Groundbreaking for proposed Miramar development could be years away

Miami-based homebuilder Lennar Corp. has downsized a proposed housing development in Miramar but still needs final approval from the city commission, Broward County and the state to proceed.

Eric Silva, the city planning and economic development director in Miramar, told the Sun-Sentinel that Lennar may not be able to start clearing land for its proposed 385-house development for two years.

Lennar’s 120-acre development site south of Bass Creek Road and west of Southwest 172 Avenue is a wetlands property with a forest of melaleuca trees and Brazilian pepper trees.

Lennar proposed building 537 houses there before downsizing its plan to 385 houses. But opponents say the development would pave over the last undeveloped wetlands in Miramar and would threaten wildlife.

It is unclear what the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would require Lennar to do to comply with the agency’s wetlands mitigation policy, which essentially requires developers to replace wetlands they destroy.

The Miramar City Commission, which has given the Lennar development preliminary approval, must grant final approval for the development to advance.

The Broward County Commission is expected to consider the proposed Lennar development next month, and if approved, the development would undergo a review by the state government. [Sun-Sentinel] — Mike Seemuth