?
23:20:01
Yeah, I think the long
23:20:03
term trends are good.
23:20:04
There's a lot of uncertainty right now in
23:20:07
global markets and U.S. markets in terms
23:20:09
of where the economy is headed.
23:20:11
So you see a little bit of hesitation
23:20:13
when I talk to folks who are looking to
23:20:16
invest in the area,
23:20:17
but they're still coming.
23:20:19
And a lot of the projects that we see
23:20:21
going up now are projects that came in
23:20:23
two years ago, maybe
23:20:24
even three years ago.
23:20:25
As I said, sometimes that development
23:20:26
process is a long process, not just
23:20:29
internally for us reviewing everything
23:20:31
that comes in, but even for the
23:20:32
developers themselves.
23:20:33
They have to line up the financing.
23:20:36
They have to get assurances from the
23:20:38
contractors that are
23:20:39
going to be building.
23:20:40
So it's a very long process for them to
23:20:43
particularly large projects.
23:20:44
So some of the things you're seeing going
23:20:45
up now were approved two years ago.
23:20:49
There's a little bit less activity in
23:20:51
terms of new
23:20:52
applications that are coming in now.
23:20:54
So we may have a bit of a pause or
23:20:56
breather, I should say, which is not a
23:20:58
bad thing even for the city to catch up
23:21:00
with some of the work that we have.
23:21:03
And that's how things go.
23:21:04
They go in cycles.
23:21:05
But I think the long term
23:21:06
trends here are very positive.
23:21:08
Folks are continuing to have a great
23:21:10
interest in investing and coming here.
23:21:13
As you hear the news and folks are still
23:21:16
worried about what's happening
23:21:17
politically in some other parts of the
23:21:19
country and want to come here because of
23:21:22
the tax situation, because of the
23:21:23
political situation.
23:21:25
They feel like it's a more business
23:21:26
friendly environment and a great place to
23:21:30
bring up your family.
23:21:32
So are there challenges?
23:21:33
Yes.
23:21:35
Affordability is a
23:21:35
challenge as we become more popular.
23:21:37
Obviously, it becomes harder to afford
23:21:39
housing, afford even a business and
23:21:41
opening up a business.
23:21:42
So that is a challenge as demand goes up,
23:21:45
that the affordability part of it gets
23:21:49
harder, which then decreases demand.
23:21:51
So these are bounces in the
23:21:53
market that kind of even flow.
23:21:55
But I think we're
23:21:56
still in an upward trend.
23:21:57
And although we may have a little bit of
23:21:59
a flattening for a couple of years, the
23:22:02
long term trends look very good.
23:22:04
Right.
23:22:04
There's still so much interest in this
23:22:06
area and investing here.
23:22:07
I constantly hear from individuals who
23:22:09
are thinking about moving to this area or
23:22:12
thinking about relocating a business.
23:22:14
And so as more people come and move here
23:22:16
and they love it, they'll continue to
23:22:19
tell their family and
23:22:19
friends, hey, come visit me.
23:22:22
And that just like it's just a it just
23:22:25
kind of perpetuates
23:22:26
itself as people come here.
23:22:28
Every time I moved
23:22:28
here, I moved back here.
23:22:29
I grew up here.
23:22:31
Yeah.
23:22:31
And I moved back here about 10 years ago.
23:22:34
And every time I bring guests in from out
23:22:37
of town, they're just they love it.
23:22:39
They think this is the greatest thing.
23:22:41
They love our waterfront.
23:22:43
They love just the
23:22:44
how close everything is.
23:22:46
And even though we we locals complain
23:22:47
about traffic, the folks who are coming
23:22:49
from other places think this
23:22:50
is great in terms of traffic.
23:22:51
So I think the long
23:22:54
term trends are fantastic.
23:22:55
Well, on that note, thank you for this
23:22:57
look inside the process, how we plan, how
23:23:01
things turn into the buildings and the
23:23:03
future of our of our city here.
23:23:05
Thank you for the time
23:23:06
that you've spent doing this.
23:23:07
Thank you for giving this this this view.
23:23:10
And thanks for
23:23:10
everything you do for the city.
23:23:12
Thank you.
23:23:13
Thank you to the citizens who are
23:23:14
watching and listening.
23:23:15
I hope you continue to enjoy our city and
23:23:18
bring your friends and family over so we
23:23:20
can continue to grow.
23:23:22
And thank you for joining us
23:23:23
for the City Center podcast.
23:23:24
If you enjoyed the show, please take a
23:23:27
moment to like and subscribe.
23:23:29
We have a lot more great
23:23:30
content coming your way.
23:23:32
The podcast is a production of the city
23:23:34
of West Palm Beach
23:23:35
Communications Department.
23:23:36
I'm Jerry Marcello.
23:23:38
We'll see you next time.