NONPROFIT FILES SUIT AGAINST WEST PALM
BYLINE: THOMAS R. COLLINS, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
DATE: December 15, 2007 PUBLICATION: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
EDITION: FINAL SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: 3C
……..The suit also includes a claim under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, saying Frankel, Briesemeister, former city commissioner Ray Liberti and state Rep. Mary Brandenburg “engaged in a pattern of criminal activity” including “the sale of political influence, approvals, and support relating to development projects and the sale and purchase of real estate.”
The suit claims Brandenburg tried to help Frankel extort a campaign contribution from the group when she told Renaissance officials that a campaign donation would help the group become an “insider” and help with project approval.
Brandenburg, who didn’t return a call early Friday evening, has said she told the group a contribution would generate “goodwill” but that the remark was made innocently. Read this article in its entirety
A nonprofit group that has spent five years trying to get an affordable-housing project built in the north end of town sued the city on Friday, saying Mayor Lois Frankel and redevelopment head Kim Briesemeister made fraudulent claims of support to the group.
Neighborhood Renaissance, formerly known as Northwood Renaissance, says in the suit that Frankel and Briesemeister made phony claims that they would support Village Centre, an affordable housing project planned for 24th Street, so that the group would transfer its options on land down the street where the city wants a mixed-use project built. The group released its options on that land in 2005, but Village Centre still isn’t built.
In June, a city advisory board recommended against giving the group a $900,000 grant for the project.
“Despite Northwood’s good faith efforts to redesign the project and obtain the necessary approvals, the Village Centre project remains mired in a bureaucratic maze and construction has yet to begin,” the suit says.
Neither Frankel nor Briesemeister returned calls Friday afternoon.
Frankel spokesman Chase Scott denied the claims.
“This is about Northwood Renaissance trying to get almost a million dollars from taxpayer funds for their failing real estate project,” he said. “The city has always acted as the guardian of these taxpayer funds. We will continue to do so and will vigorously oppose this lawsuit.”
The suit claims Frankel and Briesemeister turned their backs on the project in favor of a development philosophy that benefits large-scale developers who are generous with campaign contributions.
It says Briesemeister kept changing course, first saying the project would get the grant if a garage were built and then saying it needed to change from rental housing to for-sale units.
Briesemeister has said the delays have been due to poor planning and budgeting on the group’s part.
A real-estate consultant the city hired to review the project said in June he didn’t think the project “even has a chance.”
The suit also includes a claim under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, saying Frankel, Briesemeister, former city commissioner Ray Liberti and state Rep. Mary Brandenburg “engaged in a pattern of criminal activity” including “the sale of political influence, approvals, and support relating to development projects and the sale and purchase of real estate.”
The suit claims Brandenburg tried to help Frankel extort a campaign contribution from the group when she told Renaissance officials that a campaign donation would help the group become an “insider” and help with project approval.
Brandenburg, who didn’t return a call early Friday evening, has said she told the group a contribution would generate “goodwill” but that the remark was made innocently. Read this article in its entirety
The suit says Liberti sent e-mails to north-end residents about Northwood Renaissance that were “false and slanderous.” He is now serving a federal prison term on unrelated corruption charges.
Terry Fox, the chair of the group’s real estate committee, said Renaissance felt it had no choice but to sue.
“It’s sad that we have to work this hard to get affordable housing,” Fox said. “But we felt this was our last resort.”
~ thomas_collins@pbpost.com