West Boca Land Deal Coming Up For A Vote

A controversial plan is coming for a vote in West Boca on whether to allow building 1,000 luxury homes and 277 workforce-housing units in Palm Beach County’s Agricultural Reserve. The developer’s deal would come in exchange for a donation of land to both the county and religious organizations.

The Agricultural Reserve is a large swath of farmland in Palm Beach County, bordered by Hypoluxo Road and Clint Moore Road, with Florida’s Turnpike on the east and the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on the west.

The developer, GL Homes, said it will donate hundreds of acres for farming, water treatment, a public park and multiple religious purposes, including a synagogue and a Jewish school.

The issue also is at a crossroads, with multiple county commissioners publicly doubting if it should be approved. The last time they voted, in February 2022, they narrowly granted preliminary approval to the land swap but some noted they only voted yes to allow for more discussion at a later date.

The plan is to take a 5,000-acre property that GL Homes owns adjacent to the new city of Westlake and shuffle 1,277 units (homes approved for construction but that haven’t been built yet) and move the units elsewhere.

A spokeswoman for the developer said it is scheduled next week to be the first of two required public hearings before the Palm Beach County Commission for a proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint for growth. If it’s approved, it goes to the state for review, and then back to the County Commission for final approval Aug. 30.

Get all the details at SunSentinel.

 

Source:  SunSentinel