Turnberry has received initial approval from the Riviera Beach City Council for a zoning change that could allow developers to build denser projects on Singer Island. The proposed amendment would permit developers to eliminate certain setback requirements in exchange for payments to the city’s park fund.
The development company, led by the Soffer family and based in Aventura, is planning a 200-foot-tall condominium building at 3930 North Ocean Drive. The project would include 52 condo units above a parking pedestal with space for 121 vehicles on a narrow 3.3-acre lot.
Turnberry’s Chief Operating Officer Aly-khan Merali stated that the project could generate approximately $7 million annually in property taxes and $2.2 million in impact fees for Riviera Beach.
The requested amendment to city code would apply not only to Turnberry’s project but also set a precedent for future developments. Developers could make donations of $50,000 per quarter acre of open space not provided, with a minimum payment of $100,000 per project, instead of adhering to current setback rules.
Council Member Glen Spiritis questioned the process, saying: “We are just going to do this at night with a simple stroke of the pen.”
The council approved the measure by a 3-2 vote; it will require another vote before becoming law.
Currently, Singer Island waterfront high-rises must be set back at least 20 feet from neighboring properties on their first two floors, with setbacks increasing by two feet per additional story. The proposed amendment would allow developers to bypass these rules if they make the required donation.
Hope Calhoun, attorney for Turnberry, said their project would have ground-floor setbacks of 25 feet but needs relief from requirements above the tenth floor. The planned building would be shorter than nearby towers such as the Martinique buildings (314 feet tall) and Oasis towers (254 feet tall).
Riviera Beach is seeking new revenue sources as it faces an estimated $400 million cost to replace its water plant. Council Member Bruce Guyton said: “Our water rates are about to double in four years, and a lot of people in our community cannot afford it.”
Singer Island is a five-mile-long peninsula where home prices average around $1 million according to Redfin data. Most of Singer Island lies within Riviera Beach, which itself has an average home price of about $505,000.
Turnberry is known as majority owner of Aventura Mall and co-developer of a planned convention hotel in Miami Beach valued at $392 million. Other development proposals are underway on Riviera Beach’s mainland as well, including apartment buildings at Marina Village by Related Urban and SobelCo’s large-scale project at 1117 Broadway.
