West Palm Beach Strips 25-Story Towers From Flagler Drive Plan

West Palm Beach’s Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of Downtown Master Plan amendments this month that strip out a proposal to allow buildings up to 25 stories along parts of Flagler Drive, after residents pushed back on the height through the summer. The Downtown Action Committee voted 3-1 on September 9 to advance the revised plan, and the Planning Board followed with its own unanimous recommendation ahead of a September 23 update on the process. A public meeting is set for October 6 at Flagler Gallery at City Hall, with a second Planning Board session October 20 before the plan reaches the City Commission this fall.

Why it matters

The revision resets where density can land in the city’s core. Most of Flagler Drive now stays capped at five stories, with areas north of Banyan Boulevard still allowed up to eight stories under existing incentives. The height that was pulled from the waterfront did not vanish from the plan; the Myers Auto Group Jaguar dealership site at 420 Okeechobee Boulevard and 915 South Dixie Highway, already teed up for a downtown rezoning this outlet covered September 9, is now eligible for 25 stories. For anyone pricing waterfront parcels against inland corridor sites, the plan is telling developers where the city wants the next generation of height to go, and it is not on the water.

The numbers

The update would add roughly 6 million square feet of development capacity to the existing 13.2 million square feet allowed downtown, a 45% increase. It also cuts required residential parking by 25% in transit-oriented districts and, per city data, comes as Okeechobee Boulevard already runs at 98% to 99% of planning capacity between Australian and Rosemary avenues. Downtown Neighborhood Association vice president Mike Schmidt, who tracked the height fight, said the changes show “some of our comments are bearing fruit.”

What’s next

The City Commission is expected to take up the plan for a first reading this fall, following the October 6 public meeting and the October 20 Planning Board session. Developers underwriting sites in South Florida outside Miami-Dade should treat the Flagler Drive height ceiling as settled for now and watch the Okeechobee corridor, where the plan is actively steering density inland toward parcels like the Jaguar dealership site.