PARKLAND — The deal to bring 47 acres of Mecca Farms into Parkland has been agreed to, although the actual annexation may not take place until the end of summer.
City Commissioners voted 5-0 on Wednesday night to approve a deal with Peter Mecca, the president of Mecca Farms Inc., calling for the voluntary annexation of the land.
“We agree to be annexed,” said George Platt, attorney representing Mecca Farms.
The pact says that Parkland would support attempts to change the land use on the property, on the southwest corner of Loxahatchee Road and State Road 7, from agricultural to a restriced business use.
In exchange for that support, Mecca Farms will pay to develop a 5-acre park in the city.
If the city backs off on the support using the Mecca property for commercial use, the annexation will go through, although Mecca will no longer be obligated to build the park, Platt said.
Such a land-use change requires the backing of the Broward County Commission.
The actual annexation will not take place until the end of the summer to allow for the legislative annexation into Parkland of a proposed 417-acre primarily residential parcel owned by the Kennedy Group Ltd.
The property to be developed by Kennedy sits between the Mecca site and incorporated Parkland. The Kennedy annexation, expected to be approved this week by the state, must be approved to make Mecca contiguous with the city, as required under Florida law.
About one-third of the Mecca property should be used for neighborhood stores and businesses, while the rest of the land should be used for an office park or an area for light, clean industry, according to the agreement.
