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Loxahatchee Groves and Callery-Judge officials inch toward possible agreement on growth

Palm Beach Post – June 1, 2011

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES — The town and Callery-Judge Grove appear to be in the last leg of hammering out an agreement that will keep the two out of court over Loxahatchee Groves’ proposed growth plan.

The Town Council and representatives from the neighboring citrus grove on Tuesday night combed through a draft agreement that enumerated issues the two agreed on during a May 17 meeting.

Among them: Loxahatchee Groves supporting improvements to Okeechobee Boulevard ranging from it being built as a two-lane rural parkway to expanding to four lanes, and a plan for limited and phased construction of new homes in the town that allows for up to 479 units by Dec. 31, 2026.

Several residents during the meeting criticized the proposed settlement as being too accommodating to Callery-Judge, which opposed Loxahatchee Groves’ growth blueprint, or comprehensive plan, in May 2009 after state planners approved it.

“It really doesn’t require Callery-Judge to do anything,” resident John Ryan said. “It just encumbers the town’s rights for several years.”

The phased development of homes would allow for up to 179 units to be built anytime later this year, with construction of an additional 20 homes per year allowed through 2026. Any unbuilt units would accrue.

The Town Council and Callery-Judge will hold their next negotiation workshop on Monday.

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