Proposed Everglades Island dock draws neighbors' ire before Palm Beach council approval

Some neighbors of an in-development corner lot on Everglades Island may not be fans of plans for a new dock that will allow the property's owners to tether a large yacht and smaller boat, but they will have to make peace with the prospect of vessels.

While the plans drew ire from a handful of those neighbors at the Town Council's May 15 Development Review Committee meeting, the council voted 4-1, with member Julie Araskog dissenting, to grant the variances needed to make the dock a reality at 757 Island Drive.

The lot is owned by 757 Island Dr LLC, which is linked to Palm Beach real estate investor Barbara Stovall Smith and her financier husband, Randall Smith of Alden Global Capital, according to people familiar with the property. The Smiths' primary residence is a lakefront home in Midtown. The limited liability company purchased the lot in 2021 from a trust linked to David and Elizabeth Wetherell for $39.5 million.

The property is about nine-tenths of an acre on the southwest corner of Everglades Island, with about 371 feet of waterfront on the west and south sides. It has been vacant since the 1957 home that had been there was razed by Thomas and Eugenia "Jeannie" Tisbo after they bought the lot for $17.5 million in 2013. Since then, it has been a prime piece of Palm Beach real estate, and one of the few undeveloped lakefront lots left in town.

The council's vote followed the withdrawal of three of the five variances originally requested by the property's owner. Attorney Maura Ziska, the agent for the project, said two of the variances were withdrawn because of the town's recent update to its rules for building docks.

Ziska withdrew the third variance — to allow the dock to extend past the length permitted in the code — during the meeting after hearing opposition from neighbors. The plans originally featured a dock that ran for 110 feet from north to south along the property's west side. The property will move forward with the 69-foot dock allowed by the town's code, Ziska said.

The other two variances will allow for a boat lift for a 30-foot vessel on the dock's north end, and for the dock to be 6 feet wide.

Part of the hardship cited by Ziska in requesting the variances is that the pierhead line, or the line beyond which structures may not be built into navigable waters, is drawn from north to south within the property.

The dock would permit a yacht of up to 110 feet, Ziska said.

Construction of a residence on the property started recently, with a nautical-themed, Art Deco-style design by Daniel Menard of LaBerge & Menard. The Architectural Commission approved the plans in 2022. The design features a straight-shot view from the glass front doors to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Everglades Island sits south of Midtown and the Everglades Club's golf course. The narrow, manmade island runs north to south with estates along either side of the single road, Island Drive. All the estates except for the four corner lots — of which 757 Island Drive is one — have waterfront either on their east or west sides.

The dock drew opposition from several neighbors, with William Gubelmann representing himself and two neighbors to his south, Carroll Carpenter and Ken Beall, whose properties sit across Island Drive on the island's east side, to the northeast of 757 Island Drive. Palm Beach resident Nader Kazeminy spoke in opposition to the dock, representing his father Nasser Kazeminy, who owns the property to the immediate east of 757 Island Drive.

"We just basically don't like Everglades Island being used as a yacht haven," Gubelmann said. He and his neighbors are concerned that the property's owners are hiding behind a limited liability company and plan to sell for millions, Gubelmann said.

Nader Kazeminy also expressed concerns about the use of a limited liability company to develop the property.

"This begins to get very fishy when someone won't use their names still," he said, while acknowledging that privacy is prized by many in Palm Beach.

"He's not the only one who relishes his anonymity, and I think we need to respect that," Councilwoman Bridget Moran said as Kazeminy later in the meeting persisted in trying to learn more about the property owners.

The size of boat that could be accommodated by the planned dock would overshadow the house, Kazeminy said. "There's a big difference if you have Jamie Dimon for a neighbor or Puff Daddy," he said.

The dock's proposed length was in line with others on the lake in Palm Beach, Ziska said.

When Councilman Ted Cooney asked if the owners have a boat, Ziska replied, "The dock is being designed for boats in concept."

The property to the north has a similar 6-foot-wide marginal dock to what is planned for 757 Island Drive, Ziska noted.

Kazeminy asked the council to deny the variances, but James Murphy, assistant director of planning, zoning and building, said that would leave only about 1 to 2 feet of width for the dock. Ziska countered that would effectively kill the plans.

"A 6-foot marginal dock is consistent with every single marginal dock in this town," she said.

Palm Beach Daily News staff writer Darrell Hofheinz contributed to this report.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Proposed Palm Beach dock draws neighbors' ire before approval