Lauderhill commission unanimously OKs amendment process for Inverarrie golf-course covenant

Lauderhill City Commission members voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize the city to execute an amendment to the restrictive covenant on the Inverarrie golf-course property, a step that supporters said preserves options for redevelopment and opponents warned could shift tax burdens to homeowners.

Hope Calhoun, land use counsel for the proposed developer, told commissioners that the covenant currently requires the property be used as a golf course and open space in perpetuity but contains a time window during which it may be amended. She said the developer and residents have worked together for more than two years and that the amendment would allow a mix of residential development while maintaining a golf course. "We are asking the city of Lauderhill to execute an amendment to the declaration, which would allow for the redevelopment of the golf course," Calhoun said.

The request followed a staff briefing by Daniel Kistrom Mills, the city's home services director, who said the developer has filed a land-use plan amendment, rezoning and site-plan applications. Mills said the county land-use amendment is pending with Broward County and that a second reading and city adoption could come back to the commission as soon as May.

Supporters from Inverarrie told the commission the amendment is needed because other financing options are unlikely. Savannah Whaley, an alternate delegate to the Inverary association, said assessments and the local fiscal environment make it improbable the community could preserve the property without allowing redevelopment. "Given what Tallahassee has shown for the Live Local Act, it may not even take until our covenant expires," Whaley said, urging approval.

Several residents described hopes that the redevelopment would let the community control and benefit from the land. Laura Brogan said the plan would, for the first time, allow the community to own clubhouse and amenities and that the developer has agreed to cover any shortfall until the golf course is profitable for a 12-month period. She also cited plans to bring golf designers and professional managers to the project.

Opponents pressed commissioners on potential costs to homeowners. Larry Rabin told the commission that a hypothetical $74,000,000 transfer valuation on the property could generate an immediate tax liability of roughly $1.7 million that, he said, would fall to the master association and the 32 sub-associations and their roughly 7,754 unit owners. "Don't lay the liability, the tax liability, onto the working people of this community," Rabin said.

Commissioners acknowledged those concerns while emphasizing resident engagement and the time-sensitive nature of the decision. Commissioner Ray Martin, citing his long ties to the Inverary community and participation in steering committees, said the engagement process strengthened residents' voice and expressed support for removing some covenant restrictions. Mayor Grant and other commissioners said they were acting to "move the city forward" in light of the Live Local Act and the developer's proposals.

After a motion and second to consider the resolution and open the item for public comment, the commission called the roll for the final vote. The clerk recorded a 5-0 vote in favor of the resolution, after which commissioners congratulated the Inverary community and adjourned the meeting.

What happens next

City staff said the land-use amendment is still pending at Broward County and that the matter will return to the city for a second reading and possible adoption, tentatively scheduled for May. The approved resolution authorizes the city manager and city attorney to take steps necessary to effectuate the amendment but does not itself change the covenant or approve site plans or rezoning; those approvals remain subject to subsequent hearings and procedural requirements.