PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County commissioners voted unanimously in favor of Toll Brothers' plan to build 152 homes on an old golf course-- a move that has many Cypress Creek residents expressing concerns.
The hearing began 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the county commission chambers in downtown West Palm Beach and lasted for hours.
Both supporters and opponents took to the podium to speak their minds and shared their concerns with WPTV reporter Stephanie Susskind.
"I would love to say it could be a golf course again, but I think that's practically impossible given the economics of that," Mikel Kline said.
The golf course is private property and shut down about six years ago. Surrounding it are more than 400 homes in Cypress Creek.
"Something has to happen, something has to change and this is the best fit for our community," Cathleen Rhodes said.
Many of the residents wearing "I love Cypress Creek" shirts shared major concerns about drainage, traffic and toxins in the soil.
"I'm opposed to this site plan. I'm opposed to the mitigation that is proposed," Kline said. "Can you prove to us you are not going to poison us? Can you prove you are not going to flood our homes?"
Representatives for Toll Brothers tried to assure the community that all work will be done to exceed environmental standards and they know there is work to do.
"We acknowledge that there's contamination out there that does need to be remediated," representatives said during the meeting.
Ultimately commissioners decided to allow the project to proceed and now neighbors hope it can bring some unity back to their community.
"I am all for it. I think we need to move forward, there is so much divide in our community," Nancy Wille said. "I've been there over 40 years. It used to be a beautiful place to live and everybody respected everybody."
Prior to Wednesday's meeting, WPTV's Victor Jorges spoke with Julie Nicholas, who was part of efforts to reduce the impact of this proposed development.
Shes said the plan is a recipe for disaster.
"We believe Toll Brothers engineers are dramatically underestimating what it will take to prevent flooding, not only our neighborhood, but replacing the fact that this whole land is no longer a drainage basin for us," Nicholas said. "And then the fact that they're trying to add 152 homes with concrete roads and sidewalks and, you know, concrete foundations. That doesn't absorb water."
As it is right now, they already struggle with flooding, whenever there's strong rain in that area, according to Nicholas.
She said these photos were taken from the same spot, before and after a regular storm.
Region S Palm Beach County
Proposed W. Boynton development upsets residents
Residents said they're concerned about flooding because the 152-home plan would be built on land they currently use as drainage. They said this would bring "irreversible flooding risk to the area."
"What happens is the rain collects here, the rainwater collects here and it comes right up to our fence as it is," Nicholas said. "A lot of people around the golf course have these same stories. We have tons of photos of just the most basic, hard rainstorm creating flooding that's up to our homes."
WPTV found Toll Brothers has an office in Boca Raton.
WPTV reporter Victor Jorges reached out via email and called and left voicemails to ask about this plan and residents' concerns. They responded via email saying they’re looking into our questions.
