[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6272627,"mediaKeyId","3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0","parentId",3027390,"title","Planning Board delays North Flagler overlay amid resident, developer concerns over height bonuses and submerged land","audioSeconds",5597,"startMs",1527000,"endMs",7124000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0&start=1527&end=7124","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0/thumbnail_1527000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6272627/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Planning-Board-delays-North-Flagler-overlay-amid-resident-developer-concerns-over-height-bonuses-and-submerged-land","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272627-dbcc6ad176bfc5955fdf9221e8a49907/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030872&Signature=AESU4xcYPVTR3OefMP7pRwjd9ZM-N7dXXgucnMwOQbkbPo9mvLyCDqPwk37nMPJ10uqNEYAA09ZZMQIyiQs5nBRtDqxLgfX92TAZFkjlPa32O48bYTAn-N838ftArO8feVV4eSzHshPsB0n7xg3sMwugoUJL6Rh7cBJ1UINNKCqSV7k0cQALwDJ-7btSUDumPDavsFDiiW7DzANhOzqM31KzBUPw0auciwIANAkIqQk-H0~~3ZuBh0TOmByiDeuVPk490maXD0DFknqxIueGy-UToZxBbPpDk2wmD14de0meJ6drLVfR5bVClkjyYSDmaj1othnL41~LojFX7NSsVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of West Palm Beach, FL","date","2025-04-17T00:06:21.397Z","article","The West Palm Beach Planning Board voted to postpone consideration of the city-initiated North Flagler Overlay District (code revision case 2506) at its April 15 meeting, citing unresolved technical questions and community concerns about height bonuses, inclusion of submerged land in lot-area calculations, and how incentive payments would be spent.

Rick Green, the city’s development services director, framed the overlay as a staff-driven effort to manage future redevelopment along North Flagler Drive — an area bounded by the northern city limits, North Flagler Drive, the Intracoastal Waterway and Fourth Street — and to regulate building massing, parking and streetscape improvements. “The intent of the overlay is to better regulate future development within this corridor,” Green said. The proposed rules establish a 40-foot base height with a 240-foot maximum, and allow up to 300 feet where applicants qualify for workforce-housing incentives or fund infrastructure improvements.

Senior planner Kevin DeFrank walked the board through the proposed development regulations, explaining that lots 100 feet or less in width would have a maximum floor-area ratio (FAR) of 2.5 and wider lots could have an FAR of 3. The overlay also would require a 12-foot multipurpose path, a 7-foot landscape strip and limits on first two parking levels being screened by active-use liner buildings where the parking fronts the street or is adjacent to public park uses. “The proposed development regulations identify a permitted base height of 40 feet with a maximum height of 240 feet. But if certain criteria are met, then a maximum height of 300 feet will be allowed,” DeFrank said.

Two incentives were proposed to obtain added height: a workforce-housing incentive that grants floors in exchange for a percentage of on- or off-site workforce units, and an infrastructure-improvement incentive that awards one foot of height per roughly $34,300 of qualifying infrastructure construction or payment into the city fund for specified improvements (roadways, utilities, stormwater and fire station upgrades) within the defined area.

The meeting drew extensive public comment and developer response. Several neighborhood speakers representing the Northwood Harbor neighborhood asked that incentive money be spent within their neighborhood and that the community receive the draft regulations with more lead time. “We have held several meetings with city staff… Despite these efforts, the updated version of the plan was only provided to us this past Friday in preparation for tonight’s meeting,” Angela Ogburn, president of the Northwood Harbor Historic Association, said. Neighbors also asked that incentives not be spent outside the area and requested a clear implementation plan and timeline for infrastructure work.

Property owners and developers raised technical and fairness concerns. Kent Warmering, who said he owns two 100-foot lots in the quarter, said his parcel would face a large per-foot contribution under the proposed overlay; he asked for equitable treatment. Attorney Brian Seymour and designer Ken Tuma, representing a major property at 5400 North Flagler, asked the city to give property owners more time to analyze language and proposed that lot width be considered in how height is allocated so aggregation of lots — not isolated parcels — determines scale.

Staff and board members also debated key technical points: whether submerged land would count toward the upland/submerged acreage threshold for the larger workforce-bonus height; whether the workforce-housing bonus can be satisfied off-site within one mile (it can, under the proposal); how active-use liner requirements would work on narrow lots; and how much of any infrastructure fund would be raised given the small number of parcels likely to redevelop. On the submerged-land question staff said the draft allows use of submerged acreage but clarified there are limits (staff said properties with more than 2 acres of upland could count 100% of submerged land; smaller parcels would have different allowances and staff said it would “double check” exact percentages during follow-up).

After discussion and public comment, a board member moved to postpone the item for a minimum of 30 days so staff can continue meetings with the neighborhood and meet with affected property owners and applicants to resolve outstanding technical items. The motion carried; one board member recorded opposition during the vote. The postponement means staff will reconvene outreach and return a revised proposal to the Planning Board at a later meeting before the item proceeds to the City Commission.

Next steps: staff said it will meet further with community representatives and the affected developers to refine the overlay text, clarify how submerged lands will be counted, provide firmer numbers for buyouts and infrastructure credits (the $34,300-per-foot figure was explained as an updated equivalent to a figure used in a prior Curry Park incentive) and specify geographic limits for infrastructure spending.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Board Meeting | April 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The West Palm Beach Planning Board voted to postpone consideration of the North Flagler Overlay District (code revision case 2506) after residents and property owners raised unresolved concerns about height bonuses, how submerged land is counted and whether incentive funds would benefit the local neighborhood.","taxTitle","West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",4250,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6272622,"Planning Board clears downtown code change to define \"hospital,\" citing emergency access, buffer and site-size rules",764,6872000,7636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0&start=6872&end=7636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0/thumbnail_6872000.jpg","/articles/6272622/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Planning-Board-clears-downtown-code-change-to-define-hospital-citing-emergency-access-buffer-and-site-size-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272622-a03a55250bcc9ad73a9f02e8204fc551/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030872&Signature=VcGy0FfekdvXlr22aomPRBO5~F0QNpuH4xUrL19cuAMg9rbyFszDsyjWG4VG9ynB91NKb8SGFEWB8jgwJY56wyyHsBQ-Ns-gHO7ihkX1RBJakDG0yVpoEyzIYC4ZeIOd-o~5rn2zk0UOXb~Az~~b2QZuEgdvZgOR5k-2~Kck9OR~ZPzDsssH93TSTsp7Elidcowi-wvE8rQO99B4-7Y~79P55Gy4LlpnnSS-mN0e5CuAH0x0kK8Cq0LN-T6I791f8X1v888kAUmYAoB-EhUEOSK4I92tUXOcOk5LFTZosEePhv2PTPATncZ6yRLK3FzbrTLAh8LK1yMyfmMhRsp0-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Palm Beach Planning Board unanimously recommended approval April 15 of a text amendment to the Downtown Master Plan and the general zoning code to add an explicit definition and special requirements for “hospital” as a permitted downtown use.

Roger Ramdeen, counsel for the applicant, said the amendment clarifies where hospital uses fit within the Downtown Master Plan and fixes an inconsistency in the code that had previously classified hospitals under medical-office/office language. “A hospital is already a permitted use in the downtown,” Ramdeen said; the proposed change simply clarifies the definition and special standards for hospitals within the DMP.

City staff described the new provisions and why they were needed. Chris Kimberly, senior urban designer, said the DMP lacked explicit hospital language and the planned change adds a hospital definition and special requirements in the general uses with special requirements section. “Within that code revision case here, we do create now an explicit reference to hospitals,” Kimberly said. The draft includes standards intended to address the typical intensity of hospital uses: a 500-foot minimum separation from residential subdistricts, a minimum two-acre site requirement, direct street frontage and preferred structured parking or limitations on surface parking along the street (surface parking limited to 40% of street frontage where parking cannot be relocated behind the building).

Staff also added a requirement for separate ambulance circulation and clarified the state licensing agency: the text amends the code to reference the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) as the licensing authority for hospitals in Florida, replacing an earlier, less specific reference to the Department of Health.

Kimberly said the Downtown Action Committee recommended approval and staff concluded the text meets amendment standards. The planning board moved, seconded and approved the amendment unanimously; the item will proceed to the City Commission for final action. Board members and staff noted the amendment helps clarify standards for larger, more intensive medical uses and will be relevant to hospital-scale proposals under review.","The Planning Board unanimously recommended a Downtown Master Plan and zoning text amendment April 15 to define “hospital” and add special requirements — including a 500-foot buffer from residential areas, a two-acre minimum site size, structured-parking preference and separate ambulance circulation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6272617,"Planning Board approves Nora District text change to allow height-by-feet (not story cap) to unlock more workforce units",0,7337000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0&start=7337&end=7337","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0/thumbnail_7337000.jpg","/articles/6272617/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Planning-Board-approves-Nora-District-text-change-to-allow-height-by-feet-not-story-cap-to-unlock-more-workforce-units","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272617-641b979a82c183a427663e9f90d4699a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030872&Signature=Kui5EJ2UsNTvesc19xkRjxzvskgcvGD2WiShEoWlmJ-l1aXCe2~SovOMSOX6SkutnrcRX9sunJn-l~gLNbEyyMLGDXTKT1mAw7o~aSPr5WltobCPE-vM2jSLwn7-KvfeX5VaRw9~RK37psFB9yaGSzbhYTh4M7QKKcbYeF33Np5hH0Mu1HebKJVMqNdbaM4tLOLsOqto-KWd2Uh2dUrJ3sAiv0jzZWPSjMiY-2LVycc3HwWDVNDhbETquLSuoY89rOFp0l16l8GIn6mCTOAcu644~lALjRj24PKffSnlTF0wm23L3z8JyjA8bYdzJYAXhirvyCJOuYCtVHyO-NTE0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Palm Beach Planning Board unanimously recommended approval April 15 of a narrow text amendment to the Nora district (code revision case 2503) that removes a fixed story limit in favor of a feet-based height cap to allow developers in certain subareas to reach the maximum permitted floor-area ratio (FAR) and thereby produce more workforce housing.

Developer representative Joseph First said the change stems from a technical mismatch between an eight-story numerical cap and the 125-foot height ceiling currently allowed in the district. “By limiting our height to 8 stories, we are not getting to maximize our FAR, we’re not getting to maximize our incentive zoning, and therefore, we’re not delivering as much affordable units as we otherwise would have,” First told the board. He presented a comparison showing the first multifamily project would generate 48 workforce units under the 125-foot approach versus 30 units under an eight-story limit.

City staff supported the narrow amendment. Chris Kimberly, senior urban designer, said the revision simply removes the floor-count constraint (for the affected subdistrict) and clarifies how setbacks and maximum building footprint rules apply to additional stories that could be built within the same feet limit. The text also sets a 9-foot minimum floor-to-floor height to avoid overly compressed floor plates and requires that at least 65% of the building be residential to use the revised height allowance.

The Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval. Staff and the applicant said the change should allow the developer to achieve the previously approved FAR while also increasing the number of workforce units delivered through the city’s incentive-zoning program. The item will go to the City Commission for final action.","The Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of a text amendment for the Nora subdistrict (code revision case 2503) that removes an eight-story cap in one subarea and instead allows development up to 125 feet (with at least 65% residential), enabling higher FAR and increasing the number of workforce/affordable units in initial projects.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6272632,"Planning Board recommends approval to add rooftop parking and elevator to City Place’s Hibiscus Garage",688,852000,1540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0&start=852&end=1540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027390-1db5d957f27ad597e53fcadd505110f0/thumbnail_852000.jpg","/articles/6272632/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Planning-Board-recommends-approval-to-add-rooftop-parking-and-elevator-to-City-Places-Hibiscus-Garage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272632-d426768eef986b63a387c116b6a018db/orig.mp4?Expires=1771030872&Signature=FM1ik2R4Tc2G2sDMfmYqcz7PsvcXCGFN1WRI4Na5-J4tYUDENYYC0kU9my2O8yEAL7VEjGi4puLg3Nw2~Wud0hebgkMKW9sBDK~Mi8Yxwdnqnoc~h~Eil0a7ybtgWrdNcvr1wceV9MTsyDx-35CFQ2hW2ENvNLNG8ymeJIgBqvxw7fSZyasROnevTND4p9~S6EoR~vITlHt4jAfnwr06nmpOB9X79qYVQxZXlz1H8VX6JSpmJPVQrxHeTQLbp8E3PFhyrtDY3qZD1MnqQhL7n0DhIcI1q-2CUztGWf0EYP89MLJVfYzfiJAfTeUNyzmm-Jn-8WGYpYVu9qg9OSiEOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Palm Beach Planning Board voted unanimously April 15 to recommend that the City Commission approve a major plan development amendment to expand the Hibiscus Garage at City Place, adding two parking levels (including a rooftop parking level) and an elevator on Hibiscus Street.

The amendment, presented by attorney Roger Ramdeen of Schutz & Bowen on behalf of City Place Retail LLC, would create a new subarea for the existing Hibiscus Garage, add associated development regulations, and restore the project’s name from Rosemary Square back to City Place. “We are adding the Hibiscus Garage into the plan development, and we’re also establishing the regulations associated with it,” Ramdeen said during the board presentation.

City staff recommended approval. Eric Schneider, principal planner, told the board the proposal includes two new parking levels and that the final roofing/screening and painting of the top level will undergo administrative review as part of the full build-out. “There are actually two parking levels getting put on in the garage,” Schneider said, and added staff’s review would cover the roof art or screening and other requirements the applicant provided in the backup materials.

The amendment also calls for active-use “liner” space along the elevator portion of Hibiscus Street and other site-specific development standards. Ramdeen stressed the amendment governs the regulations only; a separate site plan will be required and come back to the board for any design review.

Board members asked technical clarifying questions about the new levels and the elevator; staff confirmed the rooftop parking would be administratively reviewed and that the proposal meets the applicable standards in Section 94-32(a) of the city zoning code. The board then moved, seconded and voted to recommend approval. The recommendation will be transmitted to the City Commission for two public hearings and final action.

If the commission approves the amendment, the applicant must return with a site plan and any required administrative reviews for final permitting and construction details.","The West Palm Beach Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of a major plan development amendment to add two parking levels, rooftop parking and an elevator to the Hibiscus Garage within City Place (formerly Rosemary Square). Staff supported the change and the item will go to the City Commission for final action.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning Board delays North Flagler overlay amid resident, developer concerns over height bonuses and submerged land

Planning Board clears downtown code change to define "hospital," citing emergency access, buffer and site-size rules

Planning Board approves Nora District text change to allow height-by-feet (not story cap) to unlock more workforce units

Planning Board recommends approval to add rooftop parking and elevator to City Place’s Hibiscus Garage