County acts to ensure builder will finish homes near Boynton

Palm Beach County took action to ensure that home builder John B. Kennelly finishes construction of 11 half-built homes at a residential development called The Estates of Boynton Waters.

In May, the Palm Beach County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals gave Kennelly until 2018 to finish the 11 homes, but he has made little progress since then.

The board on Thursday gave Kennelly’s company Estates of Boynton Waters West Corp. 30 days to post no-trespassing signs and put chain link fences around the 11 partially built homes, which the county has deemed structurally unsafe. If Kennelly fails to meet that deadline, the county may demolish the 11 homes.

Kennelly also has six months to obtain active building permit for all 11 homes. He has an active permit for just one of the homes.

Estates at Boynton Waters, located west of Boynton Beach, about 100 home owners and 140 lots. These include the lots with 11 half-built homes deemed structurally unsafe, other lots with unfinished homes and vacant lots.

Kennelly, 89, has said the housing market crash that began in 2006 caused him to lose $50 million from canceled sales contracts and forced him to stop construction work at Estates at Boynton Waters.

He told the Sun-Sentinel that the 11 half-built homes there will “absolutely be finished” by the county-imposed deadline in 2018. [Sun-Sentinel] — Mike Seemuth