Sect. 02 Village Character Statement2.0 VILLAGE CHARACTER STATEMENT
The Village of North Palm Beach, located in Northeastern Palm Beach County (Ref:
Figures 2-1 and 2-2), is a water-oriented residential community providing a full-range of
social, cultural and recreational opportunities to its residents. Incorporated in 1956, the
Village's five square miles of incorporated area (Ref: Table 3-5; Future Land Use
element) presently supports a resident population of approximately 12,600 and a peak-
day seasonal population of an additional 1,500 residents, many of whom live along Lake
Worth and the series of inland watenways that provide direct access to the Intracoastal
Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
The North Palm Beach Country Club and associated facilities, located in the heart of the
Village, provides a variety of recreational activities to Village and area residents,
including golf, tennis and swimming. This 150-acre facility also serves as a Village focal
point by providing social and dining facilities to area businesses, organizations and
residents necessary to promote a spirit of community involvement and interaction.
Similarly, the North Palm Beach Community Center, a 12.5-acre campus located in the
northern portion of the Village, provides added cultural and athletic opportunities to area
residents.
The 1.5-mile stretch of Atlantic beach that forms the eastern boundary of the Village is
located entirely within John D. MacArthur Beach State Park and represents one of the
most spectacular unspoiled coastal areas in all of South Florida. This 385-acre park
site is continually being developed in a cooperative effort among the Village, Palm
Beach County and the State of Florida to insure the protection of its sensitive coastal
habitats while permitting public access and enjoyment of this magnificent coastal and
estuarine area. The Village of North Palm Beach is one of only a few coastal
communities that does not permit development along the barrier island within its
corporate limits.
The Village's several marinas and waterfront parks provide boating and fishing
opportunities for small crafts as well as luxury and sport fishing boats. Hundreds of
docks line the waterways within the Village, providing a haven for a variety of boats and
providing direct access to productive fishing areas, with local catches that include
snook, snapper and other game fish. Youngsters, families and avid fishermen are often
seen along the bulkheads and banks of inland waterways that traverse the Village.
Besides the myriad of recreational, cultural and social commitments the Village has
made to its residents, the business and financial interests in the area have found the
Village to be an ideal area to locate. By generally restricting commercial development
to Northlake Boulevard and U.S. Highway One, and Alternate A-1-A, and by prohibiting
industrial development, the Village has achieved a balance of land uses so often absent
in developing coastal areas.
2-1
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The Village operates under a Council/Manager form of government, consisting of five
elected officials and an appointed Village Manager. A group of appointed boards whose
duties include advisory and plan review functions, meet regularly to insure careful
consideration of matters relating to development, planning, recreation and
administrative affairs. These board meetings, often well-attended by Village residents,
provide a vital means of assuring public input into the Village decision-making process.
Figure 2-3 illustrates the organizational functions of these various boards and
committees.
A monthly newsletter, published and distributed by the Village, and a website^ keeps
area residents informed on a number of issues including council meetings and agendas,
adult and youth athletic programs, public safety and service information, and cultural
programs administered by the library and Community Center. The newsletter is also
used to address current issues affecting the day-to-day operation of the Village and
provides a forum for community involvement in matters of concern to all residents. The
Village Council has long been committed to this form of public participation in
government.
The Village of North Palm Beach provides a full range of municipal services, including
public safety (police, fire and emergency medical services), sanitation and public
improvements as well as the recreational/cultural and general political and
administrative services previously described. As stated in the introduction to its first
adopted Comprehensive Plan, "North Palm Beach is, and desires to remain, a
residential community offering a diversity of housing choices, a full-range of municipal
services, commercial development sufficient to satisfy the needs of the resident
population, and a choice of recreational opportunities. Industrial development is not
desired within the original corporate area; however, in an effort to increase its tax base,
the Village will consider light industrial and/or business park land uses in that portion of
the future annexation area located north of Northlake Boulevard and west of Alternate
A-1-A. The environment of North Palm Beach has been enhanced through planning
and responsible municipal management. These principles will continue to guide Village
growth."
The goals, objectives and policies presented in the Village of North Palm Beach
Comprehensive Plan are designed to: (1) assure that future development within the
Village occurs in such a manner as to be consistent with the current character of the
community, as described above, including, but not limited to its services, lifestyle and
environment; (2) ensure that State goals and policies, as per Chapter 187.201, Florida
Statutes are accurately reflected and implemented within the context of the Village
capabilities; and (3) address problems, issues and concerns that are of particular
regional concern, as per the Treasure Coast Regional Comprehensive Policy Plan, as
they affect and/or relate to the Village.
2-4
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