ROYAL PALM BEACH REJECTS WALMART GROCERY BUT ALLOWS STRIP CLUB
Sorry there was no photo with this article and the map didn’t make it to the online version, which was not easy to find. I thought this one brought up an important subject: how cities (or a village in this case) decide what is best for their citizens with respect to real estate projects. This one could not be more puzzling and makes for a good case study of a city making a decision that makes no sense at the expense of its residents. The name of the project is called Park Central at Cypress Key and it is located on Southern Blvd. West of 441. Many years ago I was hired to market this site before it went into foreclosure. It has remained vacant and an eye sore since then, and that was 2006. So the project has been approved for a mix of 147 homes and stores. The developer wanted to change the zoning to allow for a grocery store, specifically Walmart Neighborhood Market, which would have been 42,000 SF. For some reason it was not approved by the Village, citing fears of crime. This might make sense had they not approved a strip club recently further East on Southern Blvd. So let’s review: a new supermarket will create crime but a strip club won’t and is OK. After all this time you would think the City would welcome any development on this site, but clearly they are still preventing progress at the expense of the residents. Everyone loses in a deal like this, all thanks to some Village Council members who think they are protecting residents. This passed 3 – 2 so clearly there was no overwhelming voice of opposition. Another embarrassing but true story in the world of real estate in South Florida. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.
Royal Palm Beach rejects bid to alter zoning on mixed-use project
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