WEST PALM BEACH, FL — The West Palm Beach City Commission voted unanimously Monday to advance a $6.625 million sale of 57 acres of city-owned land near the Florida Turnpike to Pine Crest Preparatory School, one of a series of significant land use, housing and infrastructure decisions on a long agenda that also paused new development along South Flagler Drive and cleared a 318-unit apartment project on Haverhill Road.
The commission met at 5 p.m. Monday at 401 Clematis Street. All five commissioners were present, along with Mayor Keith A. James.
Every item that came to a vote passed unanimously. The commission's biggest single decision was the term sheet with Pine Crest, followed by a second reading of a six-month zoning in progress that would block new planned development applications for seven older multifamily properties along South Flagler Drive and Washington Road, and the approval of the Alton West Palm Beach apartment project at 5710 North Haverhill Road.
Pine Crest term sheet advances $6.625 million land sale
The commission approved Resolution No. 161-26, a term sheet with Pine Crest Preparatory School, Inc. for the sale of approximately 57 acres of surplus city property south of Roebuck Road and east of the Florida Turnpike. The northern portion of the larger site contains an existing wellfield used by the city's Public Utilities Department.
Deputy City Administrator Armando Fana walked the commission through the deal. According to his presentation, the property will be deed-restricted for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school use. Pine Crest has committed to contribute up to $1.5 million toward a pump station to improve water pressure in the area, help build access roads to the wellfield, and set aside at least 18% of construction costs for certified small businesses. The city has proposed directing the sale proceeds toward Roosevelt Elementary School, with a separate grant agreement expected to come back to the commission within 30 to 60 days.
The sale price drew scrutiny. Fana said two 2025 appraisals averaged $6.625 million, and two updated 2026 appraisals came in at just over $5 million because the school-use restriction, wetlands mitigation credits and site demucking costs reduced the valuation. Under a directive the commission attached to a prior resolution, the price cannot fall below the earlier $6.625 million figure, so that is the term sheet number.
Commissioner Shalonda Warren pressed the applicant on whether Pine Crest needed the full 57 acres. She noted the school's Fort Lauderdale campus sits on roughly 50 acres and its Boca Raton campus on 26 acres. Warren also questioned the financial aid figure Pine Crest disclosed, citing what she said were higher percentages at comparable private schools, including 17% at the Benjamin School, 29% at Oxbridge, 33% at Cardinal Newman and about 35% at American Heritage. Pine Crest currently gives about 15% of its student body some level of aid, Vice President of Finance and Operations Nancy Green said.
Commissioner Cathleen Ward pushed back on a proposed 10-year window in the term sheet that would give the school five years to begin construction and five more to complete it. Ward said she would not vote for that timeline in the final purchase and sale agreement.
"I don't plan on voting for something if we have the five and the five years," Ward said during the vote. "I want something in there that actually discusses something other than $100,000 for liquidated damages and that we have something more finite."
Todd Rosenberg, chair of the Pine Crest board of trustees, said the school did not expect to use the full 10 years. "We're moving full speed even while we work with you guys on on the formalities of the LOI and the PSA," Rosenberg said. Fana said reverter provisions and a shorter timeline could be built into the final sales agreement.
Pine Crest President Dana Markham told the commission the school would waive the application fee for West Palm Beach residents, give priority admission review and consider expanded financial aid once enrollment demand is known.
A closing is anticipated in the first quarter of 2027 after the applicant completes due diligence and the property is rezoned. The final purchase and sale agreement will come back to the commission for approval.
South Flagler zoning in progress adopted amid split public comment
On second reading, commissioners unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 5177-26, a city-initiated six-month zoning in progress that blocks the filing of new planned development applications on seven multifamily-zoned properties south of Monroe Drive and north of Southern Boulevard, between Flagler Drive and Washington Road.
The affected addresses are 3611 South Flagler Drive, 3701 South Flagler Drive, 3800 Washington Road, 3901 South Flagler Drive, 3906 Washington Road, 3907 South Flagler Drive and 3915 South Flagler Drive. Staff said the pause is intended to give the city time to draft new zoning rules for the South Flagler corridor, similar to a process the city completed last year for the North Flagler corridor. Assistant Development Services Director Angela Jones Vaughn said staff plans to return with proposed overlay regulations by January 2027, and that the outside consultant Zyscovich will run the technical analysis while staff handles community outreach.
Vaughn also drew a distinction that framed much of the debate. Several speakers referred to the vote as a "moratorium," but Vaughn said the action does not stop redevelopment.
"We're proposing a zoning in progress that you can apply for a plan development," Vaughn said. "If you can come in today and meet the code requirements and build by right, this zoning in progress is not stopping you from doing that. It's just stopping you from coming in and applying for a plan development at this point for the next six months."
The public comment period drew about a dozen residents. The heaviest opposition came from residents of the Flagler Yacht Club at 3701 South Flagler Drive, who described mandatory Structural Integrity Reserve Study assessments driven by state law and said pending bulk sales to developers are the only realistic financial exit.
Robert Durkin, a Flagler Yacht Club board member, said an assessment first quoted at $800,000 came in at $2.2 million once bids were received and that roughly half of the building's owners struggled to pay. Leslie Weinberg, who said she was the first buyer in the Flagler Yacht Club, said her assessment could double or triple next year. Maryanne Chop, another resident, said she had signed a contract to sell her unit to a developer.
Elizabeth Gory, a resident of the Portofino condominium at 3800 Washington Road, told the commission she was speaking as a private citizen. She said state-mandated retrofits were forcing older-building owners into a difficult decision at the same time a new tower was already approved just to the south.
"A new 18-story tower already has permission to rise smack dab in the middle of the deliberate district," Gory said. "You aren't considering downsizing for no good reason in my view."
Supporters urged the commission to hold the line. Amy Triggs, of 208 Monroe Drive, said she had gone back and watched the commission's earlier vote on the Maison Dior project, when the same members told residents the corridor needed further study. She said an attorney had contacted her in the past week about a new proposal for the area, which she said reinforced the case for a pause. Christina Lambert said residents had already begun coordinating in the two weeks since the first reading, with more than 20 neighborhood leaders meeting to prepare input for the overlay work. Carolyn Stanall, who said she is 93 and lives in the affected area, thanked the commission for the pause.
Commissioner Ward acknowledged the state's assessment rules but said the zoning in progress was still warranted. Ward said the North Flagler overlay process took roughly two years of meetings, and staff and residents wanted predictability going forward. Commissioner Christy Fox said her support for the earlier Maison Dior approval was influenced by residents facing financial pressure, and she said the same is true here.
The zoning in progress expires January 20, 2027, unless the commission extends it.
Alton West Palm Beach cleared for 318 units on Haverhill Road
Commissioners unanimously approved a package of three second-reading ordinances and a special site plan resolution that annex 8.54 acres at 5710 North Haverhill Road into the city, assign a Multifamily future land use and MF32 zoning designation, and clear the Alton West Palm Beach project for 318 residential units.
The property, currently in unincorporated Palm Beach County, is developed with two church buildings owned by the Palm Lake Baptist Association. The applicant, The Kolter Group LLC, plans to demolish the existing structures and build a multifamily development at the northeast corner of 45th Street and Haverhill Road. Of the 318 units, 44 will be workforce or affordable housing, with 22 units required under the city's Affordable and Workforce Housing Overlay and 22 additional units voluntarily provided by the developer, according to Resolution No. 136-26.
Commissioners also approved a 22.5% parking waiver, allowing 478 spaces for the development instead of the 617 spaces the code would require. Stephanie Garrow of Kimley-Horn walked the commission through a parking study using national data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers and drone-collected data from three comparable South Florida suburban multifamily sites, including Vidian Shores on Australian Avenue.
Commissioner Stephen Sylvester questioned the overnight count. Garrow said the drone surveys were done shortly before 5 a.m. Sylvester, a physical therapist who said he had worked overnight shifts, said the timing may miss workers already gone for the day.
Anna Marie Apante, development services director, said the key difference between the Alton project and a similar-sized 1988 development was that Alton's parking will be unbundled, meaning spaces will not be assigned to individual leases. Fox confirmed that the developer had committed to not renting more units than parking permits allow. The applicant will also provide a rideshare drop-off area, a Palm Tran subsidy for occupied workforce units at or below 100% area median income, a new bus shelter along Haverhill Road, on-site bicycle repair and storage, and a designated mobility coordinator.
Palm Beach County was notified of the annexation on September 15, 2025, and issued a letter of no objection on October 23, 2025. The city Planning Board had recommended approval 7-0 in May.
Howard Park Community Center replacement contract awarded
Commissioners approved a $7,549,398.15 construction contract with Shiff Construction and Development, Inc., for the Howard Park Community Center replacement project at Parker Avenue south of Okeechobee Boulevard. The bid included a base contract plus an alternate for a commercial kitchen and is fully funded through the 2016 one-cent sales tax. Shiff Construction submitted the lowest responsive bid and committed to 23% small business participation, above the required 18%, staff said. The project is scheduled to be substantially complete 400 days from the issuance of a notice to proceed. The existing 1960s building will be converted to an open-air pavilion.
District Pointe, Roseland Gardens Phase II and HUD funds
Commissioners approved a restrictive covenant with District Pointe, LLC for a 280-unit rental development at 1501 Belvedere Road. Under the city's Affordable and Workforce Housing Overlay Program, 71 of the units, or 25%, will be designated as affordable or workforce, with 18 units at or below 80% area median income, 32 units at 81 to 100% AMI, and 21 units at 101 to 120% AMI.
The commission also approved a $640,000 HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding commitment to support a 9% low-income housing tax credit application for the second phase of what the agenda item originally labeled Southridge, a public housing site at 3801 Georgia Avenue. Mayor James corrected the record at the top of the meeting, noting that the correct project name is Roseland Gardens Phase II. The developers, Smith & Henzy Affordable Group and the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, plan to demolish existing public housing and build 100 new affordable rental units.
On a public hearing item, commissioners accepted approximately $5.22 million in federal entitlement grants for fiscal year 2026-2027 and approved the city's Annual Action Plan for those funds. The total includes $947,465 in Community Development Block Grant funding, $487,031.94 in HOME funds and $3,788,905 in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS funds. The plan must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by August 15, 2026.
Rail crossings, quiet zones and Dreher Park
Commissioners approved a series of consent-calendar items funding maintenance at four South Florida Regional Transportation Authority railroad crossings, totaling approximately $3.41 million: $782,025 at 15th Street, $853,374 at 36th Street, $718,655 at 7th Street and $1,055,622 at 25th Street. Staff said the work is fully budgeted in the local gas tax and capital acquisition funds.
Also on consent, the commission authorized submission of a $12 million application to the Federal Railroad Administration's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program for the West Palm Beach Quiet Zones Modernization Project, with a $3 million city match funded by gas tax and one-cent sales surtax dollars. The project would improve safety at 13 grade crossings along the South Florida Rail Corridor.
The commission separately approved Resolution No. 172-26, a license to Cox Science Center and Aquarium, Inc. to reconfigure Dreher Trail North as part of the science center's expansion. The reconfiguration will eliminate traffic circles, straighten the roadway and add parking. Kurt Allen, president and CEO of the Cox Science Center, said the science center will pay for the work and does not plan to close the road during construction. The city Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee had recommended approval unanimously in June.
What happens next
The Pine Crest purchase and sale agreement is expected to return to the commission before a first quarter 2027 closing. The South Flagler zoning in progress expires January 20, 2027, with proposed overlay regulations targeted for January. The 5710 North Haverhill site will now move forward with permitting for the Alton West Palm Beach development. The city's HUD Annual Action Plan is due to Washington by August 15, 2026.
State law governs the zoning in progress action under the city's home-rule powers, and the property transactions must satisfy Section 2-31(27)(c) of the city Code of Ordinances, which sets a floor of 85% of the average of two current appraisals for city land sales. The commission waived the six-month recency requirement for those appraisals in the Pine Crest term sheet by unanimous vote, as authorized by the code.
Zoning changes, development applications, and land use decisions can have a major impact on West Palm Beach neighborhoods. Boca Post covers planning reviews, public hearings, and City Commission votes through our West Palm Beach Government page.
