Residents inspect Ringling Shopping Center plans

The redevelopment of the Ringling Shopping Center has been a controversial proposition for the past five years, producing drawn-out public meetings, multiple lawsuits and consternation for residents living around the commercial property.

On Tuesday, there was no sign of that troubled history during the first public workshop discussing the latest redevelopment plans. Residents at the workshop asked a series of questions about the future of the land at 2260 Ringling Blvd. during the 90-minute meeting, but offered no real pushback on the developer’s proposal for the property.

In March, a West Palm Beach developer filed a plan to build a 222-unit apartment building on the 9.7-acre site. The plans also include a future commercial component along Ringling Boulevard, though the details of that phase are not included in the initial proposal.

Tuesday’s meeting was not specifically held to discuss the redevelopment plan. Instead, the focus was a proposal to vacate a 1,000-square-foot segment of right-of-way on Lime Avenue that separates the shopping center property from the Ringling Gardens apartments.

The segment, technically part of the roadway, is not navigable for vehicles. It’s a triangular, sodded slice of land dividing Ringling Boulevard from the residential area to the south. The developer was required to file the vacation proposal as part of an agreement with the city. The goal was to assure residents that Lime Avenue would not be reconnected to Ringling following the shopping center redevelopment.

The agreement would represent a giveaway of city-owned land to private property owners. The northern half of the land would go to the apartment building, and the southern half to the shopping center.

Attorney Robert Lincoln, representing developer The Richman Group of Florida, said his client had no interest in using the land as part of its redevelopment effort. He said the city would likely require an easement to allow pedestrian access along the vacated right-of-way segment, a condition the developer will not contest.

“This is just being put forward as something to assure the folks who live in that neighborhood that they’re not going to end up with traffic running through,” Lincoln said.

Residents at the meeting Tuesday were happy to see the effort to prevent traffic from cutting through Lime Avenue. Some also expressed a level of satisfaction with the larger plan for the property Lincoln shared.

Linda Kitch, who lives south of the shopping center in Alta Vista, said there are still important details to vet as the proposal goes through the city’s development review process. Based on what she’s seen so far, though, she’s optimistic the final product could be a good fit for the surrounding area.

“It’s not the worst thing that could happen to us,” Kitch said.