Planning board approves developer variances for 80-unit Northwood condominium

The West Palm Beach Planning Board voted unanimously March 18 to grant variance relief and formal site-plan approval for a proposed 80-unit condominium at a Broward Avenue site in the Northwood neighborhood.

The project team described the proposal as an 18-story, for-sale condominium building with 80 units, 202-foot maximum height and 102 parking spaces. The developer requested a variance from the “active use liner” requirement for floors 2 through 5 so the site can accommodate an efficient multi-level parking garage, the project’s agent and design team said.

The variance matter was the central issue at the hearing. Applicant representatives said the property’s shallow lot and the need to fit parking and residential floorplates made the active-use requirement impractical; they presented design treatments — including opaque “milk glass” cladding — intended to reduce the visual impact of the non-active frontage. “If we had to meet the active use and remove that first 20 feet… it would be losing about 32 units,” project agent John Schmidt told the board, explaining the tradeoff between active frontage and unit count. Architect Javier Font said the design team evaluated alternative façades and landed on a simpler, cleaner mid-block expression to fit the narrow lot.

City planning staff recommended approval. Planner Alexis Singler told the board staff agreed the lot constraints made the variance reasonable and that the applicant worked with staff on architectural treatment and other mitigation; staff’s report recommended approval of the variance and the site plan with conditions.

Board discussion was limited. After hearing no members of the public who wished to speak, board member Sam Fish moved to grant the variances and associated level-3 special review; the board adopted the motion and an amended motion with stated conditions. The board’s motions cited the staff report and the evidence submitted as the basis for the finding that the application met the applicable standards.

Outcome and next steps: The motions approved the variance request for the active-use liner and granted level-3 formal site-plan review subject to the conditions in the staff report dated March 3, 2025. The board recorded the approvals as unanimous.

Why it matters: The vote clears the way for an 80-unit, for-sale building in Northwood that the applicant described as linking to recent development in that neighborhood and using incentives in the Curry Mixed Use District to reach the requested height. The variance — and its design mitigation — is the feature most likely to shape how the building interfaces with the street and the pedestrian environment.

The project team and the planning board noted standard follow-up steps: the applicant must satisfy the conditions contained in the staff report and proceed through permitting.