Tequesta Notes
an initiative for the citizens of Tequesta
people meet in a park
Sunday, May 9, 2021
Tequesta Needs
More Natural Parks
The context of this post is that the Mayor and Council Member Prince are proposing to sell Village-owned land that should be turned in to natural, green space, because they want the Village to purchase parcels at Paradise Park. It's important to be clear that the Village could not develop the Paradise Park parcels into a natural, green space. They are zoned mixed use. There is no need and no benefit for the Village to waste money on purchasing Paradise Park. (See A Better Approach to Paradise Park.)
There are so many reasons that the Village should not sell public land. But first let's take stock of the park space in the Village. The Village owns precious little green space. Constitution Park, Remembrance Park, the parcel between Cypress and the railroad track. Maybe a few other little green spaces. (And we should get a comprehensive list and plan on making these all beautiful parks!)
Of particular note, however, is the fact that much of the land that is erroneously credited as Village green space does not belong to the Village. We should only count the land that the Village owns and therefore can guarantee as park space for the community.
For example, the Linear Park along Old Dixie does not belong to the Village. Tequesta leases this space from the Railroad company. If the Railroad decides in the future to build a train station there, no more Linear Park.
Likewise, Tequesta Park belongs to the state of Florida, not to Tequesta. And the Natural Preserve is federal land. Those spaces should not be credited to the Village as natural, green space because the Village does not own them.
And it matters a lot that we have so little natural, green space because that space is necessary if we want healthy land and water. And the healthy land and water are necessary for healthy humans and a healthy community.
In addition to being essential for human and environmental health, natural green spaces also benefit local business. Green spaces and green streets are much more pleasant and inviting than the glare of hot concrete and asphalt. Natural, green spaces attract customers to nearby shops. So more natural, green spaces in the village will benefit local businesses.
When we make the Village more beautiful with natural green spaces we make the Village more desirable as a place to live. And so property values will also increase organically.
As natural, green spaces attact people outdoors, they act to improve the coherence of community and community safety.
Natural, green spaces are also a very effective flood mitigation asset, especially if they are designed carefully and planted with Florida plants that absorb a lot of water in heavy rains. These spaces can hold on to a lot of water that otherwise would cause the storm water drainage systems to overflow in times of intense rainfall. Asphalt and concrete lots and even lawn grass are ineffective at holding water in place and so aggravate flood risk. This is an increasingly important issue and a great advantage of natural, green spaces (and native plants generally).
The bottom line is that natural, green spaces serve every strategic Village priority and so Council policy should be directed to increasing the amount of natural, green spaces. Not to selling off the remnants of parks.
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