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Planning board recommends county office at 40 Fifth Street; rezoning to CSPD approved
Summary
The board recommended approval to rezone a 41-acre county parcel at 40 Fifth Street to Community Service Plan Development and approved Phase 1 site plan review for a new 60,000-square-foot County office building (Mod Ford Lee Building), part of a larger master plan that entitles up to 350,000 square feet of future development.
The West Palm Beach Planning Board on March 18 recommended that the City Commission approve a rezoning and approved a Phase 1 site-plan review for a Palm Beach County office building and a larger master plan for the 40 Fifth Street complex.
County representatives presented the project as a multi-phase master plan for a 41-acre county-owned site that has historically hosted county uses. The immediate request before the board covered a rezoning from Community Service to Community Service Plan Development (CSPD) and the site plan for Phase 1: a two-story, approximately 60,000-square-foot office building intended to house county Community Services operations (the presentation identified the building as the “Mod Ford Lee Building”). The applicant said the building would consolidate staff now spread among city properties and is funded through the county’s 1-cent sales surtax program (the surtax was referenced as the source for prior planning and funding on the site).
Architect Alfonso Hernandez described the proposed building footprint, landscape and access plan and said Phase 1 would include the replacement of an existing Datura Street county facility; the team also showed a master plan entitling a future 350,000-square-foot buildout in later phases. Hernandez said Phase 1 would provide about 192 parking spaces (169 were listed as required by code) and that the design included enhanced landscaping and additional measures to meet city standards.
Staff presentation: Planner Alex Singler explained that staff recommended rezoning to CSPD because of the master-planning approach and phased work, and clarified that Phase 1 was the matter for full review; Phase 2 would return later. Singler said staff would refine mobility language for Phase 2 before the item goes to the City Commission and noted city review of traffic and school concurrency documentation.
Public comment and concerns: Several nearby residents addressed the board during public comment. Questions focused on which existing buildings would remain on the site, traffic and access patterns, and the treatment of an on-site historic cemetery. The applicant clarified the main project entrance would be on 40 Second Street and said the entrance would be signalized; the applicant also described a construction schedule with a projected start in late summer 2025 and completion in 2027.
Board action and conditions: The planning board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the rezoning and to approve the Phase 1 site plan review, subject to the conditions listed in the staff report dated March 3, 2025. The board’s motion found the request consistent with the applicable rezoning and site-plan standards in the City of West Palm Beach code.
Why it matters: The project consolidates county functions and is the first phase of a master plan that could allow significant additional county development on the 41-acre parcel, including a future 350,000-square-foot mixed-use program. The item advances county plans for the parcel and will next move to the City Commission for final action on rezoning and site-plan-related entitlements.
