West Palm Beach has made a major change to its proposed Downtown Master Plan.
The city has dropped a proposal that could have allowed buildings up to 25 stories along portions of the Flagler Drive waterfront. Most of the waterfront district would instead remain limited to five stories, with existing incentives allowing up to eight stories north of Banyan Boulevard.
The Downtown Action Committee voted Sept. 9 to move the revised plan forward. The plan is not yet final.
Taller Buildings Could Still Be Coming Downtown
The city isn’t eliminating taller development. It’s shifting much of it farther inland.
Some areas in the center of downtown could still allow buildings up to 25 stories through development incentives.
The revised plan would also strengthen workforce-housing and public open-space requirements for some projects, introduce measures aimed at reducing traffic from larger developments and reduce parking requirements for nonresidential projects south of Banyan Boulevard.
What Happens Next?
The Downtown Master Plan update is still going through the approval process.
The Planning Board is scheduled to consider the proposal Sept. 15 before it moves toward consideration by the West Palm Beach City Commission.
