13-05-2025
As gridlock reaches maddening levels, developer for west of Boynton apartment complex regroups
Facing pressure from residents west of Boynton Beach, a development group looking to build apartments near Valencia Reserve wants to postpone a May 13 public hearing before the Palm Beach County Commission to address community concerns. The commission routinely grants postponement requests.
In a May 9 letter to the county, the applicant for 'West Boynton Ranches' said it needs more time "to further conversations" with Valencia Reserve and Boynton Agricultural Reserve Communities to discuss how to make the project more palatable.
"We are very pleased with the (likely) postponement," said Murray Gendzel, a spokesperson for the upscale retirement community that has collected more than 2,700 signatures on petitions opposing the project that calls for 259 rental units on 32 acres west of Valencia Reserve.
"Now we can at least negotiate with them. That is something they had refused to do in the past."
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Gendzel and the Valencia Reserve HOA board met separately in early May with each of the seven county commissioners to discuss their concerns. The Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations arranged the meetings on behalf of Valencia Reserve.
Gendzel said commissioners were warned traffic congestion could become so bad that it would be difficult for first responders to arrive on a timely basis at nearby Bethesda West Hospital. Boynton Beach Boulevard and Lyons Road, both already over their designated capacity, would be further affected.
"The commissioner meetings went very well," said Gendzel. "I think the applicant (West Boynton Ranches LLC) knew things might not go very well on Tuesday, May 13, and that is one of the reasons for the postponement. We cannot live with the density as proposed or the four-story height of the buildings. We also want the apartments to be relocated so they are closer to State Road 7."
Barry Fredson, a Valencia Reserve resident, provided evidence of the routine morning gridlock on Boynton Beach Boulevard between Hagen Ranch and Lyons roads with images and videos of traffic backed up for at least a half-mile.
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Lauren McCllelan of JMorton Planning/Landscape Architecture, the agent representing the development group, credited the Boynton agricultural communities for a productive meeting on May 9 that resulted in her client agreeing to the postponement.
She said her client still expects to build but will listen to changes that might make the project more acceptable to the community.
The Planning Commission recently recommended to the commission that the project not move forward because of its density, eight residences per acre. But critics argued that the density was really 20 units to the acre because the complex would be clustered on a small portion of the property.
The site is within the Agricultural Reserve Tier. It is on the south side of Boynton Beach Boulevard about one-quarter mile west of Lyons Road, near Bethesda West. The applicants need a zoning change for the project to move forward.
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Gendzel said there is little trust with the development group, noting they built an illegal lake without permits adjacent to the community in 2020.
Area residents demonstrated against the construction, calling on the county to seek an injunction to stop the illegal activity. It never did, but eventually a county magistrate cited the owners for violating the county building code. They paid a fine of $250,000, agreeing that no one would ever water-ski on the lake.
The 'West Boynton Ranches' proposal would set aside 65 of the 259 apartments for workforce housing.
The applicant, with the support of several housing advocate groups, argue there is a need for such housing in the region. The project, they say, would meet the need for more modestly priced housing in the Ag Reserve. It is being filed as 'Essential Housing,' a designation that allows for higher density. Such projects must be along either the Boynton Beach Boulevard or Atlantic Avenue corridors.
The applicants consist of multimillionaire Doug DeBruin of Canada and two local water-ski enthusiasts, Chet Raley and Darin Montgomery.
Raley is a sought-after water-ski coach. DeBruin is the executive chairman of Ontario-based Evertz Technologies Ltd., and Montgomery, like the other two, is a water-ski enthusiast. All of them have competed in national and state tournaments. The lake has dimensions that are similar to those that host national competitions.
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Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues concerning HOAs. You can reach him at mdiamond@ Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Apartment developer regroups after pressure from Valencia Reserve
