WPB city commission approves tweaks to post-foster care building, towers at The Square
The West Palm Beach City Commission approved tweaks to a pair of plans — one small and one grand — for the construction of a building to house young people aging out of foster care and two other office and commercial buildings that would continue the transformation of The Square.
Commissioners unanimously approved a variance and a pair of waivers to facilitate the construction of a 12-unit residential facility that will house adults aged 18-25 who are aging out of foster care as well as young adults who are homeless.
The facility would be an addition to an existing campus on Alpha Street run by Vita Nova, a West Palm Beach non-profit organization that provides temporary affordable housing for young people in need.
Vita Nova sought the variance and waivers from city rules regarding signage and parking, arguing that only 23 of the required 47 parking spaces for the campus would be needed because many of those the organization serves are low income individuals and do not have cars.
Commissioners heaped praise on Vita Nova, arguing that their work in the community has been critical.
"This is a huge need," Commissioner Cathleen Ward said. "This is a fantastic organization. You do such great work."
Jeff DeMario, Vita Nova's chief executive officer, estimated that there were already about 30 applicants for the 12 units the organization plans to build.
"The demand is much, much more, but this is a step in the direction to propose something that we can expand on later," DeMario said.
Commissioner Christina Lambert thanked DeMario and Vita Nova for the work they do in the city.
"It's a pleasure to approve and support this project," she said.
Added Commissioner Shalonda Warren: "I, too, would like to echo those comments and just say what a wonderful job you're doing over at Vita Nova. The homeless issue that we're facing is heart-breaking, but there's a group that many people overlook. And that group is the youth who transition into adulthood. We think that, when they turn 18, they're magically ready for the world. And they're not."
After approving the variance and waivers for Vita Nova, commissioners then approved a site plan for the construction of a pair of towers at 550 South Rosemary Avenue, site of the old AMC movie theater and Improv comedy club, restaurants and retail shops at The Square.
The Related Companies, which built The Square, is building a 21-story tower and a 23-story tower that will have a combined 744,492 square feet of office space and 63,890 square feet of retail space.
The 23-story eastern tower will include a rebuilt garage that will replace the existing Hibiscus Street garage. Parking, much of which will be underground, will include both valet and self-parking.
West Palm Beach has been making plans to accommodate the twin towers project. Two years ago, the city created a special "subarea" with rules that would allow for the construction of the project along the lines that Related envisioned.
In April, the city changed the area's rules to allow indoor recreation and cultural square footage to be converted into office square footage.
"It's really exciting," Commissioner Christy Fox said before she and her colleagues voted unanimously for the plan. "I have looked at this before, and I just get really excited every time I look at it. I'm glad we're moving forward."
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach commision approves changes to building projects
