JUPITER — The town council voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve the development plan for Harbourside, a mixed-use complex featuring shops, offices, a hotel, a parking garage and a marina at U.S. 1 and Indiantown Road.
Approval on first reading is the first of several the project needs before construction can begin.
Councilman Jim Kuretski cast the dissenting vote, primarily to ensure that planners address his concerns, including parking, before the second reading on Oct. 21.
The development plan already has 95 free parking spaces set aside. However, after those are full, visitors would have to pay.
“The practical solution is to have parking free,” Kuret-ski said. “Public parking is ‘no fee.””
The council then agreed to add a condition to the plan requiring town approval before the developers, Allied Capital & Development of South Florida, can charge for parking.
Kuretski also asked the Harbourside developers to add “public welcome” signs to invite boaters to the nine slips that will be open on a first-come, first-served basis. He said the plan should include dock space for water taxis and sightseeing boats.
Mayor Karen Golonka said she wants planners to work on building heights along U.S. 1, improvements to crosswalks at U.S. 1 and Indiantown Road, among other changes.
The town is considering contributing $350,000 a year, for up to 15 years, to Harbourside, considered a major destination in the town’s Riverwalk pedestrian pathway. The town’s financial contribution would be limited to 50 percent of the new tax revenue the development generates.
Declan Hoctor, owner of The Bistro restaurant in Driftwood Plaza, said he would like to open a second location in Harbourside.
“Building a structure such as this will attract people to the area,” Hoctor said. “It’s a fabulous location on the water.”
