Commission approves zoning text change to expand workforce housing incentives, add Live Local waiver process

The West Palm Beach City Commission on Jan. 21 approved ordinance 5123-25, amending Chapter 94 of the city code to expand incentives for affordable and workforce housing in the Broadway Mixed Use District and to add a formal review process for waivers and variances for Live Local workforce housing projects.

City planning administrator Angela Vann told commissioners the ordinance responds to a 2024 change in state law (the Live Local Act) by creating a path for developers of qualifying workforce housing projects to request limited waivers or variances when projects cannot meet every existing zoning requirement because they are infill. "This ordinance established a review process, which gives the city commission the ability to authorize limited variances and waivers from setbacks, landscaping and parking requirements for Live Local workforce housing developments," Vann said.

The ordinance raises the Broadway Mixed Use District (BMUD) building incentive from three additional floors to seven, clarifies that bonus units for up-zonings are calculated from the original base zoning, and affirms the maximum floor-area-ratio the city intended to allow (1.5 FAR). Vann said the change to how the 50 percent bonus unit requirement is calculated would count the increase from a project's base zoning so the workforce-unit yield is larger when a property upzones (for example, from multifamily-14 base zoning). Staff said it is still coordinating with the Department of Housing and Community Development to finalize equitable implementation language and that minor edits may return at second reading.

Commissioners asked whether any projects were already using Live Local provisions; staff said one application (referred to as the 29100 project) is already in under Live Local standards, and no other new applications are expected before the BMUD item returns. The ordinance was moved, seconded and carried unanimously. The clerk read the ordinance aloud before the roll call.

Why it matters: The change eases development constraints for projects that aim to deliver workforce-affordable units on infill parcels, while giving the commission explicit review authority for limited waivers tied to Live Local projects. Staff emphasized the intent is to preserve the city’s underlying density incentives while clarifying how bonus units are calculated.

The commission declared the amendment consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and adopted the ordinance on Jan. 21; staff said any technical edits will be returned at second reading if needed.