LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — A new ATV park and campground is being proposed in The Acreage, a plan that is angering residents who live nearby because of noise concerns.
The 200-acre project would be located north of 60th Street North, just east of the L-8 canal.
"Look up ATV parks. You will not find a single one located next to a residential community and there's a good reason for that," William Derks, who lives less than a mile down the road from the proposed ATV park site, said.
Derks said he and his wife retired and moved to the area 10 years ago and started a mango and banana farm.
"Why did you choose to live here?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked.
"Because it was quiet. We're both retired. I'm a former engineer. She was a nurse her whole career," Derks answered. "I'm just worried about this noise. If it's going to be intolerable, I'll just have to plan on moving. I don't want to spend my retirement years here."
The location is part of a land swap deal with GL Homes.
The ATV park originally was proposed on 128 acres along the 20-mile bend in Loxahatchee, but that area is now proposed for a raceway.
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In May, the County Commission approved a land swap deal with GL Homes that will allow the private developer to erect a high-end neighborhood in the Agricultural Reserve west of Boca Raton. In exchange, the county will receive 1,600 acres of land in The Acreage.
Alan Fant, the executive vice president with GL Homes, said noise concerns were factored in when making proposals for the ATV project.
He said ATVs would be required to be under 97 decibels 20 inches from the muffler.
"What's the plan to make sure ATVs stay under 97 decibels?" Lopez asked.
"We've talked with an operator who's fully understanding that there are neighbors and that's something they feel they can easily accommodate," Fant said.
Derks said 97 decibels is almost as loud as a helicopter, and by the time it gets to his home, the noise would be about as loud as city traffic.
Fant said they've proposed 8-foot-high berms, limited operating hours and only allowing ATVs and side-by-side vehicles.
Vehicles would also be limited to 65 inches in width.
"So that also has an effect on noise and also has an effect on the number and types of vehicles and the amount of people that could be coming into the site," Fant said.
Fant said the ATV section would be located on the northwest section of the 1,500-acre property in an effort to distance the noise from residential areas.
"We share their concerns, but we were kind of extra careful to make sure we're being respectful of the surrounding community," Fan said.
Fant said they also placed a campground on the south and southwest portion of the property, as well as a 900- to 1,100-foot buffer to the east side of the site.
"We didn't want to turn this into only an ATV/OHV (off-highway vehicle) park," Fant said. "Our goal was to make it a family park."
The Derks said they've written a letter to Palm Beach County commissioners to put the proposal on hold so they can conduct better studies on the impacts the ATV park would have on the area.
"I don't have any confidence that it's going to be managed and they're going to keep the sound levels down," Derks said. "We're going to be irritated and we're going to constantly have to call code enforcement to keep the noise levels down."
Palm Beach County commissioners will vote next week on the parcel's plans.
