Several residents used the public-comment period at the March 12 Margate CRA meeting to raise recurring concerns about the redevelopment process, access to remote public comment, parking, and the balance of retail versus residential in downtown redevelopment plans.

Jonathan Krajic told the board he and other residents felt excluded from a February 2024 special CRA meeting that had limited remote participation; he urged the CRA to open Zoom comment for each of the three developer presentations and to permit three minutes of public comment per developer so residents could critique proposals fairly. Donna Fellows, who said she lives in the CRA district, told the board streets in the district are in poor condition and urged that infrastructure be fixed before major development — “spend the money, clean up the city first,” she said.

Public commenters later expressed concerns about the number of apartments proposed by some developers, parking adequacy for events and visitors, and the need for more retail and restaurant destinations. Some residents asked the board to require performance metrics, contract penalties and timelines to prevent repeat problems from earlier redevelopment efforts. Jonathan Krajic and other speakers questioned whether each developer proposal included enough parking for peak events and asked for clarity on where city hall and police facilities would be sited in redevelopment concepts.

Commissioner Julie VanderMeelen and other board members acknowledged those concerns and said the board’s vote to select a negotiating partner was a first step; they and Colliers staff and the developers repeatedly noted that final site plans, traffic studies, parking and civic facility siting will be addressed in the negotiation, permitting and site-plan approval processes and that additional public engagement would follow. Several commissioners told residents they expect workshops and multiple public hearings during the design and approval phases.

No action was taken during public comment; residents’ statements were recorded for the public record and board members said they would integrate public input in upcoming negotiations and community engagement steps.