Council approves Coconut Palm Plaza PUD and site plan including medical campus and 16-pump fueling station amid resident concerns

Palm Beach Gardens — The City Council approved a series of land‑use measures that together allow the Coconut Palm Plaza development to proceed, despite vocal objections from nearby residents about groundwater, traffic and pedestrian safety.

The council on combined consideration passed Ordinance 17‑2025 (a small‑scale future‑land‑use amendment), Ordinance 18‑2025 (rezoning to a PUD overlay) and Resolution 81‑2025 (site‑plan approval) with recorded outcomes of three members voting in favor and two abstaining on each action.

Residents who live adjacent to the proposed site at Northlake Boulevard and Coconut Boulevard argued the plan included a 16‑pump fueling station that risks contamination of private wells and local canals. “We are a water‑well community,” said Jieski Hermans, who told the council the Acreage relies on private wells and that runoff from a large fueling operation could harm groundwater used for drinking and irrigation.

Staff and the applicant responded that county entitlements already authorized a 16‑pump station prior to annexation and that state and federal rules govern underground petroleum tanks and leak protections. The applicant’s representative, Zach Ceceira of Kotler & Herring, said the project would expand pedestrian infrastructure, including widening the Coconut sidewalk to 10 feet and adding a meandering trail and shade structures, and argued the changes would “improve access” to the site.

Several residents described immediate safety issues near Hamlin Boulevard and requested sidewalks. Staff pointed out that the portion of Hamlin where some residents live falls within the Indian Trail Improvement District’s jurisdiction and that many crossing and sidewalk improvements would require coordination with that district; councilmembers said they would pursue those conversations and offered to walk the corridor with residents to assess potential solutions.

Resolution 81‑2025 approves a plan that includes a 38,500‑square‑foot medical office and a 10,400‑square‑foot off‑campus emergency department. When asked whether EV charging could be required, staff said Florida law prevents the city from mandating EV chargers as a condition of development; the applicant did not voluntarily commit to charging infrastructure during the hearing.

The council’s recorded votes show three members supporting each measure and two abstentions on the comprehensive‑plan amendment, rezoning and site plan. Council members said the project had prior county entitlements and that staff and the applicant addressed city code and environmental permitting requirements. The council also emphasized follow‑up outreach to the Indian Trail Improvement District and continued engagement with concerned residents about pedestrian safety.

Next steps: the site plan and building permits proceed under the city’s final conditions and applicable state permitting processes for petroleum tanks and environmental protections. Councilmembers said they would help connect residents to ITID representatives to pursue any additional off‑site pedestrian or crossing improvements.