Palm Beach County officials will consider a zoning change request on Friday that would allow a mixed-use project of up to 348 multifamily units and nearly 27,000 square feet of commercial development on land currently used as agricultural and equestrian in the central part of the county.
The application for the proposed development, called Polo Gardens, comes from three LLCs managed by Sheldon Rubin for property at 8450 Lake Worth Road, between Lake Worth and Wellington. The agent for the application is JMorton Planning and Landscape Architecture.
Almost 9 acres of land are currently zoned for “residential, transitional” with proposed future land use of “commercial high with underlying two units per acre.” Almost 17 acres of the land are currently zoned for “planned unit development” with proposed future land use of “medium residential, five units per acre.”
If Rubin’s land is rezoned, it would allow for up to 378 units as opposed to 103 units currently allowed. Under future land use rules, Rubin could theoretically build 423 residential units in the future, according to the application.
Staffers want to cap the number of future units at 284. Staffers also recommend requiring the developers to make a quarter of the units workforce housing, and limit the building heights to three stories, according to the application.
While Rubin seeks only 27,000 square feet of commercial space right now, he is allowed a maximum of 146,000 square feet.
The Palm Beach Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on the application at its Friday meeting.
Approval would move 16.97 acres of land from Pulte Homes’ Fields at Gulf Stream Polo to the proposed Polo Gardens. Rubin would dedicate 18.4 percent of units to workforce housing, according to the proposal.
Rubin acquired the land from various owners, including Pulte, starting in 2014, spending at least $7 million, according to records.
Pulte’s Fields at Gulf Stream Polo, which is under construction, offers townhomes and single-family homes starting at $351,000, with models up to four bathrooms, according to an online listing.
Among other proposed developments in Palm Beach County, a mixed-use project with a 158-bed, 117,000-square-foot adult living facility in Boynton Beach scored a $27 million construction loan in April. And an apartment complex on part of the Boca Dunes Golf & Country Club, developed by The Richman Group, scored a $57.4 million construction loan, also in April.