Zoning board approves Mary Lou's off-site valet parking with conditions, reserves canopy vote

The West Palm Beach Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 Thursday to approve a Class B special use permit allowing Mary Lou's restaurant at 250 Southern Boulevard to operate off-site parking on two neighboring properties, 213 and 215 Southern Boulevard, to support a proposed outdoor seating expansion.

The board’s approval covers only the off-site parking arrangement; the canopy and related variances for the outdoor seating feature were discussed but are not being voted on at this hearing. Staff and the applicant said the outdoor seating area would add roughly 1,976 square feet of space and, under the code, would require about 20 additional parking spaces for that exterior area. The restaurant site currently has nine on-site spaces; the applicant told the board it will secure 24 off-site spaces by lease and that a valet operation could support up to 33 spaces operationally. The applicant has said the off-site arrangement will be formalized in a recorded tri-party agreement among the city, the restaurant owner, and the two off-site property owners.

Cameron Ennis of Schmidt Nichols presented the application and described a site redesign intended to improve safety and aesthetics from the prior convenience-store layout. Ennis said the proposal reduces driveway conflict points and adds valet-based circulation to move vehicles between the restaurant and the neighboring parking lots. Owner representative Eptice Pfizer described plans to contract a professional valet operator; Pfizer said the valets are a long-standing commercial valet service in the area. Planner Lehi Inglier told the board staff recommended approval of the Class B off-site parking and clarified that, because the site is an existing, legal nonconforming lot, the board is not holding the applicant to full current-code parking requirements for the entire site. "The existing lot does not meet the code," Inglier said, "but the applicant is required only to comply with parking demands associated with the new outdoor seating." Staff also said FDOT reviewed and preliminarily approved the driveway change as part of the pre-application review and that traffic counts were done during peak times.

Board members pressed the applicant on operational matters: ensuring valets cross Southern Boulevard at the crosswalk, avoiding use of residential streets, coordination with FDOT, liability and training for valet staff, and how the tri-party lease would constrain future operations. The applicant and staff agreed on conditions requiring signed lease agreements from 213 and 215 Southern Boulevard before valet operations start; updated leases must be maintained to preserve the Class B approval. Staff also recommended and the board adopted conditions that the valet operation "shall not use the residential streets," must not impede the westbound left-turn movement or free traffic flow on Southern Boulevard, and that the off-site parking be used for valet operations and employee parking (an amendment the board adopted during the motion).

Planner Inglier also recorded that, under prior code and existing nonconforming status, the overall site is currently short parking relative to what strict current-code standards would require, but the board's action makes the site more conforming than before by addressing the outdoor seating demand. The motion to approve was made by board member Emily Savage, seconded and approved 5-0; the board will record the tri-party lease agreements in the city file and the applicant must return to the city if the parking agreements are changed or terminated, which would reduce allowed outdoor seating unless remedied.