Boynton commissioners give first OK to Riverwalk proposal
BOYNTON BEACH — A 10-story residential building with 326 apartments priced at about $2,200 overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway at the southeast corner of Federal Highway and Woolbright Road is one step closer to happening.
The much-debated Riverwalk Plaza project was approved on a first vote by the Boynton Beach City Commission on Tuesday night, but not before shouts from the crowd became so frequent that residents were w a r n e d t h e y w o u l d b e escorted from their seats if it continued.
A final vote from the commission is Jan. 17.
The proposed height of the project and fear of additional traffic have been the main sources of ire from many residents. An additional last-minute correction made to documents — given to the commission and not the public — added to the emotions from many at Tuesday’s meeting.
At s t a ke T u e s d ay wa s rezoning the 9.78 acres of land and amending the land use — two requirements the developer needed to move forward. Vice Mayor Mack McCray and Commissioners Justin Katz and Joe Casello voted yes while Mayor Steven Grant and Commissioner Christina Romelus voted no.
“This has been on the plate a long time,” McCray said at the meeting. “We need to move forward.”
While making his commen t s , Mc C r ay s a i d h i s run for re-election has no e f f e c t o n hi s vo t e . Campaign records as of Nov. 30 show the Rikman family, the owners of Riverwalk, have given McCray $3,000 of his $13,650 campaign money, which amounts to about 22 percent.
When the commissioners vote again Jan. 17, they will be voting on changes, including rezoning the land and amending the land use and on a height exception request of 5 additional feet and a site plan modification.
The 10 stories of apartments would be bui l t i n place of the existing vacant Winn-Dixie and operating Bond & Smolders restaurant. Owner Isram Realty plans to renovate the building that includes Walgreens and Jo-Ann Fabrics, build a commercial building fronting Federal Highway, demolish the building that houses restaurants such as Primo Hoagies, Josie’s and Rice Fine Thai restaurants, and renovate the Wendy’s out-parcel.
I s r am wants t he l ivi ng s p a c e o f t h e r e s i d e n t i a l building to reach 95 feet, a parapet to bring that up to 100 feet and an architectural feature to bring that to 105 feet, but not across the entire building. The commission approved rezoning the land to a new mixed-use district that allows for 100foot buildings.
The commission had to vote separately to create that new district. In original documents, staff wrote a project in that the district must be set back 25 feet from the Intracoastal, when it should have been zero. Staff gave the commission corrected paperwork that showed the change. Some residents perceived that as new information. But city staff said the zero setback already exists in other districts, and the 25 was simply a typo.
Meanwhile, the Riverwalk project will have a 15-foot setback in some areas, and a 50-foot setback in others, said Andrew Mack, the city’s director of development.
“I don’t know the legal ramifications for having one thing on the backup documents and showing something different to the commission, and the commission approving something that was different without showing it to the public at large,” Mayor Steven Grant told The Palm Beach Post.
While staff presented the fix, Grant mentioned postponing the vote but failed to convince a majority.
As for the second and final vote, Grant said his decision will be based on answers he expects to receive from Isram. Some of his questions are about recycling, if the project will be dog friendly, if Isram plans to sponsor events at the plaza and if there will be a pick-up location for residents using Lyft or Uber car services.
“I’m trying to do what’s best for the city of Boynton Beach,” Grant said.