Dear Supporter:

Thanks to each of you, the campaign that began a year ago has grown into a 5000+ member grassroots campaign against runaway, out of control scaled-up development in West Broward.  Throughout the year, we have been joined by equally minded and mindful grounds in Plantation Acres, Westport, Jacaranda, Jacaranda Lakes, Plantation Palms and many other communities with the common concern that the City has, over the last four (4) years, rubber stamped out of control massive scale multi-unit attached developments without any concern for you.  Traffic and crime have ballooned, scarce utilities such as water, sewer, police and fire have been taxed beyond their capabilities and, at bottom, there is one culprit.  A city council and mayor’s office that actively promoted and rubber-stamped irresponsible development.  In November, Plantation residents had an opportunity to make their voices heard.  For the first time ever, council candidates ran on platforms opposed to unchecked development and guess what happened?  They were elected.  The clear message you sent to the council and the mayor’s office is that our City must serve its current citizens and residents, and not the pockets of lobbyists and developers who could care less about your property values, your police and fire services, your sewer and water services and, most important, about the underlying land use plan that each of you relied upon when choosing to make Plantation your own family’s home. 

We are very appreciative of the time, expertise and incredible efforts extended by our neighbors in Plantation Acres and Westport who have devoted countless hours into creating a cohesive campaign for more mindful and transparent development in Plantation.  Already, plans are underway to open up the development review process including creating a dashboard at the City so that everyone has the same information provided to the City from the initial filing of a development application to the final hearing before our City Council.  A QR-code (scannable) link to the web portal should and must be found on a sign with renderings posted on site at the time an application is received.  Meaningful citizen participation must occur at every step along the development review process and, all of these modifications will occur because each of you chose to get involved and ignore the misleading PR and advertisements mailed to you and posted on local micro-market social media pages.

When we started out many “consultants” we met with looked at the then-current political landscape and the lobbyist hired by Lennar and the predictable misleading advertisements and PR to follow and they counseled us against mounting a campaign.  Did we back away?  No. We had history on our side.   

Some of you may remember back to 2011 when FDOT, propelled by powerful lobbyists, road contractors and Tallahassee monied interests, sought to add a double deck (costing nearly $180,000,000.00) feature to the I-595 Dragados-run expansion project.  In similar fashion, we met with consultants and lobbyists.  Most informed us the horrid double deck feature was a “fait accompli”.  One even offered to represent our opposition campaign at a price tag approaching $1,000,000.00 yet advised us that the chance of success was 20%.  Faced with this “no-win” scenario, what did we do?  We ran our own campaign and defeated the double deck.  It took a collective effort from around Broward County yet, we were able to convince both Washington and Tallahassee that we were a force to be reckoned with.   

In the case of runaway development in Western Broward, we have marshaled similar forces to challenge the bureaucrats.  Along the way, we changed the political landscape!  Our journey continues and we look forward to the eventual development of new single family detached home communities in Western Broward that are consistent in scale with the surrounding neighborhoods, that are supported by existing police and fire services, sewer and water, that will not overburden our already crowded roadways and crucially, that will meet the current land use plan rules.  We ask that you be on alert for several upcoming Zoom® meetings concerning proposed development activities in Plantation Acres as each of these can and will set a precedential pattern that serves to affect each of us.  (Notably, tomorrow (1/19) at 7:00 p.m. the Plantation Acres Homeowner Association is hosting a Zoom® meeting at which time representatives of Lennar will appear to provide a report on the proposed project at Hiatus and Broward (see below).  We ask that you attend this meeting to show support for our friends and neighbors in the Acres who are adamantly opposed to the Lennar project).  Please be on alert for an update providing the Zoom® meeting coordinates for meetings to be held tomorrow (1/19/2021 - PAHA); (1/26/21 Westport HOA/Lennar) and 2/2/21 (City of Plantation Planning & Zoning Board).  Your involvement in these meetings is critical to achieving ultimate success.

The proposed development application at Hiatus and Broward Boulevard is heating up once more. As you will recall, Lennar Homes, filed two applications with the City of Plantation.  First, Lennar seeks to amend the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to allow for the construction of 110 attached row townhome units.  Second, Lennar seeks to amend the underlying zoning from 3 density units per acre to 8.8 to 10 (10 units to acre would apply if road right of ways are removed from the calculation and only the parcel acreage is considered).    

To date, Lennar scheduled two sessions before the Plantation Planning & Zoning Board.  Prior to each meeting, the City’s Planning & Zoning Board professional staff issued extensive reports recommending denial of the applications.  The chief rationale underlying each decision is the immutable fact that the intensive scale and unit type are entirely incompatible with the surrounding single family home communities (1 du/acre – Plantation Acres)(3 du/acre – Hawks Landing)(3 du/acre – Westport).  From the outset, as a group, we have sought to reach a compromise with Lennar and have offered what is an entirely fair accommodation.  We are amendable to a 5 du/acre development or approximately 50 single family detached units.  We even provided over ten alternative designs and renderings for single family detached units.   Lennar, however, has steadfastly refused to adjust the scale of its proposed development sticking to the game plan that “if we build it, they will come, and we can sell it like hotcakes.”  Respectfully, that is not the standard for overturning a land use plan designation or for a re-zoning application nor are colorful postcards or creative, yet incomplete, social media posts.  We now approach a third, and potentially final, Planning & Zoning Board Zoom® meeting on February 2 at 7:00 p.m.  (The coordinates for this meeting will be emailed to each of you this week).  Your past involvement and participation have been critical.  We are nearing the finish line and are asking for you to attend just a few more Zoom® meetings. 

It is crucial that you do attend the February 2 (7:00 p.m.) Planning & Zoning Board meeting.  Let the City’s appointed representatives know exactly how you feel about runaway uncontrolled development in your community.  We have marshaled together a formidable opposition of over 5000 residents across Western Broward and they are resolute that all of your voices must be considered.  It is absolutely imperative the underlying land use plan remain in place affording each of you assurance that the City (and the County) honor its commitment to each of you that the subdivision (and your own lot) retain the same residential zoning density as it did when you moved into the Community.   If not, there is nothing to prevent future developers from coming into the City, anywhere, buying up a collection of contiguous lots, carving them out of a subdivision and seeking to up-zone or add exponentially greater units inconsistent with the neighboring community.    Our City exists to honor and enforce the compact it made with each of you, not to dole out bailouts to the highest bidder in a dubious land sale. 

Over the past few months, some of you have received amateurish post cards and perhaps seen patently incomplete and misleading social media posts about the market potential surrounding a 110 unit attached barracks style row townhome project.  The renderings may be pretty, but there’s no mistaking lipstick smeared on a pig.  Artists are paid to paint pretty renderings.  We have a simple alternative to the sophomoric and misleading marketing photos:  We know what an upscale 3du acre development looks like.  We designed and built it for you and many of us devote our lives to assure it continues to meet your expectations.  Why not replicate what has worked for each of you instead of seeking to bail out a developer from a losing land deal?   Simply put:  Demand the City of Plantation approve a plan for 50 or less single family detached homes on the Broward School Board parcel.   Set aside the social media, misleading post cards and “fake news articles” and ask yourself this:  What is consistent with the neighborhood you live in and why was it necessary for the county to require the underlying zoning to be maintained at a maximum of 3du/acre?  The answer is simple, and it’s not found in misleading post cards or social media.  Each of you invested your hard-earned savings into making this corner of West Broward the type of community you actually want to live in and where you wanted to raise your families.  There are plenty of alternative, appropriate and properly zoned areas for a 110-unit barracks style row attached townhome project.  This isn’t it.  Let City Hall hear your voices once more!

Thank you.