Residents Rally Against Proposed City Village, Fear Loss of Suburban Charm and Safety Concerns

City Village preliminary concept design {City of Coral Springs}

By Bryan Boggiano

This story was updated with additional information from city staff.

Residents expressed concerns about the proposed mixed-use City Village development during Monday night’s planning and zoning board meeting, citing potential negative impacts on their quality of life and property values.

Amera is developing City Village at the intersection of Sample Road and University Drive’s northwest corner. The project is one of several in-progress or proposed developments, including Cornerstone and Key Project, located in the heart of downtown, where two major roads meet.

According to the latest plans, City Village would have 412 residential apartments, two parking garages, approximately 111,362 square feet of retail space, and 37,393 square feet for office use.

To develop the property, Amera needs various special exceptions and conditional use approvals related to setbacks, delivery truck operations, landscaping, platting, rights-of-way improvements, and security, among other items.

During the city’s meeting, the discussion topic encountered an obstacle. According to regulations, the city was required to upload all necessary agenda items along with a backup packet containing additional information no later than 48 hours before the meeting.

While the city uploaded the agenda on time, they did not meet the deadline to upload the backup items.

Since that incident, the board could not vote whether to recommend the special exception and conditional use for the city commission. They instead deferred the items to a later date.

According to Lynne Martzall, director of marketing and communications, staff implemented additional procedures to make sure a similar incident does not happen again.

Residents still aired their frustrations, saying going forward with development would impact their safety, neighborhood traffic, property values, quality of life, privacy, and school zoning.

“The Coral Springs that we were drawn to is disappearing,” said Tiffany Wheeler. “I’m just counting down the days so I can get out.”

Wheeler and her neighbors in Running Brook Hills also said increased traffic has made their neighborhood unsafe for pedestrians and pets.

She said the proposed City Village would be among a laundry list of concerns residents have faced over the past two years, which includes vacation rental and recovery home clustering, construction on Wiles and University, and school rezoning.

“At the very end, it’s my family that’s at stake,” said Mark Magli.

Other residents said Coral Springs would lose its suburban or “city in the country” feel by moving forward with additional high-density developments.

“We bought a home here because we thought it was suburbia,” said Teresa Kaldor. “Let Miami be Miami and Coral Springs be Coral Springs.”

Preliminary City Village floor plans {City of Coral Springs}

Residents also said the 412 apartments are too expensive to appeal to young professionals and most prospective residents due to their prices and location.

The board will discuss the special exception and conditional use approvals again at their Oct. 9 meeting, where they are expected to vote.

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Bryan Boggiano

Bryan has a degree in journalism from the University of Florida and earned his masters in geosciences from Florida International University, where he focused in atmospheric sciences. His interests include weather, entertainment, and municipal government.