Board recommends ordinance to allow places of worship in Neighborhood Commercial zone

The Lake Worth Beach Historic Preservation Board voted to recommend adoption of ordinance 2026-06, a city-initiated zoning-text amendment that would add places of worship as conditional and administrative uses within the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) district.

Lauren Pross, principal planner with the Department of Community Sustainability, told the board the amendment and an accompanying rezoning would regularize several existing, nonconforming places of worship in the neighborhood. "Tonight, you are considering ordinance 20 26 dash o 6, which is also known as planning and zoning board application 26-02900001, which is a city initiated zoning text amendment proposing to add places of worship as a conditional and administrative use within the NC Neighborhood Commercial District," Pross said, and staff recommended approval.

Board members questioned how the city's use-table approach compares with other municipalities and how parking and intensity levels would be handled. Staff explained the code distinguishes administrative (staff-level) approvals for low-intensity uses from conditional (board-level) approvals for medium and high intensities and that parking and site-plan elements would still be reviewed. The code definition of a place of worship was read into the record from the city's definition section.

A board member moved to recommend adoption of the proposed LDR text amendments included in ordinance 2026-06; a second followed and the motion "passes unanimously," according to the meeting record. The transcript does not provide a numerical roll-call tally. The board's recommendation will be transmitted to the City Commission and planning staff for the next steps in the ordinance process.