Seventh at Haverhill — West Palm Beach — At a Palm Beach County Zoning Commission meeting in the VISTA Center, commissioners recommended approval of a class A conditional use to increase residential density and recommended approval of a Type 2 parking waiver for the Seventh at Haverhill mixed-use project, a proposed five-story building that would include a 5,000-square-foot place of worship and about 101 multifamily residential units.

The project team said the development would be 100% affordable under the county Affordable Housing Program (AHP) with a unit mix of 40 studios, 43 one-bedroom units and 18 two-bedroom units, and would seek bonuses to raise the site's future land use from HR-8 to HR-12 and to use transfer-of-development-rights (TDRs). Meredith Lay, agent for the applicant, said, "The project before you today is a centrally located mixed use project. It is a 5 story building on the West Side Of Haverhill Road. The project will include a 5,000 square foot place of worship with a 150 seats and a 101 multifamily residential units." The commission voted in favor of the motions; the zoning commission record reflects the body's recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.

Why it matters: The proposal would increase allowable density on roughly 3.37 acres and add affordable housing in an area served by transit and neighborhood services. The application also tests new county text amendments and a recently adopted county ordinance that allows reduced parking for affordable housing projects.

Key details and proposals
- Applicant/Team: Meredith Lay (agent, Schutzen Bowen) and Danny Morakovic (principal, Trebel Housing). The applicant named Tree Veil Housing (transcript) and Trebel Housing (developer representative) in different places; the development team described a partnership with the property owner, West Palm Beach Seventh Day Baptist Church, to keep a place of worship on site.
- Units and affordability: About 101 multifamily units total; applicant says the AHP requires a minimum of 65% of the units at or below 60% of area median income (AMI). The presentation included a 2025 AMI figure of $111,000 and used 60% of AMI (about $67,000) as the target for most affordable units.
- Density and TDRs: The site currently has an HR-8 future land use designation; the applicant seeks HR-12 and transfer development rights beyond two units per acre (applicant said TDRs could allow up to 24 additional units). The parcel cited in the motion was about 3.37 acres.
- Parking waiver: Under current county code standard rates the multifamily portion would require roughly 172 spaces; the applicant requested a Type 2 waiver tied to a new county ordinance to reduce required parking for affordable housing. The project proposes 135 spaces for multifamily and 50 spaces for the church (including two clergy spaces), and the applicant submitted a parking demand study and a parking management plan as required by staff.
- Architecture, balconies and mural: Staff asked for a more residential appearance and for at least 40% of residential units to include balconies or patios. The applicant told the commission it currently provides balconies for 26% of units and said raising the rate to 40% would be costly. When asked about the cost, Danny Morakovic said, "Roughly $400,000. We're looking at about 30,000 per balcony to 40,000 per balcony." Commissioners and staff discussed lower-cost alternatives such as converting ground-floor windows to doors with small patios. The applicant agreed to work with staff on alternatives prior to the Board of County Commissioners review. The team also proposed a mural on the building's facade and staff said a condition of approval would be needed to ensure the mural is installed near occupancy.

Process and next steps
The zoning commission made motions recommending approval of the class A conditional use and the Type 2 parking waiver; commissioners voted "aye" on both motions. The commission record includes staff's conditions of approval and notes that some requested text amendments tied to the project were transmitted and remain pending with the county process. Final decisions on issues that require Board of County Commissioners action (including future land use changes and text amendments) will be taken by the BCC at a later hearing.

Concerns and mitigating steps
Staff and commissioners expressed concern about parking enforcement and "parasitic" towing practices. The applicant submitted a tenant parking agreement and a parking management plan; staff included conditions to revise and finalize that plan. Commissioners also pressed the applicant to find affordable, lower-cost ways to meet the architectural conditions (balconies/patios) and to commit to a mural condition.

Ending note: The zoning commission's recommendations will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action on land-use and text-amendment items; the applicant and staff agreed to continue working on the balcony and mural conditions before that hearing.