Palm Beach County to study raising fitness‑use cap in commerce zoning after developers and youth sports groups press for space

Palm Beach County commissioners on Wednesday voted unanimously to direct staff to study changes to the Unified Land Development Code that would increase the allowable percentage of fitness‑center uses in the Commerce future land‑use designation. Vice Mayor Woodward moved to initiate the text amendment and give staff latitude to consider options up to 100 percent; Commissioner Maria Sachs seconded the motion and the board adopted it 7–0.

The request before commissioners was narrowly framed by the applicant as a change to a single sentence in the code that would increase the cap from 20% to 35% for fitness‑center uses. Jennifer Morton of J. Morton Planning and Landscape Architecture, representing applicant BC Commerce, told the board the company’s 47‑acre BC Commerce project (approved for about 661,611 square feet) is under construction and that leasing is active. Morton said three fitness users already occupy the 20% allocation and that raising the cap would allow confirmed prospective tenants — including DBAT (a baseball/softball training academy) and Wellington Volleyball Academy — to sign leases and provide year‑round indoor recreation for families nearby.

"This is not a speculative request," Morton said, urging the board to initiate phase 2 so staff and the applicant could draft precise code language and return for public hearings. Developer Zach Channing said the project was designed to keep pedestrian access and parking separate from truck circulation and that fitness buildings would cluster near Boynton Beach Boulevard while deliveries would use a separate service road off Acme Dairy Road.

Several public commenters supported the change. Jesse Odom of Wellington Volleyball Academy said expanding the fitness allocation would let the club secure a permanent home for young athletes. Clayton Kent, managing partner of Twisters Gymnastics, said his organization has waiting lists in nearby locations and that more local facilities would boost public health and local business activity.

Some commissioners urged caution about mixing child‑oriented recreation with industrial activity. Commissioner Sachs said she favored more recreation overall but repeatedly pressed the applicant and staff on whether large‑scale warehouse operations, distribution trucks or a brewery could coexist with facilities serving children. Planning staff clarified that the Commerce future land use prohibits distribution as a separate use but that warehouse uses had been approved on the site and that truck activity for warehouse functions would be possible; staff said phase 2 would address circulation, proximity and other safeguards.

Vice Mayor Woodward framed the vote as a policy‑level initiation: "This is the time you and staff can work together," he said, urging staff to develop language that addresses parking and safety questions. The board also asked staff to consider whether a countywide percentage cap remains appropriate or whether site‑specific criteria should guide such limits.

Next steps: initiation sends the privately proposed text amendment into a staff analysis phase during which planners will coordinate with county divisions, draft specific code language, and return to the board for formal readings and public hearings. The applicant said it hopes to be back by mid‑summer but emphasized timing is critical because the project is under construction and leasing is active.