Ramp up access to water

When Wayne Huizenga invests $100 million in a waterfront project and elects to keep docks open to the public, there must be money in it. There's certainly a need.

Growth's pressure on boat ramps, docks and storage facilities in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast is driving weekend boaters to despair, as The Post reported last week. As condominium developers cordon the waterfront into private enclaves, the allure of sea and sun becomes more out of reach for the rest of the public.

That's why Mr. Huizenga's plan for the Rybovich Spencer boatyard in a residential section of West Palm Beach holds such promise. The plan calls for 220 condos, an upscale restaurant and marine stores. But it expands the yard's public docks and adds a public promenade. The willingness to engage the public argues for a similar mix at the Sailfish Marina on Singer Island. Proposals to level the marina for condos last year prompted Palm Beach County commissioners to obtain voter support for a $50 million bond issue. The money is available to keep Sailfish -- and other waterfront spaces -- public. But it's not enough.

The number of registered boats is rising -- by 11 percent in four years in Palm Beach County and 27 percent on the Treasure Coast -- while the number of dock slips, launch points and parking places stays flat or declines. A 2002 report predicted Palm Beach County would have 57,800 registered boats in 2020, a rise of 34 percent over 2004. To attack the problem, the county is adding "ready docks," where boats can be tied while owners get trailers, speeding the end-of-the-day crunch. A $16 million plan aims to add 100 parking places a year for five years and new launch spots near the county's four ocean inlets. Oceanfront demand could prove a boon to the communities on Lake Okeechobee if they can take advantage with attractive accommodations for weekend boaters seeking to avoid the crowds.

On the Treasure Coast, Martin County is pursuing a "no net loss" policy that would require public docks displaced by private development to be replaced elsewhere. The policy only works for the public if quality sites near the ocean are replaced by equally good sites, not distant access to inland canals.

The demand for oceanfront points to the folly of those who preach the area's unlimited potential for growth. The oceanfront, one of the most powerful reasons for coming to Florida, looks a lot less enticing when there's no way to get to it.7