"We did not get the letter of credit by 5
p.m.," said Assistant City Manager Michael Woika.
The frustration was evident from the city
council at a meeting last month with several council members bluntly
stating they doubted the developer's credibility.
And while the council is still very
"wary," Mayor Steven Abrams said Wednesday the city will
still give the developer a chance to comply. Four years into
construction, the luxurious four-building condominium promised across
from City Hall on Palmetto Park Road has yet to be finished. The plan
may be resuscitated as an adult living facility proposed by developer
Parc Communities, just now stepping in.
Despite the developer's history of delays, poor
progress and last-minute changes, the council was told not to worry,
that failure to meet any of the agreements in place would kill the
September 2009 permit extension granted to Boca East. Not quite it
seems.
A clause in the worked-out agreement allows the
city to give the developer 15 extra days whenever a deadline is not
met. The city has done just that. "Our client has been complying
with the conditions of this agreement to the best of his
ability," said Attorney Wendy Larsen, representing the developer.
"We have the letter of credit to submit but are working on
another issue." Larsen said the letter should be in soon. News
that the developer hadn't paid within the city-set parameters didn't
come as a surprise to the residents this project concerns.
"This is heartbreaking to the many unit
owners who are currently residing at Eden Condominiums," said
Attorney Steven Platzek, who represents several discontent unit
owners.
"The
developer has, over the previous two years, treated the unit owners
with arrogance and scorn. It is not surprising that the developer
would now treat the city's deadline in a similar manner with the same
arrogance."