Beach Area Master Plan
Beach Renourishment Project
Dune Management
Enhancing Property Values
National Flood Insurance
B.P.O.A. Design Manual
Rising Waters Task Force
Speaker Suggestions
Turtle Light Guidelines

Beach Area Master Plan

UPDATE:

Beach Area Master Plan

Initiated by the BPOA the City of Delray Beach’s Beach Area Master Plan was created based on recommendations from the design charrette held on November 4, 2009, which was presented to the City Commission on May 18, 2010. The combination of a healthy dune system and a wide recreational beach, make Delray Beach a vibrant and much envied community.

In 2018, Phase 1 of the Beach Master Plan was completed, which included wider sidewalks, landscaping , irrigation and new amenities including benches, showers, surfboard racks, pet waste facilities, and chilled water fountains. Additionally,  individual parking meters were replaced with parking kiosks, adding payment options and reducing sidewalk obstructions.

Phase 2 of the Beach Master Plan included installation of beach pedestrian turtle-friendly lighting for the beach promenade, a post and rope fence along the dune perimeter, and intersection improvements along SR A1A, Atlantic Avenue, Venetian Drive, and Gleason Street, focusing on pedestrian roadway crossings along SR A1A.

The new lighting included the currently FWC approved red streetlights along A1A on 3 light poles immediately north of Atlantic and four light poles immediately south of Atlantic. When approved, new turtle-friendly amber lighting fixtures will be considered for street lights along all of A1A.

Also planned is pedestrian height shielded amber lighting along the beach promenade. The pedestrian lights will be on timers to go off at 10 pm, but the the central portion of the promenade will remain on until 2 am. Solar powered bollards near the pavilions will not be on timers.

 

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On August 23, 2010 the City Commission officially passed the acceptance of the Beach Area Master Plan. As some of you may recall, the idea for a Master Plan was initiated by the BPOA in early 2008 to address several objectives:

  1. ESTABLISH A SENSE OF PLACE THROUGH DESIGN ELEMENTS
  2. REFLECT THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THE BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD
  3. COMPLEMENT THE SENSE OF PLACE OF THE NATURAL BEACH ENVIRONMENT
  4. DEVELOP PLANS TO GUIDE
    • ONGOING MAINTENANCE
    • LANDSCAPING
    • ANTICIPATED REPLACEMENT AND UPGRADES
    • FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW FEATURES

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The process of developing the Master Plan was fairly lengthy since we strove to make it a citywide effort to bring out the best ideas and to achieve a community consensus. We first presented the board’s ideas to our membership at a meeting on 3/19/2009. On 6/9/2009 we made our first presentation to the City Commission at their workshop and we received encouragement and enthusiastic support from the commissioners. A citywide charrette was held on 11/7/2009 to a packed and overflowing crowd at the Marriott Hotel. We had another citywide public meeting on 4/24/2010 at Northern Trust Bank to present the results of the charrette and to solicited additional community ideas. The final acceptance by the City Commission was a two-step process: a Workshop presentation on 5/18/2010 and a formal Commission meeting on 8/23/2010.

Now we are firmly into the implementation phase of the Master Plan. Two community fundraising events were conducted by the BPOA which raised approximately $60,000 for the replacement of the Pavilion located at Atlantic Avenue and Ocean Boulevard. Additional countless amounts have been donated through the architectural services of Robert Currie, our BPOA Vice-President. On 3/26/2014, the city officially opened the new Pavilion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by a large assembly of Delray Beach residents from all parts of the city. The new versions of attractive replacement benches, trash cans, and showers were also introduced with the new Pavilion. Landscaping for this area was donated by the Grass River Garden Club. We are currently working with the city and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on private donation opportunities for new and replacement benches as well as donation markers near the Pavilion.

The BPOA Board would like to thank everyone involved in this process of developing the Beach Area Master Plan: the Mayor and City Commissioners, city staff, the Community Redevelopment Agency, Ocean Properties, Northern Trust Bank, Perry King Neubauer, the late Robert Currie, and everyone participating in the charrette and the various other meetings. We look forward to participating with city staff and the community in the implementation process.

 

Beach Promenade Renovation Project Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The City held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Beach Promenade renovation project on January 27, 2018. The BPOA partnered with the City Green Initiative Advancement Board to give away reusable, environmentally-friendly water bottles at the event.

Mayor Cary Glickstein graciously credited the BPOA for initiating the concept and for helping to raise funds via donations by city residents. Also, much credit must be acknowledged to the generous contribution by the Lattner Family Foundation to rebuild the two gazebos located on Ocean Blvd.

The city commissioners and residents recognize that the beach is a major asset of Delray Beach, and implementation of the Beach Master Plan will enhance the image and recreational appeal of our city. These improvements will provide more welcoming and pleasant surroundings for the estimated 3 million residents and visitors who come to the beach each year and countless others who use the sidewalk promenade as an oceanside park.