Tamarac Commission rejects Brownfield designation for Woodlands Club after residents cite arsenic, dust and enforcement gaps

The Tamarac City Commission on Sept. 9 declined to designate roughly 276 acres at 4600 Woodlands Boulevard as a Brownfield green reuse area, rejecting the developer’s request to access state voluntary cleanup tax credits and related incentives.

Brett Brummond, counsel for applicant Woodlands Club Holdings LLLP, told commissioners the site has been assessed and arsenic in surface soils will be remediated or managed under an engineering-control cap, with a restrictive covenant on future lots. He said the redevelopment would include about 110 acres of parks and a 16‑acre burrowing‑owl preserve and estimated a roughly $200 million redevelopment that the applicant expects to create five to six permanent full‑time equivalent positions on site. “The remediation is being addressed under Broward County oversight,” Brummond said, adding the developer had provided a certification letter attesting to available financing.

Residents from The Woodlands urged the commission to deny the designation, saying construction crews have moved large amounts of soil without adequate dust suppression, left piles of mulch and debris adjacent to homes, and failed to answer community questions at a developer‑hosted meeting. “They’re digging up the dirt. Dust is flying. Who’s policing?” said a homeowner, David DeBorger. Multiple speakers asked who to call for permit or construction‑traffic violations and warned that a publicly recorded Brownfield designation could stigmatize property values.

Commissioners focused their questions on statutory criteria: whether the developer had demonstrated the required five permanent local jobs (or qualified for the parks/conservation exception), whether community notice and meaningful public participation met the statute’s intent, and whether the applicant had provided adequate evidence of financial assurance beyond a certification letter. Kent Walia, community development director, and staff said independent review material had been exchanged with the applicant but commissioners said the Corradino review was not provided in the packet for members to examine.

In a roll call vote the resolution failed (Mayor Michelle J. Gomez voted yes; Commissioners Patterson, Daniel, Wright and Vice Mayor Marlon Bolton voted no), ending the item without a second hearing. The mayor said remediation must occur regardless of designation; opponents said the Brownfield recordation would introduce lasting restrictions and potential stigma without sufficient protections for adjacent homeowners.

The applicant may pursue remediation under county oversight without the Brownfield designation. Commissioners and residents asked the developer and Broward County to provide clearer documentation on enforcement, monitoring, engineering‑control verification sampling, and the Brownfield advisory committee process before any future action.