Our Strength is our Voice, our Power is our Numbers!
The Whole Town Showed up to Fight this Decision
Deerfield Beach residents show up to REJECT exploitative over-development
We are the unified residents in District One and District Two in Deerfield Beach, Florida, fighting Chicago Developer "Centrum Realty and Development" (aka CRD Federal, http://centrumrd.com/about, owned by the Slavin Family, http://centrumrd.com/contact).
Both close-knit communities are suffering from Centrum’s attempts to destroy our historic, 100-year-old neighborhoods with their Vista Clara and Axis Project apartment housing tracts. Our fine city officials voted in their favor, and rejected the residents' pleas. The residents are now collectively suing the City of Deerfield Beach for that decision. [Donate Here: https://gofund.me/acf251e7].
We're represented by the legendary attorney Robert Sweetapple: https://www.sweetapplebroeker.com
The developers are represented by Dennis Mele of Greenspoon Marder: https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/dennis-mele-a-one-man-environmental-scourge-6465004
You don’t find South Florida communities like ours often. Our ancestors grew up together as neighbors, and they're still neighbors in the cemetery here. Deerfield Beach is unique that way and when you get pissed off at these decisions and move away, you can’t ever be part of that type of multi-generational community again. When you get to be part of it, it’s very special. We care and we’re not going anywhere, and we are definitely not done here.
Allowing rezoning here for the AXIS Project would cause a pivotal change, setting a precedent and forever changing the face of Deerfield Beach along Federal Highway. Now is our only opportunity; if we give up, the AXIS Project would be the first of many apartment rows that completely cut out local business and realtors- they do their own in-office ads and renting, like at a dorm, all up and down Federal Highway.
This legal battle to reverse that by having certain commissioners' votes disqualified is our only chance to stop it.
The rezoning is intended by the City to accommodate to the AXIS Project, a massive development that threatens our neighborhood’s safety and well-being. It introduces significant risks, including dangerous traffic on a 45mph road with a single gated entry, and delivery access directly across from a new Chick-fil-A entrance.
The project also increases density and building size five-fold, which benefits the Chicago Slavin Family's business, Centrum Realty and Development, but harms our community. We need your support to reverse this decision and protect Deerfield Beach.
Contributing to our GoFundMe helps pay for our legal fight and shows the judges that the community stands united against this over-development. Every donation counts, even a dollar. Please spread the word on social media and via email.
Help save Deerfield Beach from becoming another overdeveloped area like New Boca and New Pompano!
[Donate Here: https://gofund.me/acf251e7]
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So many people saw so many different things wrong with Tuesday’s hearing (12/3/2024). See video link above. If you have information or observed something notable, send us a note here (if possible, include the start time on the video). traffic pedestrian safety risk reduction danger deerfield beach overdevelopment and rezoning
AXIS Project would go on the right, adding400 rush hour cars
SB US1 at NE 2nd and NE4th St.a ChickFilA will soon open at the green light where nobody is moving.
As the locals know, we have daily gridlock at this intersection. The re-zoning issue is about safety, not about an ugly vacant lot. The most recent neighborhood traffic fatality was earlier this year when our neighbor Dana was crossing US1 by NE 2nd St. Dana Blanton was killed on Federal Highway when he went through the windshield of a Cadillac walking home. May he rest in peace.
We don’t need re-zoning that would allow 300 rush-hour cars added to this mix.
See that green light up there at the top right where nobody’s moving? That’s where the new Chick-fil-A is being built. That’s where people will be making U-turn to get to Chick-fil-A.
This is clearly not the spot to re-zone for a 237 unit apartment house.
Additionally, NB drivers will U-turn at the 2nd St green light for ChickFilA. We can’t add 200 more
Blocking NE 4th St: Same area, farther north.
Traffic is backed up on SB Federal Highway past NE 4th St. on a normal, non-holiday Wednesday evening.
See that green light at NE 2nd St? That’s where Chick-fil-A diners will be making their U-turn.
The County Land Use Change
Commissioner Parness had a legitimate question when he asked the people in attendance at the 11/6/24 commission meeting, “Who bothered to even attend the Broward County Land Use Amendment meetings?” It’s a very fair question. There are two reasons nobody in the audience raised a hand.
Broward County COVID-19 lockdowns began March 19, 2020 when the county issued a stay-at-home order shortly after Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida on March 13, 2020. Travel outside the home was prohibited.
- Nobody attended because nobody knew about it. We weren't notified, and no one saw a single sign.
- Even if people had known about it, attendance by the public was prohibited, not just by the state, but also by the county.
At some point in mid 2021, a developer stapled this paper to an invitation to help plan their new apartment building and mailed it to residents.
That is how everyone learned about the zoning change.
FDOT traffic studies occurred during Covid lockdown too.
Let’s not forget that there is video of the developers’ attorney confirming the fact that this Broward County Land Use Change did not consider Chick-fil-A when determining approval. Deerfield Beach deerfield beach overdevelopment and rezoning traffic pedestrian safety risk reduction danger
Broward County Land Use changed during Covid lockdowns when travel was prohibited.
A dead stop or hard swerve in a 45 mph highway will cause accidents.
It wasn’t safe in the 90’s, and it wouldn’t be safe now.
Death Trap?
- Look at that tiny, single file gated entrance.
NE 4th St width is wildly inaccurate. - Back in the 90's, Boca Bayou had to close their SB US1 access point bc of all the accidents. How is a smaller, gated, single-file entrance, with *much* more traffic than in the 90s, going to be safer? This is a 45 mph highway.
- That proposed building, on the downhill, less visible side of the southbound Federal Highway bridge over Hillsboro River, has a gated entry in an active lane of 45 mph highway traffic, a block before a Chick-fil-A driveway that doesn’t appear to have been considered by the Broward County planning council.
- UPDATE! A neighbor reached out to Boca Bayou and learned that their Dixie Highway exit is now also permanently closed because of accidents. It also was at the foot of a downhill slope.
Yes. Its a death trap.
Boca Bayou had two alternative exits available to use, and one of them was also a failure. Now they have one exit on Royal Palm.
This compound doesn’t have those alternatives.
