'A bridge too far': Why county planners are frowning on mixed-use project west of Delray

Calling it "a bridge too far," the Palm Beach County Planning Commission on Friday unanimously concluded that Park West, a massive development planned for the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Florida's Turnpike west of Delray Beach, should not be built.

The project calls for 734 apartments, a 150-room hotel, 200,000 square feet of commercial retail and office space and a luxury condominium-style garage. The builder was looking for six changes to the Ag Reserve zoning code that county planners warned would set a dangerous precedent that would undermine protections designed to limit development and protect agriculture.

The Planning Commission is only an advisory body; it makes recommendations to the county commission, which will have the final say May 1. The site is in an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County and falls under the jurisdiction of county government.

Other projects proposed for Park West site, a former nursery, fell apart

Park West's agent, Jennifer Morton, noted that the applicant was seeking to initiate a "text amendment," a change to the zoning code. It is the first step in a process that can take as long as a year before it can be considered for final approval.

Planning commissioners noted they often approve initiation to allow the project to move forward but they all agreed that, in this instance, the builder was asking for too much. Building on the parcel has been difficult for developers. It sits on the edge of the 22,000-acre Ag Reserve. Park West would be built on 62 acres with 10 of the acres on the south side of Atlantic Avenue for the luxury condominium garage.

There have been other attempts to build on the site.

Kushner Companies, affiliated with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, proposed to build a 1 million square-foot Amazon-type warehouse in 2022 but abandoned its plans in the wake of intense opposition.

MORE: Kushner firm withdraws plans for massive warehouse west of Delray

In 2017, another developer submitted plans to build 360 apartments, a 115-bed nursing home, 155,000 square feet of commercial and retail space and a 130-room hotel. Like the Kushner proposal, the plan was also withdrawn after strong opposition developed.

The latest bid to build came from the owner of the property himself, Paul OKean, who has operated Morningstar Nursery there for more than 30 years. He said he and his adult sons decided it was time to move on and put together a development plan of their own.

Park West development plans call for a hotel

The problem for the OKeans is that building a massive project on the parcel conflicts with major tenets of the Ag Reserve and puts more traffic on roads that are already failing, a major concern cited by county planners. They warned that approval of Park West would result in “major departures from most of the fundamental policy concepts” designed to protect the Ag Reserve.

One planning commissioner, Dagmar Brahs, called it "outrageous" that such a project would even seek county approval.

Among the breaks Park West is seeking is to be exempt from the Ag Reserve's commercial cap of 1 million square feet. There is only 10,000 square feet left before the cap is reached; Park West would add 300,000 square feet of commercial square feet. So it would exceed the current cap by 30%.

And it has proposed a density of 12 units to the acre, much higher than the current maximum of eight.

"The implication for such density increases is that existing approvals or other uncommitted lands could seeka similar density and lead to potential inconsistencies with the Objective of the AgriculturalReserve Tier," county planners said.

Other inconsistencies included:

• A hotel — none are permitted.

• Traffic — Park West sought to exempt itself from long-range traffic plans at a time when traffic is already overcapacity on area highways.

• Preserve — Park West wanted to preserve just 20% of the land instead of the required 60% and it wanted its retention basins to be considered as part of its preserve.

Morton acknowledged that major changes were needed for Park West to be built but she noted that conditions have also changed over the years in the Ag Reserve and the county needs to adapt to those changes. She pointed to the construction of Bethesda West Hospital and the Solid Waste Authority Transfer station.

"They have made the Ag Reserve a better place," she said, calling Park West a mixed-use project that will create a sense of place for those who live and work in west Delray.

Area realtor Jim Knight also testified in support of the project, noting that similar projects have been approved for the turnpike intersection at Boynton Beach Boulevard. He questioned why the Planning Commission would not approve this one for Atlantic Avenue.

But Brahs noted there was a major difference: The Boynton project was approved under the county's new Commerce category, while Okean is seeking to rewrite the zoning code for this project.

Builder: Affordable housing would be a positive of the Park West project

A benefit of Park West would be that 25% of the apartments would be set aside for workforce housing that would help address the county's housing crisis. A spokesperson for Delray Medical Center said affordable housing is desperately needed in the region, noting that residents at the hospital cannot find adequate housing, forcing as many as three of them to share a one-bedroom apartment.

MORE: Large self-storage facility may be coming to Atlantic Avenue and Turnpike intersection

Morton provided letters from Delray Lake Estates and the Alliance of Delray Residential Associations that supported initiation of the text amendment. She urged that the initiation be approved to allow the applicant to work with community groups to address concerns.

But Robert Hartsell, a Pompano Beach lawyer, said his client, Irish Acres, a premier horse-boarding farm and equestrian center adjacent to the Park West site, said his client strongly opposes the project.

"He has invested millions of dollars creating a state-of-the art horse boarding and riding facility, which is exactly the type of use contemplated for the Ag Reserve. Irish Acres relies on the protections in the Ag Reserve to conduct its business," Hartsell said, noting that the mixed-use project proposed by Okean is not compatible with Irish Acres.

The Coalition of West Boynton Residential Associations also strongly opposes the project. It claims Park West would generate excessive traffic along Lyons Road, where many of its member communities are located.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Park West mixed-use development west of Delray Beach may be in trouble