Los Mangos residents urge city to block 8-story 'Dune' project, cite Live Local Act limits

Los Mangos residents and a coalition of nearby homeowners pressed the Boynton Beach City Commission on April 15, 2025, to oppose a proposed 8‑story apartment complex called the Dune and to seek state help to change the Live Local Act, saying the project would overwhelm their neighborhood.

The appeal came during the public comment period of the Boynton Beach City Commission meeting. Dozens of Los Mangos homeowners described the Dune as an 8‑story, 85‑foot building with 298 apartments and an 8‑story, roughly 401‑space parking garage on a 2.98‑acre parcel; speakers said the building would sit at or near the community—s property line and would cast long shadows, block ocean breezes, increase traffic and noise, and threaten trees and privacy.

The stakes for the city are partly legal: City counsel told the commission the Live Local Act preempts some local zoning review, limits discretionary rejections and requires administrative approvals for qualifying projects. City officials and residents said that limitation means the Dune may not require a commission vote, and several speakers asked the city to advocate for changes at the state level.

Why it matters

Los Mangos homeowners said the Dune would dramatically change the character of their single‑family neighborhood. Speakers described narrow setbacks, potential flooding on a site now used as open space, and direct impacts on an aging residential entrance median that community members say they have maintained for decades. With the Live Local Act in effect, residents said local tools to block or substantially change the project are…