Residents upset by overgrown golf courses | Video

If Boca Del Mar residents let their lawns grow too long, they can expect a code enforcement citation.

But the rules aren't the same for the closed, overgrown golf course that meanders through their neighborhood near Boca Raton. Tall grass, weeds overtaking fairways and tree limbs littering cart paths have replaced the neighborhood's once-prized golf course vistas.

Residents have been trying to fend off developers' plans for the 130-acre Mizner Trail golf course ever since it closed in 2005. Along the way, they say conditions of the property are getting worse and county code enforcement rules fail to do enough to hold the land owners accountable.

"The reason I bought the house was because it had panoramic views of the golf course," Boca Del Mar resident Billy Vale said. "Now they are just holding us hostage by letting it go into disrepair. They are trying to create the biggest eyesore possible."

Now Boca Del Mar residents are calling for the county to impose tougher code enforcement requirements on closed-down golf courses.

Instead of just requiring golf course owners to periodically mow a 25-foot buffer between homes and closed courses, the residents' propose extending tougher mowing and maintenance requirements to the old fairways and other interior portions of golf courses.

With developers eyeing more old golf courses as potential building spaces, Boca Del Mar residents say other neighborhoods will soon be facing similar code enforcement problems from shut-down courses.

"It is part of the community ? Their property should be maintained at the same level," said resident Brian Coleman, who serves on the Boca Del Mar Improvement Association board. "It's a quality of life issue."

Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams said tougher code enforcement rules for closed golf courses are worth considering, but that having strict standards "can't necessarily force compliance."

The best long-term solution at Boca Del Mar and other neighborhoods could be residents and developers reaching compromises for what to do with the land, according to Abrams.

"If the ultimate goal of the neighbors is to have the property maintained and these golf courses are just not feasible, you have to work within the realm of reality to achieve that goal," said Abrams, whose County Commission district includes Boca Raton.

The golf course at Boca Del Mar used to be a recreation attraction and real estate selling point. But now, sprinkled among the old fairways are faded signs that say: "Golf Course Closed No Trespassing."

Once lush greens and tees have gone brown, patches of tall weeds are spreading and dead palm fronds from unattended trees are piling up.

Dutch Bliss, of Mizner Trail Golf Club, Ltd, owns most of the old Mizner Trail golf course property. Bliss declined comment about neighbors' complaints and development plans for the property.

At least 24 neighborhood complaints, mostly about overgrown grounds at the old golf course, have been filed since 2005, according to the county. Residents added 11 more this month saying conditions have gotten worse and it's time for tougher rules.

"We started getting complaints years ago. For the most part, they would resolve it without having to go to a [code enforcement] hearing," County Code Enforcement Director Kurt Eismann said. "We have expended a lot of energy going out and keeping an eye on it."

Under current rules, a closed golf course is treated like undeveloped land. The land owners are required to mow a 25-foot-wide buffer between the old golf course and nearby homes, making sure that grass and weeds don't grow higher than 18 inches.

That mowing requirement doesn't apply to the larger interior portions of the old golf course. And the height restriction in the buffer area is still more than twice the 7-inch-tall grass allowed on a residential lot.

Boca Del Mar residents want golf courses next to neighborhoods to meet a 7-inch-tall mowing standard for the entire property.

Boca Del Mar residents also want the county to label the old golf course a nuisance property and move it to the repeat offender status quicker. Residents have long argued that worsening property conditions are an effort to increase pressure on accepting development of the land.

Code enforcement complaints against the old golf course led to a $450 fine in 2007 that was paid. A fine over an issue with a dead tree resulted in levying a $31,000 lien on the property, Eismann said.

The County Commission in 2011 heeded residents' concerns and rejected developers' push to build 291 homes on the old Mizner Trail golf course. That came after residents in 2006 succeeded in stopping plans for 202 homes on the golf course.

Boca Del Mar residents objected to the prospect of new homes ? and the noise, lights and traffic they bring ? springing from a golf course they thought would remain forever.

Boca Del Mar resident representatives have had on-again-off-again talks with county officials and representatives for the property about a potential development compromise for the land.

Coleman and Bliss declined to comment about any compromise talks.

In addition to ongoing development pressures at Boca Del Mar, residents of Century Village west of West Palm Beach are trying to stop development plans for a closed golf course next to their retirement community. That proposal for 689 homes, shops and an assisted living facility goes back before the County Commission on Feb. 28.

Opening the door to development on the old Mizner Trail golf course and Century Village won't be the end of it, said Vale, who thought he would always have his golf course view.

"I think it would be a chain reaction," Vale said.

abreid@tribune.com, 561-228-5504 or Twitter@abreidnews

Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-golf-code-enforcement-failings-20130210,0,5804018.story?track=rss

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