Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Citizens coalition working to block Ag Reserve homes
West Boynton residents oppose GL Homes project
A coalition representing thousands of West Boynton residents took its next step in trying to block thousands of new homes from being built near them.
The Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations met Wednesday for a presentation by land-use attorney Richard Grosso. He says he will guide the coalition in trying to persuade the Palm Beach County Commission to deny a proposal by developer GL Homes.
The proposal calls for homes to be built on the Agricultural Reserve, a 21,000-acre farming region west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.
Myrna Rosoff, the president of COBWRA, which represents more than 140,000 people in West Boynton, says having Grosso on board “gives us knowledge and authority, as well as a firm standing with the county professionals.”
More than 7,000 homes have been built in the reserve, mostly in the past two decades when South Florida saw an influx of growth. About 3,200 more are planned.
GL Homes has pitched a proposal to shift some of the 3,897 homes approved to be built in rural Loxahatchee at Indian Trails Grove to three plots of land it owns in the Agricultural Reserve.
According to Rosoff, GL Homes’ proposal would dismantle the reserve, depriving West Boynton residents of the quality of life they pictured when they purchased their homes. It would take planned developments from northern Palm Beach County and deposit them in the west Boynton Beach region of the reserve, she said.
The county’s emphasis has always been on preserving the farmland and directing development away from it, Grosso said. Now GL Homes is asking to reverse that standard, he said. “It sets a dangerous precedent for irresponsible development,” he argued.
GL Homes company officials say their plan will result in more land being preserved for farming countywide, while alleviating concerns about overbuilding in Loxahatchee. In exchange for being allowed to build 2,315 homes on 738 acres in the Ag Reserve, company officials say 2,893 acres being farmed in Loxahatchee would be saved.
Larry Portnoy, a vice president of GL Homes, said the company disagrees that they are setting any kind of precedent or that they are trying to dismantle the Ag Reserve.
“It’s unfortunate that COBWRA will not sit down with GL Homes to try to work out an amicable resolution that makes everyone happy, instead of attacking us and hiring lawyers,” he said. “There are an awful lot of positives coming with our proposal.”
GL Homes has pledged to donate 75 acres for a high school and 30 acres for an elementary school, all in the reserve. The company also promised $10 million toward the high school’s construction. The company also will improve roads at key subdivisions that are most impacted by the proposed development sites, adding traffic lights and lanes to roads to relieve congestion, he said.
“This is a change to what originally existed, but we’re trying to fulfill the objectives of the master plan to preserve agriculture and further water resources,” he said. “We think that while this is different from the original plan, it’s furthering the objective of the master plan and it’s good for the area.”
The plan is scheduled to go before the county’s Planning Commission, which advises the County Commission, in December, and would then be discussed by the commission in January and April.
County Commissioner Dave Kerner said that like any proposal, he’ll listen to both sides intently and vote to reflect the will of his constituents. “I will say that I’m certainly inspired and impressed by the advocacy COBWRA has put forth, including the hiring of outside council to assist,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I need to do to protect the quality of life in District 3, and in West Boynton.”