WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Audubon Development, the developer behind the King's Landing project in Fort Pierce, has two additional ideas on the table in Palm Beach County.
Dale Matteson, the CEO and president of Audubon Development, said there is no timeline for construction and everything is still in approvals. But city spokeswoman Diane Papadakos later said both projects are no longer being considered.
John Biederwolf, the owner of This Is It Cafe, said he's expecting to see change right down the street soon.
"Well, for purely selfish reasons, the more people that are in the neighborhood, the better off it is for the neighborhood, and me personally and my business," Biederwolf said.
Matteson said there are two ideas for the area, projects called Northwood Lofts and Broadway Circle.
"After 50 or 60 years, a change is good," Darrell Smith said. "I love it. I think it's a great idea."
Smith's longtime friend, Bobby Gilbert, talked about the potential change.
"Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad," Gilbert said.
"People just have to get adjusted to change," Smith said. "It'll be fine."
"That's going to be a good development, going to change the makeup of the whole place and change the dynamics," Gilbert said.
Matteson spoke to WPTV on the phone.
"What we do is kind of work on those edges of being where things are doing to be, not where they are right now," Matteson said.
He talked about how to deal with potential growth and opposition.
"That's a good question, and sometimes there is opposition to growth, and you've got to listen to it, you can't kind of come in and bulldoze over people," Matteson said. "You've got to listen to what their concerns are and be respectful of their neighborhoods. You want to fit in and augment what they've got and enhance the neighborhood and add value."
Matteson said there is no timetable yet.
"Everything else is in different phases of approvals and permits, so there is no construction," he said.
Another longtime resident, Derrick, is taking it all in.
"Northwood is already changing," he said. "Personally for me, I think that's a bit too much noise."
Derrick said he thinks it may be loud.
"My house on 21st Street, where I was born and raised, every time the train came by the whole house shook inside," he said. "Pictures on the wall, the furniture, it shook like an earthquake. … It's gonna be loud."