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Commission approves major amendment for Palm Beach Atlantic University: 25-story dorm, 11-level parking garage and enrollment cap increase
Summary
The commission adopted a major amendment to Palm Beach Atlantic University's plan development on April 14 to allow a 25-story dormitory, an 11-level parking garage with 888 spaces, and an enrollment cap increase from 3,000 to 5,000 students, subject to monitoring and a requirement to return with a final garage facade for commission approval.
The West Palm Beach City Commission on April 14 approved a major amendment to the Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) plan development that authorizes a 25-story residence tower north of Acacia Road, an 11-level parking garage, and an increase in the university's enrollment cap from 3,000 to 5,000 students. The vote included multiple conditions intended to monitor traffic and parking impacts and required the university to file a major amendment for final approval of the garage facade prior to issuance of the garage building permit.
The public hearing was quasi-judicial; commissioners made ex parte disclosures at the outset. Applicant representatives included Joni Brinkman (Urban Design Studio), Dr. Schwinn (president of Palm Beach Atlantic University), Kurt Brown (assistant vice president, construction and design), project architect Chris Santoro, and traffic consultant Chris Hagan (Kimley-Horn). City staff presenters included Linda Louis (principal planner) and Veronica Altube (city traffic engineer).
The requested major amendment modifies the PBAU master plan to increase allowable height north of Acacia Road (up to 300 feet), to permit a 25-story dormitory with approximately 275 rooms (capacity for about 990 resident students) and an 11-level parking garage with 888 parking spaces. The garage includes more than 5,000 square feet of active ground-floor uses (a fitness facility facing South Dixie Highway) and streetscape and landscape improvements in the FDOT right-of-way.
Applicant materials and a series of traffic and parking studies were discussed during the hearing. The university said the primary goal of the residence hall and garage is to reduce commuter trips by bringing more students on campus; applicant testimony estimated residential students generate substantially fewer AM-peak trips than commuters. Staff and the city traffic engineer agreed to a set of monitoring and mitigation conditions: an updated monitoring regime replacing the prior annual parking report with biennial traffic monitoring (starting 2026), an annual parking monitoring report to continue, and a post-occupancy monitoring report one year after the building receives certificate of occupancy to confirm trip and parking characteristics. The conditions also require supplemental analysis and corrective measures if monitoring shows the university is not achieving its transportation goals, and allow the city to withhold further permits or require additional measures if impacts exceed projections.
Commissioners raised design and contextual concerns about the visual treatment of the garage on South Dixie Highway. Staff found the application met the applicable site plan and amendment standards and recommended approval, while noting the commission could request a reduction in garage height. The university presented alternative facade treatments and agreed to the commission condition that prior to issuance of the garage building permit the applicant must file a major amendment that provides an improved, contextually appropriate facade and gain commission approval of that treatment.
The planning board previously recommended approval with conditions. The commission moved, seconded and adopted the major amendment and related resolutions, including the corrected date in condition 15, by unanimous vote. Staff will process the major amendment for the garage facade and implement the monitoring and reporting conditions as part of the project approvals.
Key conditions included the following: (1) replace the prior annual parking report with a traffic and parking monitoring program that will include biennial traffic counts and annual parking demand reporting (first cycle 2026); (2) require a post-occupancy monitoring report one year after certificate of occupancy for the garage; (3) require supplemental studies and mitigation if monitoring shows adverse traffic/parking impacts; and (4) require the applicant to file and secure commission approval of a major amendment for the garage facade prior to issuance of the garage building permit.
