A landlocked Jewish cemetery west of Boynton Beach has withdrawn its application for a zoning change that would have enabled it to more than double its size.
Palm Beach County commissioners were scheduled to act on the application of Eternal Light Cemetery on Nov. 4, but the night before, the owner notified officials it would not pursue the expansion. Also withdrawn were plans for a Chabad synagogue west of Delray Beach, which was part of the application.
When such a decision is made, it is often because the votes were not there to approve it. The project had a huge hurdle to overcome: the rule that restricts development to 40% of a parcel in the county’s Ag Reserve. The rule was created to protect farming and control growth in the reserve, which encompasses 22,000 acres in the southern part of the county between Florida’s Turnpike and the Arthur R. Marshall National Wildlife Refuge…