West Palm Beach condo can use ground floor for offices, board says

610 Clematis Street in West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach signed off on office use — instead of solely retail — for the ground floor of a Clematis Street condominium, instead of retail, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The five street-level units at the eight-story, 265-unit tower at 610 Clematis Street, near Rosemary Avenue, have been vacant since the 2006 opening.

The owners, known as “CRE 2011 REO FL Retail LLC,” selected the Italian restaurant Ristorante Santucci for one of the five spaces, which can still be retail. The units will range from 1,606 to 2,275 square feet, the Post said.

Planner Ken Tuma of Urban Design Kilday, speaking on behalf of the owners, asked the West Palm Beach Downtown Action Committee yesterday for a variance on a rule in the downtown master plan that sets a minimum limit on downtown retail space. The board approved the variance, 4-1. David Carpenter, the sole member in opposition, said the city was “abandoning the retail aspect.”

Tuma told the committee that rates for office space in West Palm Beach are often triple that of retail rates, the report said. [Palm Beach Post] – Mark Maurer

via The Real Deal Miami http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/trdnews_miami/~3/Kk8Ly3pbqS4/