The Costco-anchored mixed-use project in the Agricultural Reserve is dead.
The developer, West Boynton Ranches, anticipating that county commissioners would reject the proposal, is now pursuing plans for a 259-unit housing project that would include townhomes and apartments on a 32-acre parcel on the south side of Boynton Beach Boulevard near Lyons Road.
To have allowed the building of the mixed-use project, which would have included a big box store and more than 1,000 residential units, the county commission would have to create another special category for the Ag Reserve. And during a recent workshop, county commissioners made it clear that that was unlikely to happen.
Consequently, the developer opted to move on from the mixed-use project and instead submit updated plans for the housing project that were first presented more than a year ago.
More: Massive Ag Reserve project undergoing revisions after fierce opposition
But Valencia Reserve, the high-end retirement community adjacent to the project, has made it clear it will strongly oppose the new plans in its present form.
One concern is that the development would be clustered on 12.5 acres, which means, according to the HOA at Valencia Reserve, that the density is much higher than the applicant claims.
Another issue is the impact on traffic congestion, which is already difficult to navigate during the morning rush hour.
A drone shot shows Boynton Beach Boulevard backed up on the morning of April 14. Residents of Valencia Reserve say the already failing highway can’t absorb the additional traffic that would result from a 259-unit rental complex proposed for the area.
What is the Ag Reserve in Palm Beach County?
The Agricultural Reserve is a designated growth‑management tier in western Palm Beach County established to preserve farmland, wetlands, and open space while allowing limited development at low densities.
It comprises about 23,000 acres. It sits west of the Turnpike and State Road 7 and east of the Everglades, primarily in unincorporated western Boynton Beach and western Delray Beach.
More than 400 community residents filled the Valencia Reserve social hall on April 16 to listen to a detailed HOA presentation on the latest development plans filed by West Boynton Ranches. The HOA conceded that something would be built on the site; its efforts will focus on reducing the proposed density.
The presentation to residents included drone-captured images showing congestion on Boynton Beach Boulevard. A video of traffic conditions from 7:40 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. on April 14 showed bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching from the Lyons Road intersection to Bethesda West Hospital.
More than 400 Valencia Reserve residents fill the social hall for a presentation on the latest plans of a developer who wants to build a 259-unit rental complex adjacent to the high-end retirement community.
A motorist had to wait nearly five minutes to make a right turn onto Boynton Beach Boulevard near a site where cars from the housing project would access the roadway. Motorists leaving the proposed complex would have to travel east on Boynton Beach Boulevard. If they need to go west, they will have to make a U-turn.
West Boynton Ranches has been buying up land for the past few years along Boynton Beach Boulevard west of Lyons Road. It has offered several development proposals that have not gone anywhere.
Its latest proposal, the slimmed down Costco-less plan for 259 residential units would be built in the Ag Reserve under the “Essential Housing” category. That designation exists to accommodate workforce housing, which are valued at levels according to household income rather than market price. The project would set aside 25% of the units for area workers.
One attendee at the April 16 Valencia meeting said he remains unconvinced by the latest West Boynton Ranches proposal.
“This seems like round five,” said Murray Gendzel, who has been monitoring the different development proposals of West Boynton Ranches, said during the presentation. “We have beaten them every time.”
Jennifer Morton, the land-use planner representing West Boynton Ranches, said in an interview that changes have been made to make the housing project more acceptable to Valencia Reserve. She noted that the project initially included four-story buildings. All of them have since been reduced to three stories, she noted.
A 259-unit rental complex would abut Valencia Reserve, west of Boynton Beach. The green portion of the picture is where the apartments would be built. The area in red is where the illegal lake was built. The Reserve is concerned about the density of the apartment project and the traffic it would generate.
“We want to be a good neighbor,” said Morton. “We will be working with the community to make more changes if necessary. We have been listening to their concerns.”
Gendzel, though, said even three stories is too tall, noting that tenants on the third floor will be looking directly down on the one-story homes at his community.
And, Gendzel said he believes the additional traffic congestion will cause issues for first responders transporting people to Bethesda West Hospital, which is located on the north side of Boynton Beach Boulevard across from the proposed apartment complex.
“Let me be clear,” Gendzel said. “I am not against essential housing. We need essential housing. But this developer is not going to build essential housing. They just want to flip this and get as much money as they can.”
In recent years, commissioners have created new use categories in the Ag Reserve, such as essential housing, to allow workforce housing along Boynton Beach Boulevard and West Atlantic Avenue.
West Boynton Ranches’ past projects included illegal water-ski lake
West Boynton Ranches consists of a group of water-ski enthusiasts who built an illegal lake west of Boynton Beach near Valencia Reserve. It agreed to pay $250,000 to the county to settle claims that the lake was built without a permit. As part of the settlement, West Boynton Ranches agreed to not allow water skiing on the lake.
Some residents said the county needs to consider what the development group did to build the illegal lake when deciding if West Boynton Ranches should be able to obtain approval for the housing project.
The county will hold a public hearing on April 29 to act on the zoning changes required for the project to move forward. The request is to change the zoning from Ag Reserve to essential housing. The HOA is expected to present the drone-based video documenting traffic congestion as evidence at the upcoming public hearing.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Costco in the Ag Reserve dropped, builder focuses on housing
