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Commission approves change to Pine Ridge workforce‑housing condition after owner cites leasing strain
Summary
The commission approved a modification to the Pine Ridge PUD’s 2020 workforce‑housing condition, adding more low‑income restricted units and allowing a portion of units to be unrestricted at market rate to stabilize project finances; the board amended staff recommendation to reserve eight additional restricted units and passed the item 8‑1.
The Palm Beach County Planning Commission on July 11 approved an amendment to a condition of approval for the Pine Ridge Planned Unit Development (PUD) that redesigns the project’s workforce‑housing allocations. Commissioners voted 8‑1 to add eight restricted units to the lower AMI categories and otherwise approve the applicant’s redistribution designed to keep the development financially viable.
The change affects a completed 11.18‑acre, 288‑unit development that was approved under ordinance 2020‑023 with a unique condition allocating 100% of units to the county workforce‑housing program and a heavy weighting of units to higher AMI brackets. The applicant, represented by urban planner John Roach, said the project has struggled to lease units under the 2020 restriction and had turned away about 1,400 prospective tenants in 2024 because most applicants fell into the lower AMI categories while the ordinance concentrated units at the higher (near‑market) categories.
Roach told commissioners the amendment would reallocate the restrictions to better match the local market: the applicant proposed restricting 145 units in the lower two AMI categories (55 units at 60–80% AMI; 90 units at 80–100% AMI) and leaving 143 units unrestricted (market rate). He said that change would preserve 50% of the project as restricted housing—still double the current county baseline of 25%—and would avoid foreclosure and maintain the property as an ongoing source of workforce housing. Planning staff said the request does not change the future land use or unit count, and staff recommended approval with modified condition language limiting the required restricted units to the two lower income categories and leaving the remainder unrestricted.
During deliberations, several commissioners and staff described wider programmatic questions about the workforce‑housing program and market conditions. County workforce‑housing staff (Maria Bella) said the county is monitoring program performance and coordinating with housing and economic development on possible broader changes to the program, such as adjusting AMI tiers. Commissioners expressed concern about preserving housing for current tenants and avoiding displacement; the applicant said existing tenants will not be displaced and that unit turnover would be managed under normal lease renewals.
Commissioner Rosie Matos moved an amendment to the Planning Commission recommendation to add eight restricted units back into the two middle AMI buckets (specifically, four additional units to moderate‑2 and four to the middle category as discussed during the hearing). The motion and second carried. The resulting amendment approved by the commission restricts 153 units (after adding the eight units) and leaves 135 units unrestricted; staff will forward the recommendation and the amended condition to the Board of County Commissioners for final action. The Planning Commission vote was 8 in favor, 1 opposed (Commissioner Cara/Kara Farris voted no).
Votes at a glance: Motion to approve amended Pine Ridge PUD condition (add eight restricted units to moderate categories and approve redistribution) — Approved (8‑1: Yes—Varissa Laudas, Rafael Clemente, Rosie Matos, Rick Stopik, Gary Brown, Serge de Haiti, Selena Samuels, John Carr; No—Cara/Kara Farris).
Context and next steps: The amendment modifies only the workforce‑housing condition in ordinance 2020‑023; the project remains at 288 constructed units. The commission emphasized program‑level evaluation of workforce‑housing AMI tiers and staff said program adjustments are being coordinated with county housing and economic development units.
