Planning board backs 155-unit Breakers employee housing project near Mangonia Lake

The West Palm Beach Planning Board on July 15 recommended that the City Commission approve a future land use change and rezoning for a 2.4-acre site on North Australian Avenue to allow a 155-unit multifamily development that the applicant said will include a workforce housing component reserved for Breakers employees. The project team and city staff told the board the proposal would consolidate three contiguous parcels — about 1.2 acres owned by VDG Land Co. on the north and 1.2 acres owned by the city on the south — and convert the whole site to an MF‑32 zoning designation and multifamily future land use. The developer’s representative, Tyler Woolsey of Urban Design Studio, said the development will be strictly residential, include 155 dwelling units and that 51% of the units — 79 units — “will be workforce housing.” He also said the Breakers will own the south portion and that residency there will be limited to Breakers employees. Woolsey said the south parcel contains a city lift station and significant underground utilities and that the south edge of the lot cannot support conventional development; the design places parking on the southern portion to preserve and upgrade utility operations. Woolsey said the team will convey a significant easement to the city to protect lift‑station operations and that he believed the easement is roughly 80 feet wide. City senior planner Kevin DeFrank told the board the staff analysis found the proposal complies with the applicable future‑land‑use and rezoning standards in the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning code, and recommended approval with the condition that final site‑plan review be decided by the City Commission. Board members asked about property conveyance and the role of the Breakers. Woolsey said the City Commission earlier this year declared the south parcel surplus and negotiated directly with VDG Land Co.; he said a purchase‑and‑sale agreement and a workforce‑housing agreement will be on the same city‑commission agenda that considers the land‑use and rezoning actions. On a single amended motion incorporating staff conditions, the planning board voted to recommend approval. The board’s recommendation will go to the City Commission for a final decision and for consideration of the associated purchase and sale and workforce‑housing agreements. The application materials and staff report indicate the existing site contains one single‑story office building of about 5,000 square feet and the rest of the property is largely vacant. The project proposal includes amenities the applicant described as a resident pool, a sports field, interior amenities and a dedicated shuttle that the applicant said will run residents to work and to nearby retailers and grocery stores. Discussion versus decision: board discussion focused on ownership, easements and whether a workforce project that limits residency to one employer serves broader city needs; the board then took formal action to recommend both the future‑land‑use amendment and the rezoning, with staff’s condition that the site plan be approved by City Commission. Next steps: the planning board recommendation, the sale/transfer documents and the workforce‑housing agreement will be scheduled for City Commission review; no commission action took place at this meeting.