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Council approves two Avenir single-family site plans; debate over street tree species splits council
Summary
Council approved site-plan amendments for Avenir Pods 16 and 18 (single-family homes). Pod 18 (Orchid Isles) drew a contentious debate over replacing proposed royal palms with buttonwoods; the council approved the developer's original landscape plan after a split vote.
Palm Beach Gardens city council on March 6 approved site-plan amendments for two Avenir neighborhoods—Pod 16 (Esparite) and Pod 18 (Orchid Isles)—clearing floor plans, architectural elevations, lot landscaping and model/sales centers for both developments.
Urban-design consultant Ken Tuma presented both petitions. Pod 16 is an age-restricted product of 491 units across roughly 150 acres with multiple models and a sales center; Pod 18 is a 50.53-acre parcel approved for 104 single-family homes with six floor plans and three architectural skins. Staff recommended approval of both site-plan amendments.
Pod 18 prompted a lengthy policy discussion over the developer's proposed street trees. Councilmember Tinsley moved to require green buttonwood street trees instead of royal (royal) palms for interior street plantings, citing long-term maintenance costs, fallen fronds and HOA liability. Tinsley said royal palms are "a huge maintenance nightmare" and recounted examples of broken fronds damaging vehicles. Several council members disagreed: Councilmember Primerosa and others said the palms fit the development's character and the developer offered to retain palms in accent locations and to use buttonwoods elsewhere.
After two separate motions and votes, council adopted the site landscape plan as presented by the applicant; the record shows the motion to proceed with the developer's original plan carried by council majority despite Tinsley's opposition. Council also approved Resolution 16 (Pod 16) without further discussion.
Ending: Both site-plan amendments were approved; Pod 16 passed unanimously and Pod 18 was approved with council split on the street-tree condition. Several council members asked staff and the developer to record maintenance responsibilities and to work with HOA rules to reduce future homeowner costs.
