Village of Bal Harbour sued by mall owner in Live Local Act development dispute

Why it matters: This is the first time a developer has asked a court to enforce the Live Local Act against a municipality's wishes, according to the mall's attorneys.

Catch up fast: The lawsuit comes a week after the village council voted to consider suspending all new development in an effort to stop the project from moving forward.

• After that vote, Mayor Jeffrey Freimark told residents that the fight was headed to court.
• Matthew Whitman Lazenby, president and CEO of mall owner Whitman Family Development, also threatened litigation against the village.

Context: The development, proposed earlier this month, has faced consistent pushback from residents and local officials who say it will worsen traffic congestion.

• The plan, which seeks to override local zoning rules, calls for 600 "high-end" residential units, 70 hotel rooms and more than 45,000 square feet of additional retail space. It would rise about five times higher than local height restrictions allow.
• Forty percent of the residential units in the development are to be income-restricted "workforce housing," the minimum threshold under the new law.