Greenacres staff outline redevelopment plans for 10th Avenue and Lake Worth corridors and detail annexation proposals

Zoning Administrator Linda Louise told the Planning & Zoning Board that staff is programming redevelopment for two priority corridors — the 10th Avenue mixed-use corridor and the Lake Worth Urban Corridor — and will propose zoning and comprehensive-plan updates to encourage walkable, mixed-use development and economic investment.

Linda Louise, zoning administrator for the record, said the 10th Avenue corridor (bounded roughly by Havert Hill Road to the east and the Lake Worth Drainage District E-3 Canal to the west) is zoned MXDOS and is being considered for regulatory changes to stimulate infill redevelopment, add streetscape and building-design standards, and create incentives such as additional building height in exchange for public benefits. She said staff will also review parking requirements and explore off-site and on-street solutions and coordinate transportation linkages and multimodal access, and that the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council will assist with urban-design work.

The Lake Worth Urban Corridor — the city’s primary commercial overlay district — is being considered for similar updates to allow residential uses as part of a mixed-use vision, staff said. Proposed changes would concentrate redevelopment at identified primary and secondary activity centers, apply streetscape and design standards, and include parking and transportation planning to support denser, mixed-use nodes.

Staff also briefed the board on current annexation applications. Boatman Landings is a privately initiated voluntary annexation of a 1.07-acre parcel at Boatman Street and Nyack Lane with a proposed seven-townhouse development; staff said the applicant submitted concurrent future land use and rezoning requests to change the site from county medium-density residential to city medium-density residential (allowing up to 7 units per acre) and that the project is scheduled for DRC review next week. Symphony Court is an annexation application on roughly 8.18–8.91 acres requesting a change to residential-high in city code (up to 10 units per acre); staff said no site plan was included with the annexation application and the file remains under review.

Looking beyond individual applications, staff identified a future annexation area north of Lantana Road at Haverhill Road totaling more than 30 acres that is on the city’s future annexation map and within a primary activity center; staff said annexation would align with the comprehensive-plan annexation priorities and could create additional commercial capacity for the city’s south end.

On timing, staff said the initiatives remain in the programming and feasibility phase and that substantial data and analysis are required before final zoning text amendments. "We are hoping to bring at least one of the redevelopment projects, if not both, later this year," Linda Louise said. Staff noted the work is phased and builds on recent code updates — for example, changes to parking regulations and outdoor lighting — and will be coordinated with the parks master plan and impact-fee analysis before council action.

Economic Development Director Philip Harris, who was introduced during the presentation, said recruitment conversations have targeted health care, financial services, education and hospitality, and noted that many corporate tenants now seek smaller footprints of around 20,000–30,000 square feet, making Greenacres more competitive. "We've had numerous conversations with companies that are in the health care industry," Harris said, adding that staff and developers are discussing mixed-use models that could include anchor tenants downstairs and residential units above.

Board members asked about the Sherwood Forest road redesign and potential roundabout; staff said that project is in the county’s capital improvement program and in redesign and right-of-way review, but no firm construction schedule was available. A board member also asked about the Hoffman's Chocolate building; Harris said staff has engaged the owner and that inquiries include sit-down restaurants and potential redevelopment for housing or leasing.

No formal development approvals or votes on the projects were taken at the meeting; the board approved the minutes of the previous meeting by voice vote earlier in the session. The meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.

Next steps: staff will continue technical review of annexation applications and expects to return at least one redevelopment proposal to the board later this year; Boatman Landings is scheduled for DRC next week.