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Residents urge commissioners to block six-story apartment plan at Carolina Club golf course; DRC cited multiple deficiencies
Summary
Residents told the Margate City Commission Sept. 3 that a proposed redevelopment of the Carolina Club golf course — including a possible six‑story apartment building — is out of scale for the neighborhood and that the Development Review Committee logged multiple unresolved deficiencies.
Residents and commissioners exchanged concerns Sept. 3 about a proposed redevelopment of the Carolina Club golf course, with public commenters saying the developer’s plan for multi-story apartments would be out of scale with adjacent single-family homes and that the city’s Development Review Committee (DRC) had logged multiple unresolved deficiencies.
Alan Kopelman, a Margate resident, urged neighbors to attend the Aug. 11 planning meeting and said the DRC has voted to disapprove the proposal multiple times. “This development is out of scale,” Kopelman said, citing concerns that a six‑story building would overlook private yards and materially change neighborhood character. He said the DRC recorded eight pages of recommendations and deficiencies that had not been addressed and told the commission the developer’s plan could include as many as 500 apartments.
The public comment also included allegations that site contamination remediation requests by Broward County and the state have not been completed. Kopelman said county and state agencies requested cleanup of gasoline and other chemicals earlier in the year and that the issues remained unresolved; he urged the commission to “stand with the residents.”
Commissioners responded by saying the application must proceed through the required hearings. City staff and the mayor noted that the DRC’s determinations are advisory to Planning and Zoning; the city’s professional staff will present findings at the P&Z hearing. Commissioner remarks indicated they have shared resident concerns with stakeholders but could not give a formal position prior to that hearing.
Why it matters: if a rezoning or land-use change is approved, it could alter property values, sightlines and neighborhood density. The transcript records strong resident opposition and multiple staff-level deficiencies flagged by the DRC, which the public said remain unaddressed.
What’s next: The speaker encouraged residents to attend the upcoming Planning and Zoning hearing; commissioners said the DRC findings and staff presentations will be part of that public hearing process.
Ending: Commissioners stressed that the P&Z board has a legal right to a hearing and that the city must follow its public-review procedures before any final decision.
