The Preservation Foundation

Royal Poinciana Plaza Development

The Foundation opposes the Sterling Group application for development of the landmarked Royal Poinciana Plaza.  The plan seeks not only demolition of the theater, the Celebrity Room, the Hibel Building and the Slat House but also the construction of a parking garage, new theater and four, 66 feet high, 5-story condominiums.

Our stance on the Plaza: 

  1. The operation of a performing arts theater or venue in the Plaza is not the Foundation’s concern, nor has it ever been.

  2. The landmarked Plaza is a unique landmarking situation that met all 4 of the Town’s landmarking criteria when only one was needed. The new standard set by its demolition would compromise the landmarking system and the status of the 264 properties already landmarked.

  3. The Sterling application fails to pass any of the 7 criteria allowing for demolition of landmarked structures, in particular “whether the building is one of the last remaining examples of its kind” (Landmarking Preservation Ordinance, Sec. 54-125).

  4. The Sterling application fails to pass the criteria for new construction which requires the “rhythm created by existing building masses and space between them should be preserved” (Landmarking Preservation Ordinance, Sec. 54-122).

  5. The Foundation does not support the construction of any more condominiums, not just with regard to the Plaza as the Sterling application seeks to do, but anywhere in town.

  6. The Town’s guiding document, the comprehensive plan directs the town to “lower the pattern of density” and “to prevent critical and dangerous overuse.”  The Sterling application violates this.  The Foundation does not support violating the comprehensive plan, which has been held enforceable in the courts.

  7. According to the Town’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department, the Sterling application needs at least 17 major exceptions and/or conditions to go ahead.  The Foundation believes this too onerous a demand to put on the Town, particularly for a commercial enterprise such as Sterling’s.

     

Below are several key documents regarding the Sterling Group's proposed plans on the Royal Poinciana Plaza.  Please feel free to download.

 

  • To download a 0.02 MB Adobe PDF file of the Town of Palm Beach's Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, please click here. 
  • To download a 2.3 MB Adobe PDF file of the Royal Poinciana Plaza Landmark Designation Report, please click here.
  • To download a 6.3 MB Adobe PDF file of the Town of Palm Beach's November 12, 2008 Staff Report to the Town Council on Landmarking the Royal Poinciana Plaza, please click here.  Please note, this includes within it the Landmark Designation Report listed above.
  • To download a 0.6 MB Adobe PDF file of the Royal Poinciana Plaza Memorandum of Lease Agreement between the Sterling Group and Sidney Spiegel, please click here.
  • To download a 7.5 MB Adobe PDF file of the Royal Poinciana Plaza Lease Agreement between the Sterling Group and Sidney Spiegel, please click here.   Please note, the Sterling Group has redacted using a whited-out, as opposed to a blacked-out process.  As such, many sections can at first, quick glance appear to be complete when in actuality they are not.
  • To download a 23.7 MB Adobe PDF file of the Sterling Group Application for Certificate of Appropriateness Regarding Royal Poinciana Plaza (i.e. development plans), please click here.
  • To download a 0.06 MB Adobe PDF file of the Minutes from the February 18, 2009 Landmarks Preservation Commission in which the 17 major exceptions and/or conditions to the Sterling Group's plans to develop the Royal Poinciana Plaza going ahead are listed, please click here.  Please note, the listing starts on page 5 of the document.
  • To download a 17.3 MB Adobe PDF file of the joint University of Miami School of Architecture's and Preservation Foundation's Design Studio report on the Royal Poinicana Way Area, please click here. 
  • To download a 1.7 MB Adobe PDF file of the Palm Beach Towers letter regarding issues of legal standing and the need for independent counsel concerning the Sterling application, please click here.
  • To download a 0.19 MB Adobe PDF file of the Town Attorney Skip Randolph's January 20, 2010 statement on the Landmarks Preservation Commission's jurisdiction regarding the Sterling application, please click here.