Two months after pitching a high-end recreational vehicle park, a developer was back before the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council at a quasi-judicial hearing Tuesday, Aug. 6 with updated plans.
However, residents who strongly opposed the idea in June were no more favorable toward it in August.
Town Attorney Tanya Earley explained that the code forbids ex parte communications, so this type of meeting is the only way the developer can get direct input from the council. While the council listened to the presentation by developer Gabriel Bove of the Bove Company, they did not provide much input.
The 47-acre RV park is eyed for three combined parcels at the southeast corner of Collecting Canal and C Road. That puts it east of the Groves Town Center project and north of Southern Blvd. with access from C Road.
Four of the five council members attended, including Councilman Robert Shorr, who had recused himself at the June meeting because he had recently sold property in the area. He has since gotten an opinion from the Commission on Ethics allowing him to participate in the discussions. Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia did not attend.
Bove said his company has learned a lot since the last meeting and made significant updates to the plan.
“We took the time to come and meet with as many representatives of the town as we could to find out what they like and they dislike,” he said. “We have modified our proposals immensely.”
To better blend into the community, Bove plans to keep the C Road tree canopy and reforest the area, adding an “eco-trail” that would ring the property. Preservation areas would be dedicated to the town, he added.
“We would like to make this a real amenity for the town to be proud of,” he said.
He also plans to keep the natural feel of the property and use a more rural theme. In that regard, Bove changed the architecture to better fit in with the town. This included metal roofs, porches and railings.
To address the concerns about visibility, they plan to reforest the area along the canal and create a three-foot berm with a hedge around the entire site.
“The visibility would be 100 percent opaque. You would not see the RVs,” Bove said. “We would plant the berm area first while we are constructing the park.”
Lighting levels will be low at 15 feet to provide illumination for the guests, but not to “light up the property like a football field,” he added.
Bove stressed that it will “not be a run-down RV park,” but instead will cater to more expensive motorhome coaches.
“Our clientele wants to be in this area. We have run a market study that shows tremendous demand,” he said.
He also disputed concerns about harming property values by bringing in case studies showing that RV parks done well tend to raise property values.
Bove also stressed that there will be no permanent addresses for guests at the park, and no mailboxes will be given. Also, background checks will be done on anyone who wants to stay more than 30 days.
Regarding concerns about crime, Bove said that RVs parks tend to have little impact on crime. At the nearby KOA campground at Lion Country Safari, there were about 20 calls for service over the past year, but most were routine checks or 911 calls, not for crime issues.
Regarding issues of traffic and egress, he noted that access to the site is from Southern via C Road, but C Road does not cross the canal, so there are only a few users of the road.
“There will be no impacts to traffic on the rest of the town,” Bove said, adding that he would dedicate land to extend Tangerine to C Road, if the neighbors and the town want to.
He also said it could be possible to put a light at C Road, which would also benefit Wellington’s Binks Forest Elementary School on the other side of Southern.
Bove expects about 12 guests arriving and departing each day, which they do not expect will create a significant traffic impact, particularly when compared to other commercial uses.
He noted that his plan is a different type of property than from people who are renting out RVs at home sites. His will be significantly more expensive with more amenities.
“We think we are two different types of property offerings,” Bove said. “We will not be taking away from any town residents’ income from leasing space on their property.”
The RV park would be a buffer between intense commercial use to the west and residential use to the east, he said, adding, “We think it is an ideal location with the surrounding land uses.”
Land use, zoning changes and the site plan will be submitted at one time, hopefully on Aug. 26, Bove said. It will be site-specific for an RV resort, with no other possible use.
Aside from the “eco trail,” another added value to the town would be a two-acre impoundment area at a corner of property for the town’s use. They also want to host a farmer’s market open to the public and have a community garden on the property.
Net income to the town would start at $30,000 the first year and go up to about $180,000 annually.
“While we will cater to equestrians in season, we will also be catering to folks traveling through to see family in South Florida. We are very confident the demand is there,” Bove said.
While the council agreed to a request by Bove to discuss the financials of the plan with the town’s Finance Advisory & Audit Committee, they were not in favor of setting up special meetings that circumvent the standard process.
“You apply, and you would go through the process like anyone else,” Shorr said. “We are not approving any special meetings for you.”
About a dozen members of the public spoke at the meeting, and all were against the project.
Bianca Berktold, who owns property near the site, said she began collecting signatures against the project after the June meeting.
“On my own, I got 90 signatures against this whole thing. Everybody said it was a bad idea,” she said.
Berktold turned in her group’s petitions, which had about 150 signatures against the project.
Aly Daly predicted the project will not have high-end clientele, particularly during equestrian season, with more people per camper than they are expecting.
“Everything you presented today is very aspirational,” she said.
Paul Coleman characterized the proposal as “real estate speculation.” He was not impressed by the “eco-trail” idea.
“Just because you put a trail on the property, doesn’t mean you’re going to get approved,” he said. “We stood up here last time and said we did not want this in our town.”
