PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — There's a heated debate between the city of Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County.
On one hand, traffic on Northlake Boulevard has exploded with recent development.
However, the county's fix is to widen a section of the corridor that would have severe impacts on homes and businesses along the corridor.
The potential property impacts laid out by the city of Palm Beach Gardens show sidewalks, part of homeowner's properties and parking lots for businesses would all be affected by adding 11 feet to each side of Northlake Boulevard.
Drivers said when 5 p.m. comes around, the six lanes on Northlake Boulevard west of Military Trail become a parking lot.
"What would be, call it a five- to seven-minute drive, ends up being 15-30 minutes," driver Matthew Eisenman said.
Northlake Boulevard is the lifeline for major communities like BallenIsles and Montecito. And more development is on the way with the approval of the 3,900-home Avenir community in Palm Beach Gardens.
However, there are growing pains to the boom that the county is trying to alleviate.
There is a $400,000 feasibility study, construction and acquiring additional land. This would add 11 feet of widening on both sides, plus an additional 11 feet to replace existing turning lanes.
"It would be a significant disruption to the business," Tim Whelan, the owner of the Art By Nature Garden Center, said.
Homes, businesses and churches from North Military Trail to Beeline Highway would lose property, including Whelan's nursery.
"Man, it would seem to us like we have car door handles going right by past our front door," Whelan said.
The city of Palm Beach Gardens said the ultimate costs of the proposal will come to the taxpayers. The county staff will present the consultant contract for the study to commissioners at a Dec. 20 public hearing.
