MIDTOWN PROJECT OKAYED BY DELRAY BEACH PLANNING BOARD

While fear of too many homes being planned for the Ascot Development with an entrance on Old Germantown Road, a 2-lane road with traffic problems, was expressed, a plan for 116 town homes and an office building proposed to be built on Linton Boulevard and Old Germantown Road has passed pending approval with the condition that the project does not exceed the number of homes approved previously. Thirty of the homes would be priced for workers who earn about $60,000 a year, and these “workforce housing units” would cater to teachers, nurses and police officers who otherwise could not afford to live near their Delray Beach jobs. “Midtown Delray” would sit on 9.56 acres, formerly Blood’s Hammock Groves, once part of a 94-are parcel zoned in 1995 for 600 homes. Several communities have already been built on most of the 94 acres and a question has arisen of whether the new 116 homes would exceed the 680 homes approved previously. City Commissioners will discuss the issue on October 10^th. The State recently gave a $5-MM grant to help offset construction costs of the lower-priced units, which could be sold for $225,000 - $275,000.