Taxes go up, buildings do not.
Restless citizens are speaking out.
At the City Commission meeting on April 8, several development issues were discussed. During the public comments portion, people called for changes to city rules on everything from height limits to parking requirements.
The city reworked building codes in 2020-21. But it appears to be too little, too late.
“The only shovel in the ground I’ve seen on a major project was the Metropolitan [apartments] 12 years ago,” resident and executive director of Wilton Manors-based Our Fund Foundation David Jobin said.
The Metropolitan, like Wilton Station a few years earlier, are sprawling developments filled with low-rise buildings. The city doesn’t have room for similar projects. A recent poll by The Gazette found one-third of residents support buildings of 10 stories or higher. The current limit is eight if the developer meets several benchmarks.
Also discussed at length was the size and amount of parking spaces. Wilton requires bigger parking spaces and more per housing unit than neighboring cities. People say there needs to be more creativity, like making exceptions for compact cars, scooters, bikes, etc.
Mark Ellert, the man behind the upcoming Wilton Hotel, said parking is often a dealbreaker.
“As construction costs escalate, I [hope] the commission will consider all creative solutions that come before you. There were many days I was not quite confident the parking was going to be our undoing.”
Jobin summed up the sentiment in the commission chamber, saying, “I really hope [commissioners] think about what is your individual role that you play in the lack of progress we’ve seen in this city. I don’t think your job is continuity. I think your job is improvement.”
License Plate Readers Up & Running
A somewhat controversial law enforcement program is up and running. Police Chief Gary Blocker said installation of License Plate Readers (LPRs) is 38% complete.
The devices monitor cars as they enter and exit the city. He says so far, LPRs have led to the recovery of four stolen cars valued at $120,000 and nine drivers have been caught with suspended or revoked licenses. They also helped capture a suspect in real time after a burglary.
“While LPRs won’t help us solve every crime with a vehicle involved, this is an example of how this technology has enhanced our ability to protect and serve,” Blocker said.
Those against LPRs say they are too invasive and part of a growing surveillance state.
Blocker also said the department is, essentially, fully staffed. All allotted sworn officer positions are filled (note; the city cut the number of positions from 32 to 30 in October), though some are still at various stages of training. He says the remaining open civilian position will be filled by the end of April.
Last year, the department was facing a critical staffing shortage. The city reworked the compensation scale to make Wilton Manors financially competitive with other South Florida agencies.
