Miami Dolphins' Ross plans Shorecrest, another condo for West Palm Beach's waterfront

Miami Dolphins owner and Palm Beach billionaire Stephen Ross is about to launch sales of a new West Palm Beach condominium, marking the real estate mogul's second waterfront residential project planned for the city.

Shorecrest is the name of the 140-unit condo set to rise at 1901 N. Flagler Drive on land now home to Temple Israel.

The temple is the oldest Jewish organization in Palm Beach County and the only Reform synagogue in West Palm Beach.

Construction of Shorecrest will not mean the temple's departure from its prime waterfront perch, however. Instead, in an unusual arrangement, the condo will feature a newly built temple on two floors of the high-rise building.

Some 20 stories of condominium residences will be built above the temple, according to Ken Himmel, chief executive of Related Urban.

In addition, a preschool will be built on the west side of the tower.

The plan first was disclosed by The Palm Beach Post in October 2022 after temple members voted to authorize the sale of their waterfront land to Ross' Related Cos. of New York. The global real estate developer has deep investments in West Palm Beach. Temple members were impressed by Related's promise to include the temple in a new condo, plus build a new school.

On Tuesday, Dec. 26, the condo/temple plan was confirmed by Himmel and temple co-president Martin List.

Shorecrest will be a West Palm Beach high-rise condo for people 'moving here,' Relates said

Shorecrest is slated to rise 26 or 27 stories and will feature residences ranging from one to four bedrooms. Prices will start at $1.5 million and go up to nearly $10 million for penthouses featuring up to 4,000 square feet, on the east side of the property facing the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach, Himmel said.

Most units, however, will cost about $5 million, Himmel said.

Shorecrest's target market is people moving to Palm Beach County to work in one of the many Class A office towers in the city, most of which are owned by Related, Himmel said.

"It's for people moving here for our offices, young, newly married people, and empty nesters," Himmel said.

At a time when some homes on West Palm Beach's waterfront are selling for up to eight figures, "where else can you get anything on the water for under $5 million?" Himmel asked.

Shorecrest's architect is Roger Ferris, a notable contemporary architect whose worldwide body of work is "magnificent," Himmel said. This is Ferris's first project in Palm Beach County.

The sales gallery is expected to open in January at The Square. Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group will handle sales and marketing of Shorecrest.

More: Related Cos. kicks off sales of condos at South Flagler House. What's the starting price?

Related owns or built downtown West Palm's offices. Now it's pivoting to condos.

The move underscores Related's desire to capitalize on a new crop of upscale condominiums rising in the city, in much the same way the company dominates the downtown office market.

Related Cos. already is marketing preconstruction units at South Flagler House, an ultra-luxury condo project planned along the Intracoastal Waterway at 1355 S. Flagler Drive. This pricey enclave features 108 units in twin towers designed by another noted architect, Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York. Prices start at $5.9 million but units will mostly range from $12 million to $18 million each.

Himmel described Shorecrest and South Flagler House "as completely different markets," with South Flagler House catering to more of the Palm Beach crowd.

While South Flagler House is in the same vaunted market as The Bristol condominium, Shorecrest will compete with other luxury condos already under construction along North Flagler Drive. They include Olara next to the temple site, as well as Alba farther north on Flagler Drive.

Both Shorecrest and South Flagler House expand Related's already heavy financial investment in West Palm Beach.

In addition to The Square, formerly CityPlace, Related built the Hilton West Palm Beach hotel and office towers 360 Rosemary and CityPlace Tower. New towers under construction include One Flagler along the waterfront and East and West Towers at The Square.

The company also owns the Phillips Point and Esperante office towers.

Recently, Ross talked about his decision to live full time at his home in Palm Beach and invest more in the local community.

In December, Ross announced the creation of Related Together, a new local nonprofit, as well as the donation of $8 million to The Stephen M. Ross Emerging Scholars Program at Palm Beach State College. The program will provide scholarships to students living in poor neighborhoods near the downtown, including the Historic Northwest, Coleman Park and Pleasant City neighborhoods.

More: Dolphins owner Ross pivots to philanthropy: What he plans for West Palm Beach students

Condo temple plan lauded by temple leader

Himmel said the tower will feature a ground floor, the temple and its offices on the next two floors, and a floor for parking.

"Everything we have today is being reconstructed, brand-new," List said.

List also was enthusiastic about plans to build the preschool, which the temple used to offer years ago. The school will be open to the public.

The preschool will be built on the ground floor of a building planned west of the tower. A five-story parking garage will be built above the school, Himmel said.

The temple will move to another location temporarily once construction begins, List said.

But construction might not start until mid-2024 or early 2025, depending on pre-sales, Himmel said.

The plan to build the temple in the condo was common knowledge in the real estate community for more than a year, but temple officials would not publicly speak about the plan until now, even though residents who live next to the temple pressed them for any details.

During a September West Palm Beach City Commission meeting, temple representatives asked the city for approval to lift the zoning height for the temple property to 306 feet from 202 feet.

In doing so, temple officials said there was "no project" afoot. Instead, they said they sought the added height for fairness because nearby properties already were allowed to build to 306 feet.

Himmel and List on Tuesday said the higher zoning allowance advanced the sales contract and boosted the undisclosed price. The contract is slated to close by a February 2026 deadline.

Alexandra Clough is a business writer and columnist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. Twitter: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Ross plans Shorecrest condo on West Palm Beach waterfront