An array of extra benefits promised by the developer were not enough for the Loxahatchee Groves Planning & Zoning Board to support the creation of a high-end RV park north of Southern Blvd. on the east side of C Road.
The board considered five items related to the RV park at a meeting Monday, May 19. The items were discussed together but voted on separately.
On the agenda was a change to the town’s comprehensive plan creating a new “Rural Recreation” land use category, and then assigning that land use to the 47-acre site.
Next was an amendment to the Unified Land Development Code creating a “Rural RV Resort” zoning category, and then assigning the new category to the site.
Finally, the board looked at a detailed site plan to allow a resort with a maximum of 272 RV sites and associated facilities, including two clubhouses, a welcome center and recreational amenities.
The site currently has a land use of Rural Residential 5 (RR5) with a zoning of Agricultural Residential (AR).
Primarily speaking for the applicant was Gabriel Bove of the Bove Company, lead developer on the project. He has been working on the concept for approximately 18 months.
Last June, Bove appeared before the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council for a workshop session. That meeting, followed by an update in August, generated a negative response from residents.
However, since that time, Bove said he has held nearly 20 meetings to take input and has refined the project, attempting to mitigate the items that were most concerning to residents.
Also over the past year, Bove said that his company has done extensive due diligence on the project, including surveys, as well as environmental, drainage and traffic studies.
The proposal is for “The Paddock,” described as a “rural recreation RV resort.” Bove likened RVs to moving hotel rooms and said that the focus would be on “hospitality.”
He likes the area for its equestrian draw — and also because there is a significant shortage of RV park spaces on the eastern coast of Florida. Bove noted that RV use is on the rise, and his market study confirms demand for the project.
“We knew when we signed up for this endeavor that it would be challenging,” Bove said, adding that he believes that the town’s goals for rural development are met by this project.
Should the project be approved, Bove expects a 14-month construction phase. He noted several benefits that speak in its favor, including easy access off Southern Blvd. that will keep the traffic contained to the site, not spread throughout the town.
He added that the project is designed to follow the town’s “Rural Vista” guidelines and includes a trail system that rings the site, available for public use. Furthermore, they intend to protect as much of the tree canopy as possible. There will be no mitigation off site for either trees or wetlands. In addition, all drainage will be taken care of within the property area.
The developers also noted that each RV space will have access to power, so they will not run generators on site, and there is water and sewer service at each RV space tied into the Palm Beach County system. Lighting is designed to protect nearby residents.
As far as traffic is concerned, the developers noted that the RV park will generate less trips than most other possible uses. It would represent less than 1 percent of the traffic on Southern Blvd. in that area, although a traffic signal at C Road is possible in the future if it meets Florida Department of Transportation requirements.
Bove noted that many conditions of approval were added to the project after discussions with the town and residents. Among them is dedicating 8.75 acres of the property into a land trust for the town to use as a nature trail. The developer would also record a restriction prohibiting multifamily housing development on the property, despite that possibility under the new Live Local Act.
The developer also plans to guarantee a $500,000 impact fee to the town, as well as a recurring $25,000 a year extra impact fee, above normal taxes.
There will be no individual lot sales, and RV sites can only be rented up to six months with no permanent residents.
The resort will also be open to hosting town events, and resort amenities will be available through memberships to residents in the off season.
Bove said he and his company are trying to create a mutually beneficial working relationship with the town and its residents.
“We understand that change is difficult, but change happens all the time,” Bove said. “The key is to control the growth and do it correctly with something that is beneficial to the town.”
The meeting did not attract as many residents in opposition as those last year, but several did turn out to oppose the project.
Kristy Coleman thinks the current Agricultural Residential zoning should remain, and the project would best be located on Southern Blvd., not C Road.
“Let our town be our town. Let us keep our character. We don’t need this here,” she said.
Lawrence Gaines is a neighbor of the project. He projected worse backups on Southern Blvd. if it is approved.
“Right now, if I wanted to put 35 homes on that property, I couldn’t do it,” he said. “I don’t even understand why we are considering 200-something slots.”
The board asked a series of pointed questions on issues such as traffic and whether the extra impact fee from the developer is legally enforceable over the long term. Bove said that he would work with the town’s attorney to make sure it is enforceable.
Board Member Cassie Suchy said that it might be premature to approve an RV park, given the changes coming down from the state government regarding the Live Local Act.
Board Vice Chair Paulo Santana made a motion to approve the first of the applications, which was the comprehensive plan change, but it died for lack of a second. Suchy then made a motion to deny the comp plan change, seconded by Board Member Antonio Santiago. The motion to deny the comp plan change passed 4-1 with Santana dissenting.
The other four items were also denied on 4-1 votes.
Santana said that he thought the benefits of the park would outweigh the problems, but other board members felt they still had too many questions and concerns with the project. However, Board Member Todd McLendon thanked Bove and his team for working with residents to improve the project and urged him to continue doing so.
The item will next be headed to the council for consideration. According to Town Manager Francine Ramaglia, the council will need to decide at their next meeting whether to schedule a special meeting to consider the RV park project, or plan to hear it at a regular council meeting in July.
