How Palm Beach Gardens is growing: 111 townhomes near Avenir edge closer to approval

PALM BEACH GARDENS — A plan to build 111 townhomes on Northlake Boulevard took another step forward as developer D.R. Horton last week batted away concerns from neighbors who said the project is out of character with the surrounding communities while touting the need for more affordable housing near the booming Avenir development.

The Palm Beach Gardens City Council voted 4-0 last Thursday, with member Marcie Tinsley abstaining because her husband works for the company that performed the developer’s land survey, on two items to move forward the proposed Vintage Oaks community.

In addition to concerns about traffic and density, at issue in some of the comments was a reported $650,000 payment from D.R. Horton and property owner Northlake 20 LLC to the Rustic Lakes Property Owners Association, which is contingent upon the POA board’s official support of the project.

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Votes turn 18 acres into medium-density housing site

If built as proposed, there would be 111 townhomes on the land, which is just under 18 acres and sits on the south side of Northlake between Bay Hill Drive on the west and 112th Terrace North on the east. The site is about a mile east of Coconut Boulevard.

Right now, the property is split into four parcels. The two parcels on the east side of the property have land use and zoning designations that would allow for medical offices. Those two parcels are approved for nearly 43,000 square feet of space in two one-story buildings, the city staff said in a report on the proposal.

The two parcels on the east have a future land use of rural residential and zoning of agricultural residential, the staff said.

If approved at a second and final reading, the future land use and zoning for the entire site would be medium-density residential.

The votes Thursday night also tentatively approved the project’s site plan, which includes two ponds, 20 townhome buildings with between four and seven units per building, a recreational area with a shaded playground and a clubhouse with a pool. The community would be gated with barcode access for residents and a call box for visitors.

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An additional set of six waivers were requested, five of which are necessary for any townhome neighborhood to be built in Palm Beach Gardens, the city staff said.

Developer, HOAs talked traffic, drainage, views for months

Brian Seymour, the attorney representing D.R. Horton, said the project is nearly five years in the making, with initial plans drawn up in 2018. Over the years, the requested density has dropped from a proposed 186 townhomes to the current 111.

“It’s not like we just walked in here and are getting what we want,” Seymour said. “In fact, quite the opposite.”

He described months of meetings with the Palm Beach Gardens planning staff and neighbors from surrounding communities.

“Rustic Lakes came at us hard,” Seymour said. The community was concerned about drainage, views and traffic, he said. Residents there also wanted to make sure there was no impact to 112 Terrace North. In response to that concern, D.R. Horton forfeited its previously approved access point onto that road, Seymour said.

“They gave us real feedback and worked with us,” he said. “When you have that honest discussion with your neighbors, you can come to some conclusions. You can come to some solutions.”

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He acknowledged that there remain residents in Rustic Lakes who do not agree with the board’s decision to back the project. The development team continues to meet with neighbors to address their concerns, Seymour said.

As a result of the conversations with Rustic Lakes residents, D.R. Horton agreed to build a taller wall on top of a berm along the property’s southern border, he said.

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D.R. Horton, Northlake 20 LLC and the Rustic Lakes community in March filed a memorandum of agreement with the Palm Beach County clerk’s office outlining the responsibilities of each party but leaving out the amount of the “payment of funds” owed to Rustic Lakes.

According to sources and comments at the city council and July planning, zoning and appeals board meeting, the amount is $650,000.

Under the agreement, D.R. Horton and Northlake 20 LLC commit to:

• Prohibiting access to 112th Terrace North.

• Conforming with the submitted site plan.

• Adjusting the lighting plan.

• Meeting certain requirements for the landscape buffer and wall around the project.

• Paying Rustic Lakes “for mitigation of impacts.”

In return, Rustic Lakes is obligated to “supporting and cooperating with DHI (D.R. Horton Inc.) and Northlake 20 in its development approvals before the City of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and expressing support to certain enumerated neighboring communities more particularly set forth in the Cooperation Agreement.”

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In addition to concerns about the payment, residents of Rustic Lakes and Bay Hill Estates shared concerns about traffic on Northlake, which they say has become more dangerous as development continues to boom along the corridor.

The project is just to the southeast of the southern boundary of Avenir, which when built out will have more than 4,000 new homes plus retail, commercial and office space.

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While residents have seen some improvements in speed along Northlake since Palm Beach Gardens annexed the stretch of road and the city police department now patrols there, more needs to be done to prevent fatal crashes, said Nick Moore, who lives in the Preserve at Bay Hill Estates.

“The volume and speed of the traffic is a lethal combination,” he said. “So what can we do about it? What can the city do about it?”

Some residents said they did support the project, including Michael Falk, who lives east along Northlake Boulevard. He pointed to other townhome communities in Palm Beach Gardens that were built near neighborhoods with large lots and larger homes.

“They were as necessary then as this one is now,” he said.

The payment from D.R. Horton and Northlake 20 to Rustic Lakes is to address concerns that exist in the neighborhood now with issues like drainage, Seymour said. While there is money going from the developer to the neighborhood, the developer made other concessions as well, including making sure that the project site does not drain into Rustic Lakes, he said.

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“This is not like this went to a human being,” Seymour said. “It’s a bit of an unfair characterization to say that this was about anything more than trying to solve problems.”

Seymour’s comment that, “We want to help our neighbors,” was met with laughter from residents in the audience. But he insisted: “I get that people don’t understand it. … This was not anything more than trying to work with the neighbors. We did the best we could.”

The applications will be made final during a future council meeting.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vintage Oaks townhomes move closer to approval in Palm Beach Gardens