How Palm Beach County might waste $100 million, and more
The biggest threat yet has emerged to the trust that Palm Beach County voters placed in their elected officials nearly two decades ago.
In1999, voters approved $100 million for the purchase of land to stabilize theAgricultural ReserveAreawest of Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. It is the last coastal farming region in South Florida — productive, diverse and nearly immune fromfreezes.
Itwas understood the reservewould include some development. The master plan allowed two shopping centers. The promise, though, was that the county commissionwould not tip the reserve far enough toward suburbia that agriculture would become incompatible with theAgriculturalReserveArea.
Unfortunately, successive commissions have approved change after change to the original rules. Collectively, those changes have placed the reserve at greater risk. But the new proposal, according toEverglades LawCenter attorney Lisa Interlandi, would “kick open the door” for development to drive out farming.
GLHomes is the leading builder in and around theAgriculturalReserveArea, where developers must preserve 60 percent of their land. GLproposes to preserve land outside of the reserve in exchange for being allowed to build on100 percent of three parcels in the reserve.
With this proposal, GLwants to exploit one favor to get a bigger one. Six months ago, the county commission allowedGL 700 percent more homes than rules had allowed on 4,900 acres near TheAcreage, the large unincorporated communitywest ofWest Palm Beach. That project is called IndianTrails Grove.
GLwould preserve 2,900 acres of Indian Trails Grove in return for another 2,000 homes in theAgriculturalReserve. In an interview, GLVice President Larry Portnoy said that because the IndianTrails acres are farmed, the dealwould “expand what the AgriculturalReserve is, albeit in a different location.”
The public, however, spent $100 million to save theAgriculturalReserve, not a “different location.” Portnoy said the deal “would not touch” the public land. But it would be “just a matter of time,” Interlandi said, before suburbiawon— breaking the public’s trust and costing Palm Beach County a key industry.
In addition, therewould be only a promise of those 2,900 acres being preserved. KarenMarcus, whose priority during her 28 years on the county commissionwas growth management, said that lack of a guarantee undercuts “the heart” of Portnoy’s argument. An easement could restrict the land to conservation, but the commission could lift it.
GLis playing the system under which commissioners are elected fromsinglemember districts. MelissaMcKinlay represents TheAcreage and voted against Indian Trails Grove. UnderGL’s proposal, McKinlay loses a project her constituents oppose. TheAgriculturalReserve also loses.
Steven Abrams andHalValeche regularly have voted toweakenAgricultural Reserve protections. Paulette Burdick, the most anti-development commissioner, would vote against GL. Mack Bernard and DaveKerner ran last year against overdevelopment.
That 3-3 splitwould makeMary Lou Berger the swing vote. Her district includes the reserve. Burt Aaronson represented the district for 24 years and oftenwas friendly to GL.
Berger’s district also includes the influential Coalition of BoyntonWestResidential Associations (COWBRA). It has108 member communities and about125,000 residents. COWBRA’swebsite says the deal would “put an unbearable strain” onWest Boynton and “open the floodgates for future developers to utilize this tactic to further increase residential and commercial development on our area.”
The IndianTrail Improvement District, which governs TheAcreage, expressed support forGL’s proposal. YetGL’sKevin Ratterree acknowledged that some tempting idea for those 2,900 acres could come along. One district commissioner fantasized about a casino that could eliminate the need for property taxes.
Since the county commissionwants to buy out the South FloridaWaterManagement District’s share of another keyAgriculturalReserve parcel, acceptingGL’s proposalwould make even less sense. Interlandi, who helped block Palm Beach County fromputting Scripps Florida on a remote citrus grove, said, “Under this proposal, it will only be a matter of time before every acre of private preserve is developed in theAgReserve.” And the public’s $100 millionwould be plowed under.
EmailRandy Schultz: randy@bocamag.com