Residents torn over proposed homes on old Delray golf course

Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Paul Owers

Published September 25, 2016

 

About 600 people turned out Wednesday to hear a developer's pitch to build a housing community on a former golf course at the Villages of Oriole, west of Delray Beach.

Miami-based 13th Floor Homes wants to build 528 units in a gated development called Avalon Trails. The mix would include 108 single-family homes, 180 townhomes and 240 condominiums or rentals.

The developer insists the project would enhance Villages of Oriole and improve property values, though some residents are concerned it would block views and disrupt their quality of life.

Mike Nunziata, division president for 13th Floor, estimated the new homes would be priced from the $200,000s to the $500,000s. He stressed that Avalon Trails would remove the uncertainty surrounding the land and bring fewer than half of the 1,200 units that are approved for the 107-acre site now.

"We think this truly is the best option for all involved," he told the crowd gathered at the clubhouse at Huntington Lakes within the Villages of Oriole.

The 55-and-older community off Atlantic Avenue near Florida's Turnpike is made up of 3,742 condos, townhomes and villas.

Some residents who oppose Avalon Trails said the land should be preserved.

"Instead of shoving another development down our throats, let's make it a place for everybody to enjoy," Villages of Oriole resident Sheila Allecca said.

Others were more supportive. They said the land eventually will be sold to somebody and insisted that 13th Floor's proposal is responsible and realistic.

"These people know what they're doing," resident T.J. Frankfort said. "It's called progress."

During the presentation, Nunziata said 13th Floor would build Avalon Trails as a 55-and-older community, though it wouldn't restrict others from living there. However, he later agreed to reconsider when Villages of Oriole residents said they preferred that it not be open to all ages.

Builders are targeting old golf courses for redevelopment due to land constraints across South Florida.

Recreational golf is on the decline because the sport can be expensive and time-consuming, residents and industry analysts say. Courses are closing as declining membership fees fail to support the cost of maintenance.

Pulte Group is planning 645 homes on two former golf courses at the Hillcrest Golf & Country Club in Hollywood. Lennar Corp. is looking to build on a Boca Raton course, while GL Homes is planning 470 homes and apartments on parts of two courses at the Fountains Country Club, west of Lake Worth.

In Tamarac, 13th Floor recently completed Central Parc, a 253-home community on a former golf course at Commercial Boulevard and the turnpike. The company also is building two other communities on former courses nearby.

The 18-hole course at Villages of Oriole closed in 2014 and, Nunziata said, 13th Floor has a contract to buy it from the Vitale family.

In addition to buying the course, the builder would pay the Oriole Village Center master condo association $3.7 million in impact fees, according to Nunziata.

Jeff Schultz, president of Oriole Village Center, said the fairways are being maintained but that other parts of the course are overgrown. It isn't financially feasible to turn the site back into a golf course, so it's best to support a conscientious development plan, he said.

"You can go along with it and help shape it, or you can fight it and eventually succumb to it," Schultz said.

Nunziata said 13th Floor will make a series of presentations to all 12 Villages of Oriole condo associations in the coming months. The residents are expected to vote on the plan in early 2017.

If the project is approved, the builder would begin seeking the necessary approvals from Palm Beach County, Nunziata said. He added that sales likely would start in 2018, and the first homes would be under construction by 2019.

If Avalon Trails doesn't win support, 13th Floor could still go through with the sale of the course and revise the proposal, Nunziata said.

Before Wednesday's meeting, Lois Manning, a four-year resident of Villages of Oriole, said she was opposed to the project. She feels better after hearing 13th Floor's presentation, though she remains concerned about the effect Avalon Trails would have on the entire community.

"It may be very beautiful," Manning said, "but I'm not looking forward to the excess traffic, that's for sure."

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