Parkland board approves Toll Brothers entrance features for Salt Grass with masonry base condition

The City of Parkland Planning and Zoning Board on April 10 approved a site-plan amendment and Community Appearance Board application from Toll Brothers to add two entrance columns, uplighting and related landscape adjustments at the Salt Grass entrance within the Heron Bay neighborhood.

The board’s approval included a condition that the column bases be a concrete masonry unit (CMU) substrate with applied brick veneer for durability and that the uplighting match the lighting temperature used elsewhere in Heron Bay. Derek Bixby moved the motion to approve; Joel Kaplan seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Caitlin Forbes of the city planning department introduced the item and said Toll Brothers previously received site-plan approval for the 52-unit Salt Grass residential community; the current application covers the entrance features and minor landscape plan tweaks intended to preserve specimen trees. Forbes also noted the applicant coordinated with the Heron Bay homeowners association.

Christina Balenki of Misko Backman, representing Toll Brothers, presented the proposed entrance elevations, photometric plan and landscape revisions. The application shows two columns on either side of the entry, accent uplighting and minor landscape adjustments to protect existing trees. Balenki said the material palette was selected to be consistent with previously approved Toll colors for the homes in the community.

Adam Ruhl, director of community planning for Toll Brothers, told the board the applicant plans a substantial base: “What we’ve considered actually for the base of this is to do a footing with CMU block and to do an applied brick. And then the top portion would be a hard coat foam system.” He added the design change was made to improve durability and better match the homes’ materials.

Board members questioned lighting temperature, protection for the preserved ficus trees at the entry, and the long-term durability of foam-faced columns. Derek Bixby said he had spoken with the HOA and that members “are pleased with what you’ve created here,” and urged continued outreach. Several members said matching the community’s updated lighting temperature was important to avoid visual inconsistency.

The board’s condition requires the CMU base with applied brick veneer; applicants confirmed they were willing to use that construction approach and to match existing Heron Bay lighting temperatures. No members of the public spoke on the item during the public hearing.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve Resolution 2025-017 (Salt Grass entrance features; site plan amendment Case No. 2025-08-SPA and CAB Case No. 2025-07-CAB) with condition that column bases be CMU with applied brick veneer and lighting temperature match Heron Bay: mover Derek Bixby, seconder Joel Kaplan. Vote: Alex Sejovitz — yes; Joel Kaplan — yes; Todd Rogers — yes; Derek Bixby — yes; Vice Chair Tony Avello — yes; Chair Murray Zweig — yes. Outcome: approved unanimously.

- Motion to appoint Murray Zweig as chair: outcome — approved unanimously.

- Motion to appoint Tony Avello as vice chair: outcome — approved unanimously.

- Motion to approve minutes of 12/12/2024 and to approve the agenda as presented: outcomes — approved unanimously.

Looking ahead, Planning and Zoning Manager Caitlin Forbes told the board the department is preparing several items for upcoming meetings, including a trash compactor proposal at the Shops of Parkland, code and comprehensive-plan cleanup amendments, a land-use item for roughly 8.5 acres tied to the Village-in-the-Park project, resubmitted plans for Somerset Academy’s K–8 site expansion to add a high-school component, and model-home/entry feature reviews for a Lennar project in the northwest corner of the city. The board also discussed scheduling a 15-minute public-record/sunshine-law refresher for members.