Royal Palm neighborhood concerned, Florida developer using eminent domain for new shopping area
“On one side of Pioneer Road sits the Westwoods neighborhood, a quiet complex of houses tucked in just east of State Road 441. On the other side of the street sits a 1000 foot buffer the neighborhood owns to keep the peace.
Residents now fear they could lose their slice of paradise because of eminent domain.
“It’s a way of life. It’s our heart and soul. It’s peace. It’s serenity. It’s why we came to Palm Beach County,” said Don Armsey, a resident.
Armsey said the Homeowners Association bought the land decades ago to protect the neighborhood. Now, a commercial developer wants to snatch it up to create an access point for a new shopping center.
“So what he wants to do is just seize our property, just take it from us and make it one big giant road. More concrete. More traffic lights,” said Armsey.
The developer wants to obtain the land using eminent domain, citing “public safety” as the reason it could impact the entire South Florida community.”
Skrzypek, Jeff. WPTV 21 November 2013.