Developers unveil two-tower Riviera Beach project with 280 units and pledge to prioritize local hires

Exact Capital and partner Penta Construction presented detailed plans for a downtown Riviera Beach redevelopment on Blue Heron Boulevard and Broadway, proposing an 18-story tower of roughly 180–190 workforce units and an 8-story building of about 90 senior units, plus ground-floor retail and hidden parking.

Craig Livingston, managing partner of Exact Capital, told residents the team responded to a CRA request for proposals and is preparing a site plan for city review. "We want the local businesses to work with us. We want some of the local residents to be hired by us," he said, adding the team hopes to be in construction "sometime next summer." The developers said they will return to the community for additional meetings and to the planning and zoning board and city council as the approval process unfolds.

The project team described retail fronting the street with "7 shops" in the larger building and "4 or maybe even 5" in the smaller, ground-floor commercial space intended to support small, local businesses. Architect Rick Gonzales called the site a "downtown cornerstone" and said the team aims to finish construction plans early next year so it can start building in mid‑next year and be "ready, late 2028." The architect also described the parking and service areas as tucked behind the buildings in an urban, new‑urban layout.

John Hurt, executive director of the Riviera Beach Housing Authority, said the partnership gives the Housing Authority a role in ensuring participation by middle- and lower‑income families and described the eight‑story building as designed to serve seniors at "up to 80% AMI." He said the authority will work to structure rents so small businesses can occupy the retail spaces.

Penta representative John Napa described workforce and contracting plans, urging residents to sign up to be considered for contractor pools and jobs. Napa said the firm is looking to synchronize financing so both buildings could be built at the same time and estimated roughly "22, 24 months" to complete construction once ground is broken. He pointed attendees to a QR code and to "info@rivier-gateway.com" for questions or to join an interest list.

Labor-union representatives and a reentry‑program representative also spoke about workforce pathways. Louis Font, vice president of Laborers Local 1652, said the union runs a state‑certified apprenticeship program and promoted career training and benefits for workers. Samuel Dawson, a union member, described how union work provided stable, skilled employment for his family.

Developers and housing officials emphasized local participation repeatedly. Livingston framed the team’s stated economic goal plainly: "We wanna see people from Riviera Beach participate in this $300,000,000 development that we're doing, and we want you guys to rise with us." The team pledged to hold two more community meetings and said the formal approval path includes site‑plan submittal, planning and zoning review, and city council consideration.

No formal votes or binding agreements were recorded at the meeting; the session was a community outreach and informational presentation. Attendees were encouraged to speak one‑on‑one with the team after the presentation and to use the QR code, sign‑in sheet or email to register interest. The next procedural steps described by the presenters are further community meetings, a formal site‑plan filing and review by planning and zoning and city council.