FairSoVi
South Village District · Palm Springs, FL

Property Owners Deserve a Seat at the Table.

The Village of Palm Springs is asking South Village (SoVi) property owners to sign a Letter of Intent that legally binds them to a redevelopment process with no end date, no minimum price, and no exit. We support the project. We're asking for a fair deal.

Add Your Name Read the Problem
1,793
Residential units
planned in SoVi
80,000
Sq ft of commercial
space proposed
6–7
Stories tall, across
four phases
0
Termination rights
for property owners
The Problem

What's Happening in South Village

In October 2025, the Village of Palm Springs adopted the Urban Village Overlay (Ordinance 2025-12), creating the South Village District — or "SoVi" — at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Davis Road, extending to Lake Worth Road. The Village's own concept plan calls for redeveloping the area into a "Village Town Center" with up to 1,793 residential units and roughly 80,000 square feet of commercial space, in buildings as tall as six to seven stories, across four phases.

Aerial photograph of the South Village (SoVi) district in Palm Springs, Florida, with the boundary outlined and labeled with 2nd Avenue, Davis Road, and Lake Worth Road.
The South Village (SoVi) district as outlined in the Village of Palm Springs Urban Village Overlay — bounded by 2nd Avenue and Davis Road on the north and Lake Worth Road on the south. Source: Village of Palm Springs Urban Village Overlay presentation.

That's a major redevelopment. Property owners in SoVi support a thoughtful, well-designed town center. We've been here for years, and we want this neighborhood to thrive.

The problem is the deal we're being asked to sign.

The Village and the CRA are circulating a Letter of Intent (the "Cooperative Pursuit of a Village Town Center" LOI, dated December 2025) and asking individual property owners to sign on. The LOI is structured as a "cooperative" effort to assemble parcels and present a unified front to a yet-to-be-selected "top-tier developer."

In reality, the LOI imposes a legally binding obligation on property owners to negotiate in good faith — while imposing essentially no binding obligations on the Village or the CRA in return.

"Individual, smaller property sales will not create the same synergy, added value, or unified redevelopment of the area." — From the LOI itself, recital paragraph 3

Translation: the Village is openly discouraging owners from selling independently while binding them to a process the Village controls.

What the LOI does to property owners who sign

  • Locks them into a process with no end date. The LOI only terminates when a deal is signed with a developer. There is no timeline, no milestone, no walkaway right.
  • Provides no minimum price. Pricing is listed under "Items to be Finalized," meaning owners commit before knowing what they'll be paid.
  • Forces owners to bear all of their own costs. Legal counsel, consultants, appraisals — even if the deal falls apart.
  • Waives owners' rights to recover lost profits, business interruption, and consequential damages.
  • Waives owners' right to a jury trial.
  • Restricts owners from assigning or transferring their LOI interest without Village consent.
  • Does not become effective until the Village Manager personally approves it — but binds the owner the moment they sign.

We are not against the redevelopment. We are against being asked to sign a one-way contract.

Our Position

What a Fair Deal Looks Like

We are asking the Village Council and the CRA to revise the Letter of Intent before any property owner is asked to sign. Specifically:

  1. A Minimum Price Floor

    Add a clause establishing a minimum price per square foot, set by an independent MAI appraisal, below which no owner is obligated to sell.

  2. A Real Termination Right

    Owners must be able to terminate the LOI on 30 days' written notice if no developer agreement has been executed within a defined window (we propose 12–18 months), or upon any material change in circumstances.

  3. Hard Milestone Deadlines

    The LOI must specify: developer selection within 6 months, agreement negotiation complete within 12 months, and automatic termination if deadlines are missed.

  4. Cost Reimbursement

    If the Village, the CRA, or the selected developer terminates the process, the Village/CRA must reimburse owners' reasonable documented expenses (legal, consulting, appraisal).

  5. Narrower Liability Waiver

    The current waiver shields the Village and CRA from owners' lost profits and consequential damages. This must be narrowed to exclude gross negligence and willful misconduct, and to preserve owners' right to recover damages from a Village or CRA breach.

  6. Remove the Jury Trial Waiver

    Owners should not waive their constitutional right to a jury trial as a precondition of participating in a Village-led process. At minimum, replace it with mandatory mediation before litigation.

  7. Reasonable Assignment Rights

    Owners must be permitted to assign the LOI to affiliates, family trusts, and controlled successor entities without Village consent.

  8. Mutual Effectiveness

    Just as the LOI requires Village Manager approval to take effect, it must also require approval by the owner's legal counsel — and not bind the owner until that review is complete.

  9. A Most-Favored-Nations Clause

    No participating owner should receive worse per-square-foot terms than any other owner in the assemblage. This protects owners from being pitted against each other.

  10. Confidentiality Protections

    Owner identities, property details, and LOI terms must not be disclosed beyond what is necessary to engage developers, without the owner's written consent.

  11. Mutual Exclusivity

    If owners agree not to solicit competing offers, the Village and CRA must commit to prioritize this assemblage and provide monthly written progress reports.

Read the Documents

Don't Take Our Word For It

The LOI is a public document. Read it yourself. We've also prepared an annotated version that flags the binding clauses and explains what each one does in plain language.

Original Document
The Letter of Intent
Cooperative Pursuit of a Village Town Center · December 2025 draft · PDF
Download →
Annotated Version
LOI With Margin Callouts
Every binding clause flagged in plain English · PDF
Download →
Questions

Frequently Asked

If something here doesn't answer your question, email us at info@fairsovi.com.

What is the Village Town Center?

The Village Town Center is the redevelopment vision the Village of Palm Springs is pursuing for the SoVi area. The current concept plan calls for up to 1,793 residential units and roughly 80,000 square feet of commercial space in buildings up to 6–7 stories, built in four phases.

Has the Village selected a developer?

Not as of the date this site was launched. The LOI describes the Village and CRA as "engaging with local and regional top-tier developers" but does not name one. Property owners are being asked to sign on before the developer is selected.

What does "binding" mean in the LOI?

The LOI is split into Part I (non-binding, descriptive) and Part II (binding). Article 1 of Part II commits the owner to "good faith negotiations" toward a developer agreement. This is a legally enforceable obligation. Once signed, the owner cannot simply walk away.

When does the LOI end?

Under Article 2 of the current draft, the LOI only ends when an agreement is signed with a developer. There is no other termination event. There is no time limit. This is the single biggest problem with the document.

Are you against the redevelopment?

No. We support a well-designed Village Town Center. Property owners have lived and worked in this neighborhood for years and want it to thrive. Our objection is specifically to the structure of the LOI — not the project. A fair deal would let property owners participate in the redevelopment without forfeiting their basic legal protections.

Who is behind FairSoVi?

FairSoVi is a coalition of South Village property owners and stakeholders who want a fair deal in the Village Town Center process. We are not a registered political committee, and we are not anti-development. If you have questions, email info@fairsovi.com.

What happens if I sign on?

Adding your name to this site does not commit you to anything legally. It simply tells the Village Council and CRA that you support revising the LOI before any property owner signs. We will keep you updated on Council meetings, public hearings, and opportunities to weigh in. Your information will not be shared with third parties.

Have you contacted the Village?

Yes. The asks listed on this page are being formally communicated to the Village Council, the CRA, the Village Manager, and the CRA's Assistant Executive Director. We're publishing them publicly so that every property owner — not just the well-connected — has access to the same information and the same talking points.

I'm not a property owner. Can I still help?

Yes. Residents, business owners, and concerned citizens are all welcome to add their names. The LOI affects the entire South Village neighborhood — not just the parcels listed in it.