Palm Beach Gardens council approves multiple land-use measures; rezoning of Gardens Learning Center draws resident objection

Palm Beach Gardens City Council voted 5–0 on Sept. 4 to approve a series of ordinances and resolutions covering rezonings, an annexation, site-plan approvals and code updates affecting several properties in and around the city.

Key approvals included: second-reading adoption of Ordinance 8-2025 (a small-scale future land use amendment affecting 11.61 acres within the Donald Ross Village PUD), first- and second-reading votes and zoning changes for the Gardens Learning Center (Ordinances 9-2025 and 10-2025), voluntary annexation of a 0.4‑acre parcel on U.S. 1 (Ordinance 13-2025), a city land-development code update to reflect recent state legislation (Ordinance 14-2025), site-plan approvals for Longview at Avenir Pod 10 (Resolution 64-2025) and phase 1 of the Panther National lifestyle center (Resolution 65-2025), and a major conditional-use approval for a Popeyes fast-food restaurant without a drive-through within Gardens Town Square (Resolution 63-2025).

Resident comment and staff responses (Gardens Learning Center): Janet Caganski, vice president of the Horseshoe Acres board, spoke in opposition to the city-initiated rezoning of the Gardens Learning Center (GLC). Caganski said the Horseshoe Acres association objected to the rezoning because a remaining adjacent 1.8‑acre parcel is the last unbuilt residential lot and that a commercial designation could reduce its value. She said the community had previously raised landscaping, buffer and deed-restriction requests in 2019 and urged staff and the zoning board to meet on site to seek compromise rather than proceed as a quasi‑judicial action.

Staff planning responses were delivered by Natalie and Martin Fitts of the planning department. Staff said the GLC…