Palm Beach has paused new applications for restaurants, bars, nightclubs, lounges and for-profit private clubs in the town’s five commercial districts.

Town Council members cited the town’s traffic woes and a slew of projects that are eyeing a Palm Beach location in a “zoning in progress” declaration June 11 that was codified via a resolution June 12.

“There were what, two more clubs that have already said to us, ‘We want one (a location in Palm Beach),'” said President Bobbie Lindsay. “So this is a cumulating thing — we need to get started and we need to deal with this.”

The amount of restaurant seats in town, 9,787, trumps the town’s population of, 9,245, she said. “It’s a lot, and I think we need to say at this point, let’s take a look at restricting, freezing or whatever it comes out to be,” Lindsay said.

For the six-month period spanning June 11 to Dec. 10, the town will not accept new development proposals for restaurants, bars, nightclubs, lounges and for-profit private clubs.

Applications accepted before the June 11 declaration will advance through the development process and be eligible to receive building permits under the town’s existing code and any conditions of approval, Wayne Bergman, the town’s director of planning, zoning and building, told the council.

Those who missed the application deadline can apply for a waiver request, which will be considered by the Town Council, he said.

Under “zoning in progress,” the Planning and Zoning Commission, town staff and Town Attorney Joanne O’Connor, will study which policies can best limit the development of these businesses through changes to the zoning code, Bergman said during the June 11 meeting.

“So, if an applicant truly had been working on it (a proposal) and just hadn’t filed with the town yet, they can still come before you and make a case to submit something that you could consider even during the zoning and progress,” Bergman told council members.

Council Member Julie Araskog said the town needs a new means of limiting restaurant developments, noting that the “special-exception use” these businesses apply for are too lenient in comparison to a zoning code variance.

“The burden of proof is on us and it’s not as specific as a variance,” Araskog said.

With the town now in its off-season, Lindsay said it was the perfect time to initiate the pause.

While all council members agreed a study of ways to limit development was in order, Council Members Lew Crampton and Ted Cooney were not completely in favor of pausing applications.

“I’m cautious about over-stifling the business community; it’s fragile,” Cooney said. “I know COVID poured gas on Florida, but just before COVID we were about to spend a lot of money on a retail study because we were worried about the death of our business community.”

Cooney said that in his experience, these businesses aren’t the only factors negatively impacting traffic. He also said the issue could be one of valet management, not the volume of traffic experienced by restaurants.

Crampton asked if town staff had formed a plan on how to carry out the study, to which Bergman replied they could develop a plan. Crampton asked O’Connor to take a leading role in the study and policymaking process, noting the multiple documents the Planning and Zoning Commission had already been tasked with reviewing.

“They’ve got the comprehensive plan, they’ve got the zoning review, they’ve got big issues on their plate,” he said. “So, this needs to be done very carefully and in a very structured way. Otherwise, we’re getting nothing from this.”

The council voted unanimously June 11, while the vote was 4-1 on June 12, with Cooney casting the nay vote, on a resolution to codify the “zoning in progress” declaration.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach pauses new projects in commercial districts