How Palm Beach Gardens is growing: New tower proposed for Mira Flores apartment complex

PALM BEACH GARDENS — A nearly 30-year-old apartment complex a walk away from The Gardens Mall might get an eight-story makeover.

City Council members in January praised a developer's proposal to add a residential building to Mira Flores, a complex made up of two-story rental apartments on Gardens Parkway and Valencia Gardens Avenue, when it first came before them.

“I was swooning with everything you were saying,” Mayor Chelsea Reed told the project’s agent in January. “Everything about it is reflective of our city.”

The council is set to vote on the project when it meets March 7.

The developer, Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar, wants to construct an eight-story apartment building with 362 homes on more than 3 acres on the southwest end of the property near Alternate State Road A1A.

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Greystar bought the complex for more than $83 million in 2018. Crews would demolish 32 existing apartments there to make space for the new high-rise.

The residents of those homes were told about this plan ahead of time and their leases are ending before the demolition would begin, Reed said.

“There are employers who are expanding in the area and their employees need more housing in the city,” said Ana Pedrajo, Greystar director of development. “We saw that need. This seems like the logical place to increase density.”

How much would it cost to live in the new Mira Flores building?

The new building would be called Bellamy. The developer would offer 36 of its residences — 10% of the total apartments — at more affordable workforce housing prices, as required by the city.

The rents for the non-workforce homes would range from $2,500 a month for a one-bedroom apartment to $4,000 a month for a three-bedroom apartment, according to an estimate from a project spokesperson.

The median annual household income in Palm Beach County is about $76,000, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Housing experts suggest that housing costs take up no more than 30% of household income. Under that scenario, county households should spend no more than $1,900 per month on housing, an amount that would likely yield a studio or a small, one-bedroom apartment in much of the county.

The building would be made up of 21 studio, 155 one-bedroom, 172 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom apartments.

Its eight-story parking garage would be wrapped by the building — hidden from the exterior — with 594 parking spots and 18 electric car-charging stations.

The garage could be accessed from either Gardens Parkway or Valencia Gardens Avenue. Its first floor would not be gated so that guests or prospective tenants have easy access.

The developer would also like the city to add Mira Flores into its transit-oriented development district, where local officials hope to lure residents and businesses to add to the city’s economic growth. The City Council is set to decide whether to do so in March.

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City officials encourage high-density projects in the district, which they envision to be a walkable area with flourishing residential buildings and businesses.

Buildings in the district are allowed a maximum height of 135 feet, or nine stories. A developer can achieve a bonus height allowance of 180 feet, or 13 stories, by keeping a certain amount of open space on their property.

In Mira Flores' case, if its land is not added into the district, the maximum height of the buildings there would be 45 feet, which allows for four to five stories.

Mira Flores makeover would bring changes to area sidewalks, roads

The project includes changes to the nearby roads and sidewalks to slow cars and encourage people to walk.

The landscape buffer along Gardens Parkway would be reduced to about 10 feet on its tightest side to pull the building closer to the street so that the first-floor residents have walkable access to nearby shopping complexes.

Crews would install a northbound right turn lane on Valencia Gardens Avenue at the driveway and a westbound right turn lane onto Gardens Parkway at the building’s driveway.

They would also add a westbound right turn lane on Gardens at Valencia Gardens, close the median along Gardens to stop left turns in and out of the building and extend the left turn lane on Gardens and Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue into Downtown Palm Beach Gardens, a nearby shopping center.

Crews would also widen surrounding sidewalks.

The 6-foot-wide sidewalk along Alternate A1A would be widened to 12 feet, the 7-foot-wide sidewalk south of the nearby lake would be widened to 8 feet and the 6-foot-wide sidewalk along Gardens Parkway would be widened to 10 feet.

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The residential building would offer a gym, a co-working space and a lounge on its first floor. Outside, there would be a pool, an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, dog park and pedestrian walkway. A lounge overlooking the lake at Mira Flores would sit on the eighth floor of the building.

The proposed landscaping includes rosea and ligustrum trees with ribbon palms around its southern buffer and wild date palms, oak trees and thatch palms elsewhere around the property.

City Council member supports project but cites several traffic concerns

Council Member Bert Premuroso urged the developer’s agent to include the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Gardens Parkway and Valencia Gardens Avenue as part of the project.

The building is expected to add more than 1,400 daily trips to the flow of nearby traffic.

“That’s kind of a crazy intersection coming out of Downtown Palm Beach Gardens,” Premuroso said. “We need to have that intersection lighted before this project is done.”

A signal warrant analysis is being conducted there now, said Chris Heggen with Kimley-Horn, a West Palm Beach-based engineering consultant. A traffic light may be installed there depending on its results.

“When I come out of Downtown Palm Beach Gardens to turn left to go out to (Alternate) A1A, it’s like close your eyes, turn left and hopefully it works out,” Premuroso said. “Traffic in that area is expanding and will be greater with this project.”

Still, Premuroso echoed other council members’ admiration for the project.

“It’s a beautiful project,” Premuroso said. “The height density is something we expect for the TOD; no surprise there. I love the project and support it.”

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Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Gardens to vote on eight-story apartment building near mall