Croissant Park Neighborhood Meeting -February 22, 2022

 Croissant Park Neighborhood Meeting-February 22, 2022

Hello Neighbors,

—Our February CPCA meeting was attended by six Board members and approximately 30 people from Croissant Park and neighboring Associations. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. 

—FLPD Officer Pena is the afternoon beat officer for CP. He reported that crime was down 40% in 2021 until now.  For January and February, a neighbor’s motorcycle was stolen. There were petty thefts, one being a garden gnome stolen from a yard. 

There is a “Safe Zone” designated in front of the Police Department on Broward Blvd.  This is where you can safely meet up for transactions with people you might be buying or selling items on Craig’s List, for example. 

Ofc. Pena urges people to report any loud parties in AirB&B rentals in CP.

—Our speakers tonight were Adam Schnell and Christopher Cooper from the Department of Sustainable Development, and Ella Parker from Urban Design and Planning. They outlined the SRAC (So. Regional Activity Center) proposal for an affordable workforce housing corridor between Andrews Avenue, FEC Railroad, S.R. 84, and Davie Blvd.

A lively Q&A followed with various comments about the density and height issues.  Many are concerned about our property values and congestion.  If you want to voice your concerns you are urged to attend Planning and Zoning meetings.  The next P&Z meeting will be at City Hall on March 16th. We need representation at these meetings.

—Our next CPCA meeting will be on Tuesday, May 31st at 7pm in the CP Community Center. We hope to see you there. 

—Minutes by Virginia-Secretary

Pictures by Rhonda Kramer

Croissant Park Neighborhood Meeting - February 22, 2022 at 7:00 pm

Please plan on attending this important meeting Tuesday, Feb. 22 in the Community Center - 245 West Park Drive, next to the pools.

The city is proposing to give developers incentives to develop workforce housing projects south of Davie between the RR tracks and South Andrews. Some of the incentives they are offering will allow substantial increases in permitted height and the number of units allowed. It will also allow developers to skip the Planning & Zoning Board review and go directly to the Commission for approval of their projects.

We have been “discussing” this with staff and so far have not been impressed by the response. The City made TWO presentations to Poinciana Park Civic Association, one where other folks were invited, one a follow up for their members only that we were not told about, and the city has said they didn’t make a presentation to us because it “doesn’t affect Croissant Park”. They clearly had no intention of talking to us until the CPCA Board demanded it. Even then, after promising that the item would be deferred from the Feb. 16^th P&Z meeting until a presentation could be made to us, staff was silent when we asked for a deferral at that meeting until March. Instead of a deferral staff offered to make the presentation and then let Pat Rathburn (me), CPCA President, as the sole member of the public in attendance make comments.  Are you starting to see the problem?  We disagree with staff’s assessment that we will not be impacted.

The affordable housing project built at 17^th and Andrews has only 1 parking space for each unit – units that allow up to 5 adults. Where are the extra people going to park? Where are their kids going to play? What neighborhood are they going to cut through to avoid major arterials? You guessed it, Croissant Park. We have been saying for years that the city pays attention to neighborhood associations with a lot of vocal members. For too many years, the Board members have been the only people the City hears from in Croissant Park and there are only nine of us, and the City knows it. Why else would they feel they could ignore us with impunity? The P& Z Board instructed staff to make presentations to all of the affected Civic Associations in November. Staff chose to ignore those instructions and Croissant Park. Wouldn’t you like to know why? Wouldn’t you like a say in what is being built on our border?

 Please plan on attending the meeting where the City is finally, weeks before it goes back to P&Z, going to make a presentation.

See you Tuesday,

Patricia Rathburn, CPCA President

p.s. We will also have our FLPD neighborhood officers available for a crime report and answer any questions or comments you may have.

Masks are required inside the Community Center for this meeting.

Farewell to Curtiss Berry

CURTISS CROSBY BERRY

Mr. Curtiss C. Berry of Ft. Lauderdale passed away Thursday, January 20, 2022, at the age of 90.

Curtiss was born September 16, 1931, the 5th son of Rena Couch and Martin Berry.

Curtiss was a lifelong resident of Ft. Lauderdale.

After graduating from Lutheran High School in Ft. Lauderdale, he worked at the United States Post Office.

Curtiss joined the Army in March 1952 spending 30 months stationed in Germany.

After being honorably discharged he returned to Ft. Lauderdale and went back to work at the United States Post Office.

In December 1955 he began his truck driving career working with American Oil Company (AMOCO).

He later became a Commercial agent for Amoco (self-employed).

In 1956 Curtiss married Patricia Cramer and they had 3 children Michael, Rena, and Jill.

In 1967 he started Berry Brothers Oil Company. After selling the oil company in 1985 he started Curtiss Berry Trucking which consisted of hauling heavy equipment, cranes, bulldozers, etc. with his wife and son, Michael.

His wife, Pat, began a career with the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Curtiss was a lifetime member of the Federal Little League assisting Floyd Hull with the building of the stadium.

He was also a lifetime member of the Lauderdale Small Boat Club, where he held office as Commodore and was on the board of directors. He was active with the waterway clean-up and enjoyed boating and participating in the boat parades.

Curtiss was very active with the Croissant Park Civic Association, held office as President, and was active on the recycling committee.

In the '60s Curtiss suggested installing an Air Horn on responding fire trucks to alert drivers.

Curtiss served on various City of Ft. Lauderdale boards for many years. After retirement Curtiss enjoyed growing tomatoes, visiting with friends in the neighborhood, and playing lotto.

Curtiss loved animals, feeding any that came around and helping his neighbors with many tasks including digging holes with a backhoe, planting trees for the beautification of Ft. Lauderdale. Many neighbors would stop to talk to Curtiss to get advice or just pass the time.

Curtiss was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers David and Gene.

He is survived by his wife Patricia Berry, children Michael Berry, Rena Greenway (Alfred), Jill (David), his grandson Joshua, his brothers Clifford and Martin, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on February 4th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at:

Barbara Falowski Funeral Home, 900 NW 5th Ave, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33315

Graveside service will be held at the Lauderdale Memorial Gardens immediately following the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to:

Wounded Warriors Veterans Association or P&J Animal League, 410 SW 18th Street, Fort Lauderdale FL 33315 - a 501(c)3 or call 954-303-3860

 

#Croissant Park #Pet Photo Contest 2022

We haven't done this in a few years because we had Bark in the Park instead but Covid has put that event on temporary hold for now. It will reappear as soon as possible. It was a lot of fun to see everyone's photo entries a few years ago and we hope to get even more this year. Please use Nextdoor and search for #Croissant Park #Pet Photo Contest 2022 and use THAT POST ONLY to submit your entry. Rules:

1. You must be a member of the Croissant Park Civic Association in 2022 to submit a photo. Anyone can vote if you live in Croissant Park. 2. Any pet is eligible - does not have to be a dog or cat. You can submit more than one in separate replies. 3. If you would like to submit a photo but are not yet a member, you will need to join by retrieving the Membership Application in the 'Documents' section under the green 'Home' label located on the left of your screen if you are on Nextdoor and mail a check right away. You can also join via PayPal - just send $20 to MyCroissantPark@gmail.com. If you can't find the Membership Application, just mail a check to CPCA, P.O. Box 13117, Fort Lauderdale FL 33316. You can submit your photo online via Nextdoor now - but it will not be voted on unless you join either before, or at the February meeting (if we are able to have an in-person meeting as planned). 4. Voting will be entirely online since we aren't sure about a February in-person meeting yet. You can vote with a 'reply' to your favorite pet picture on the thread or a Private Message to me if you want your vote to be confidential and a surprise. 5. Submission deadline is Monday, February 21st (President's Day). But the sooner you post your picture, the more opportunities to have a neighbor vote for you! Hint - gather your Croissant Park neighbors to vote - It's Legal! 6. The winner will be featured on Nextdoor and will receive a great prize!

Rhonda Kramer

Helpme@RhondaKramer.com