Related inches closer to building 25-story West Palm office tower

Rendering of One Flagler and Jorge Perez

Related Urban Development, an arm of one of South Florida’s biggest developers, is a step closer to building a 25-story office tower in West Palm Beach.

The Downtown Action Committee on Wednesday approved upzoning the Okeechobee Business District, which is currently zoned for five-story buildings, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The zoning district would allow Related to build One Flagler, an office tower that would be built at South Flagler Drive and Lakeview Avenue, close to First Church of Christ, Scientist, and the Lake Worth Lagoon on Okeechobee Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue.

Commercial brokers spoke of the area’s dire need for Class A office space, the newspaper reported.

The Downtown Action Committee unanimously agreed to rezoning in part because it would allow for job creation in West Palm Beach. In July, the city’s planning board also unanimously approved the project. Related has also promised to preserve the 89-year-old church alongside the office tower. It was designed by African American architect Julian Abele.

In June, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced its investigation into Related Urban Development as a part of an expanding probe into the affordable housing industry in South Florida. Authorities looked into the publicly subsidized Related Urban project in Miami’s Shenandoah neighborhood. [Palm Beach Post] – Grace Guarnieri

from The Real Deal Miami https://therealdeal.com/miami/2017/08/10/related-inches-closer-to-building-25-story-west-palm-office-tower/
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