The City Commission on Monday approved a major plan development amendment that reduces the approved parking garage at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) from 11 levels to 8.5 levels, changes the garage’s exterior treatment and grants a narrow setback waiver to permit six supporting columns to encroach into the building buffer. The motion passed 3‑1 after a lengthy debate about parking supply and transportation demand management.

Harvey Woire, attorney for PBAU, said the amendment responds to commission direction to improve the garage’s appearance and reduce its perceived height on South Dixie Highway. The university removed a prior metal “wave” cladding concept and substituted a facade motif drawn from campus geometric symbolism (Ichthys/fish motif) used elsewhere on the university’s buildings. "Since that April approval, PBAU has applied to the city to reduce the height of the garage…We believe that all of these changes comply with what your desire was on the cosmetic changes," Woire said.

PBAU’s amendment reduces the number of spaces in the garage by approximately 185 spaces compared with the larger design approved in April. Staff, planning board and applicant agreed on a number of cosmetic changes and staff recommended approval of the amendment and the small waiver for six columns that intrude about 1.5 feet into an 8‑foot landscape buffer. Planning Board approved the design changes. The university and staff argued the campus can manage parking demand through technology and transportation‑demand‑management (TDM) strategies — shuttles, off‑site leased spaces, resident housing, and other operational changes — and that an updated parking demand study will help monitor needs.

Several commissioners and public speakers, however, questioned whether the reduced garage would leave the campus short of parking as student enrollment grows. Commissioner Peduzzi and others referenced earlier testimony that larger parking capacity was necessary; Commissioner Peduzzi voted no on the final amendment. Veronica Altuve, city traffic engineer, and staff said the university’s current parking demand reports show adequate parking for the present academic year and stressed that the university must submit ongoing parking demand studies and can be required to implement stronger TDM measures if demand grows.

The final motion approved the lowered garage height, the facade redesign and the minor landscape waiver; staff will continue to monitor parking demand and enforce conditions tied to PBAU’s parking study.