HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW:
Go to Alerts of PBC to send a message to the county commissioners to vote NO to MINTO on Oct. 29
On October 29 the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will hold FINAL public hearings on whether to approve a massive scaling up of housing developments and commercial construction in the heart of the rural communities of Loxahatchee, The Acreage and Loxahatchee Groves.
The Acreage is Palm Beach County’s largest rural residential community.
BCC will vote on Minto West’s request to scale up to 4,500 homes and 2.1 million sq. ft. of commercial space in a space of a little over five square miles in western Palm Beach County. .
The area was known as Callery Judge Groves for its former orange grove owner. The property is also known informally as the “Agricultural Enclave” (not to be confused with the “Ag Reserve” – also at risk for more development and density in 2015).
Due to the introduction of a bill by a legislator a few years ago, the property was opened up for zoning to allow 2996 housing units and 235,000 square feet of commercial space. The overwhelming majority of residents, environmental groups, and other supporters of the residents and aggregate green space in the county have mounted fierce opposition to expanding these limits of development. See Citizens Fight Back
Proposed Changes Go Far Beyond Zoning, into Growth and Land Use
The 7-member BCC will vote on whether to adopt changes in three broad areas:
- The FLUA and Text Public
- Zoning
- ULDC Amendments (Drill down to the redlines here)
If the FLUA hearing takes up much of the day, the Zoning and ULDC Amendment hearings will carry over to October 30.
WHERE THE OCT. 29 HEARING WILL BE HELD
PBC Governmental Center, 6th Floor Chambers
301 North Olive Avenue
West Palm Beach, Florida
Check County Website for official posting and history of meeting dates
Citizens, Alerts of PBC, Fight Back
ALERTS of PBC, a 501(c)4 nonprofit group (Acreage Loxahatchee Engaged Residents Taking a Stand) was founded to stand up for “the preservation of the health, safety and welfare of the Acreage, Loxahatchee, and Loxahatchee Groves residents, striving to preserve and protect the rural atmosphere, as well as to keep abreast of the necessity to plan and prepare for the future.”
Alerts of PBC and the grassroots group, “No to Minto” have websites filled with ways to help preserve this important rural resource and natural wildlife and outdoor recreation it provides. The website provides facts and resources and demonstrates a model of community organization and activism. See photos and stories of people living in this area and why Palm Beach County would be poorer for the loss of these natural areas fast disappearing.
Previous critical dates:
On Oct. 2, 2014, the nine-member Zoning Commission, an advisory board to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), voted to recommend changing the zoning of the former citrus grove from agricultural land classified as public ownership to be re-classified as a traditional town development. This vote was another incremental move that forwarded the Minto West goals to develop 3,800 acres near Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. See Palm Beach Post, Oct. 2
On Aug. 8,2014, the county’s planning commission rejected a similar land-use change for the Minto project. The planning commission is an advisory panel that considers changes to the county’s long-term growth plan. According to The Palm Beach Post, the planning commission twice rejected a land-use change need to build the Minto West, saying the proposed development is just not compatible with the county’s central-western communities.”
On April 28, 2014, Palm Beach County Commissioners voted 6-1 to initiate Minto Communities’ request for text amendment to the county’s comprehensive land use plan. This was an incremental move that forwarded the Minto West proposal. The technical action set off a formal study of the development project that Minto West wanted to build on the old Callery-Judge Groves property.
Documents
- Minto West Objections Ex. 1
- Minto West Objections Ex. 2
- Approved But Unbuilt Res / Non Res
- 2014 Unit Assessment
- Demonstration Of Need Data And Analysis
- Evaluation and Appraisal Report