Plans for a second convention center hotel in downtown West Palm Beach have received unanimous support from the city’s planning board.
Members of the Planning Board signed off June 16 on the proposed 18-story, 400-room hotel, which would be built by Related Ross across Rosemary Avenue from the Palm Beach County Convention Center and the existing convention center hotel, the Hilton West Palm Beach.
The proposal, which was opposed by some residents in the nearby Grandview Heights neighborhood, has been touted by business and tourism leaders as key to attracting more conventions to the county-owned convention center, which they characterize as underused.
The plan still requires city commission approval.
Under a tentative agreement between county government executives and Related Ross, the company would build the hotel on a 1.8-acre lot it currently owns. The county would buy the site for $26 million, making the property tax-exempt, and then lease it back to Related.
That arrangement still must be approved by the county commission.
The Curio hotel would rise to 204 feet in height at 900 S. Rosemary Ave. and would feature a two-story meeting space and a 7,300-square-foot restaurant.
To build it, Related Ross is asking the city to establish new zoning regulations and approve three minor waivers to existing zoning rules regarding the hotel’s design.
Several residents of Grandview Heights and the adjacent CityPlace South Tower raised concerns about extra traffic and noise from the hotel.
But Related Ross’s representative said the extra traffic created would be within the levels already permitted for the area.
And board members said they were satisfied that the developer took reasonable steps to mitigate the noise and any risks to pedestrians created by the extra traffic around the hotel.
“I think it’s a really needed project for the city, and I think it’s a good project,” Planning Board Chairman Steven Mayans said.
Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at amarra@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm board approves new Related Ross convention hotel
Reporting by Andrew Marra, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Andrew Marra, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
