The Palm Beach County Commission approved a new development on the Boca Dunes golf course Thursday.
The Residences at Boca Dunes will have almost 500 multi-family homes. The project was met with opposition from nearby neighbors.
“I need to wait for three to four lights to get in and out of this area,” said one public speaker addressing the commission.
Others expressed concern over losing the green space and adding that many people into an already busy area.
“I am asking the number of units get reduced and I am asking for more green space,” said another public speaker.
Lisa Case says she was hoping for a delayed vote or for the commission to vote the project down.
But with a 6-1 vote, the project was zoning was approved.
“I feel defeated of course,” said Case.
Commissioner Mary Lou Berger said it is hard to vote down development projects when it meets follows the rules and laws the state sets.
“What Tallahassee imposes on us is that if a developer meets everything that is in that code, the way the code is written, it is very difficult for us to say no, if we don’t do it we can get sued,” said Berger.
The developer told the commission they would like to break ground this year. They also agreed to put a barrier on the south side of the project to separate it from the neighborhood.