Planning board approves cold‑storage facility at 2209 7th Avenue North after neighbors’ concerns

The City of Lake Worth Beach Planning & Zoning Board voted unanimously to approve a major site plan, conditional use permit and a sustainable bonus incentive request to build a high‑intensity cold‑storage facility at 2209 7th Avenue North.

City senior community planner Karina Maldonado told the board the proposal is for an approximately 88,019‑square‑foot building (the freezer portion about 53,565 sq. ft.) on a vacant 10‑acre parcel zoned Industrial Park of Commerce, and that staff recommends approval with conditions including correction of a front setback, architectural enhancement or increased landscaping on the north façade, payment of the sustainable bonus fee, and compliance with utility, lighting and permitting requirements. "The conditional use permit to establish a high intensity cold storage ... indicates that it's over 7,500 square feet," Maldonado said during her presentation.

The applicant, Wes Blackman of CWB Associates, described the project as aimed at serving multiple small tenants (e.g., florists, restaurants, pharmacies) and emphasized site design choices intended to limit impacts on the nearby neighborhood west of the canal. Blackman said trucks will use existing industrial routes and that mechanical equipment will be internalized: "It does not generate loud noise or odor. It does not increase traffic in residential areas," he said.

Neighbors who live across the canal urged more time to review materials and additional mitigation. Elise Kron, a resident and homeowner, asked for a continuance and said the agenda packet arrived late; she warned the proposed riprap along the canal would harden the bank and could harm birds and other wildlife. "I just feel like... it was rushed getting this," she said, and urged "a much thicker band of dense tiered landscaping on the West side" or a mural to soften the appearance.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on notification, setbacks and the Lake Worth Drainage District requirement for riprap. The board was told the district's easement and stormwater requirements drive shoreline treatment and that riprap is a condition imposed by that agency. The applicant acknowledged some returned mailing evidence and a published neighborhood meeting in July.

During cross‑examination, neighbors raised questions about amplified winds near a long, tall wall and 24/7 operations. The applicant responded that Florida building code and design measures address wind and that refrigeration and most activity will be internal and east of the building; he acknowledged no site‑specific wind study had been completed for the five‑foot additional height but called the increment "de minimis." "We're asking for an additional 5 feet," Blackman said. "There is no wind barrier in the canal... but the impact of this additional 5 feet on this building... I think, would be de minimis." (Speaker: Wes Blackman.)

After deliberation, the board declined a continuance and approved the project on a motion citing the staff report and public testimony. Conditions include revising the front setback to the required range, adding or enhancing landscaping/architectural treatments on the north/west facades, complying with Lake Worth Drainage District requirements for the canal edge, and standard lighting, building permit and utility conditions. The applicant and staff said they will address technical corrections and submit updated site‑plan materials for final ministerial review.

Next steps: the approval as recorded permits the applicant to proceed to final site plan/permit submittals and to satisfy the listed conditions prior to building permits.