Local residents of rural Palm Beach County learned how growth management laws and grass-roots opposition to a 10,000 unit major development can be trumped by lobbyists in the state capital.
With citrus on the decline, the owners of the Callery-Judge Groves in western Palm Beach County went to Tallahassee for a special law to allow a 10,000 unit 'new town' in a remote area where only 400 homes would have been allowed otherwise.
Local residents oppose the development because it will not only overwhelm rural roads with traffic, but will also open the door to thousands of homes on other groves and pastures. Already this month, the developers of Indian Trail Groves, 5,000 acres just west of Callery-Judge, increased their proposal from about 4,000 homes to more than 12,000.
"There is not going to be anything left but asphalt," said community activity Nancy Gribble of the unincorporated village of Loxahatchee.
State Senator Rod Smith, a candidate for governor, was one of the leading supporters of the Callery-Judge bill, but said he supported it because of the potential to help other growers stay in business.
The new law will allow major projects in remote areas, despite the current growth management laws already on the books.
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Callery-Judge developers do Tallahassee end-around with 10,000-home project
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.
Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.
Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont