Village council to vote on controversial Palmetto Bay development

A proposed townhouse development that caused a heated debate last year in Palmetto Bay politics is headed to a Village Council vote yet again.

Developer Scott Silver’s plans to build 485 units on a patch of vacant land along Old Cutler Road is reportedly up for debate at the council meeting this Monday, when village officials will decide whether to repeal the project’s approval.

Silver’s project had already received a green light from the council in a 3-2 vote last year, the Miami Herald reported, despite being challenged by Vice Mayor John Dubois, who owns a $4.6 million mansion neighboring the project site.

The approval came with the stipulation that Silver turn over 40 acres to the village, roughly half of which would be used for a public park.

But the results of November’s village elections could change all that. David Singer, who opposed the development on his campaign trail, was elected as a councilperson, possibly giving the opposition enough votes to turn the tide.

Dubois has proposed that the development revert to an original plan from 2008 that called for 100 condos and 300 senior housing units, which the vice mayor argues would cause much less traffic than 485 townhomes.

The Herald reported than an ethics investigation into Dubois is still open for voting on the project last year against the advice of county ethics officials, who said his home’s location near the development could create a conflict of interest. [Miami Herald] — Sean Stewart-Muniz