Comment Up
Below is a Letter to the Editor written by Tony Foley that deserves our attention. His thoughts on huge density are "right on" but elected officials everywhere NEVER pay attention. Look what's happening in the Minto West project where residents in the area are rallying against--
Minto
purchased the former Callery Judge Grove consisting of approximately
3,800 acres and renamed the property “Minto West” (this property is the
former orange grove in the center of the Acreage). The property has a
current land use approval for the construction of 2,996 single-family
homes and 235,000 sq.ft. of non-residential.
However, Minto has filed a
new land use amendment application seeking approval to build 6,500
residential units (single-family, zero lot line, townhomes and
apartments), plus 1.4 million sq.ft. of non-residential (commercial
retail, office, industrial), plus a spring training baseball stadium,
plus a 3,000 student community college, plus a hotel. The residents want to
hold Minto to the existing approval, with no increase in residential
density or added institutional and private recreational. Do you think the Palm Beach County Commission will listen to the people?
The Letter:
Minto West does not serve residents
It continues to
baffle me how elected officials, who, by the way, are here to “look out
for our best interests,” ignore the mandate of the very people they are
elected to serve. Clearly, allowing a ridiculous development like Minto
West to even be considered borders on lunacy and outright
irresponsibility.
I moved to North Palm Beach 14 years ago after
living my entire life in western Dade County, Kendall to be exact. At
one time, the lush farm fields and peaceful landscape were indeed a
place to raise a family. However, the commissioners there, like the ones
here, started dancing to the tune of wealthy, greedy developers who
raped and pillaged the land, and today it is a concrete jungle with
unbelievable traffic snarls.
I moved my family to Palm Beach to
escape this nightmare only to see the same thing playing out here. Our
irreplaceable water table and environment are being attacked, and mark
my words, this scenario will end very badly for all of us. The
developers will have moved on, leaving the rest of us in hopeless
gridlock and despair.
TONY FOLEY, NORTH PALM BEACH
3 comments:
Minto is sending out a mailer to encourage people who are in favor of their plan to send comments to them which they will then present to the Commission.Of course Minto will spend whatever it takes to pretend that their excessive project has support.
For some unknown reason one of these postage paid lobbying efforts was sent to us.
Hopefully the citizens opposed to this gentrification and shrinking of the permeable land will garner enough support to fight off this over-developer push.
Tony Foley should shout this from the mountaintops at every opportunity, and then run for office, and then keep shouting it from the mountaintops. He would have the great majority of the people behind him. If people like him do not run for elective office, the easily corruptible will continue to win office and continue to pull the strings. The beauty of South Florida will be soon forever gone. Some say it's already gone. I say not quite, not quite. Lake Worth is one of the last of the lovely little towns in this megopolis. But it is very much at risk. I almost hate those who want to destroy it, but as someone once said: "Forgive them. They know not what they do."
It is clear, vote after vote, in WPB, in the County, in LW, in Delray, that our elected officials represent the interests of developers, realtors and the like. It is clear that they care not one bit about the residents who elected them, it is clear that zoning laws and deed restrictions mean nothing to them.
Post a Comment