Hundreds of homes may be built on former golf course

More than 200 homes could be built on the grounds of a former golf course in Deerfield Beach — the latest in a string of plans to redevelop greens across South Florida.

The Toll Brothers, a development company, wants to build 201 townhouses on a golf course in Century Village, one of the city’s biggest residential The Deerfield Beach City Commission would need to allow using the 23 acres for residential use. The proposal goes before the commission during its meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday.

For Bernie Parness, who represents Century Village on the commission, it’s a win-win for his district. He said a neglected golf course that hasn’t seen any play in four years would be developed and a good portion of it preserved.

developer has agreed to turn over the remaining 60 acres that wouldn’t have townhouses built on them over to Century Village for them to be preserved as a park.

Throughout the area, oncepopular golfing destinations are being turned into new housing. In Tamarac, 525 single-family homes across are proposed for two 18-hole golf courses. Courses in Weston and Boca Raton are slated to become housing dev el developments. opments. In October, the Deerfield City Commission agreed that the Crystal Lake Golf Club would become the site of more than 400 single-family homes.

Golf players, Parness said, “got older and died. … The [golf course] owners were losing too much money to continue operations.”

This new development in Deerfield would not be age-restricted, even though it’s curThe

rently inside the city’s largest retirement community. It would have its own separate entrance on Goolsby Boulevard and be walled off from Century Village, Parness said.

The plan also would need to be approved by county government.