A new 47-unit development in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Planning Document)
Delray Beach has approved a 47-unit townhouse-style condominium development on North Federal Highway, clearing the way for construction on a long-vacant stretch of land bordering the Town of Gulf Stream.
The approval came after the commission initially rejected the same application on a 3-1 vote in mid-July, before voting to reconsider it at a later date. The development, proposed by Ultra Luxury Homes LLC, will be built on seven parcels totaling about 4.4 acres in the area surrounding 2419 North Federal Highway. The site sits on the east side of the highway, directly adjacent to a single-family residential neighborhood in a small portion of the Town of Gulf Stream that is located on the mainland.
The property has sat vacant for years and was previously the subject of two failed attempts to rezone it for automotive use, including a proposal for a car dealership that the commission rejected in 2022. The approved plan calls for six two-story townhouse buildings and two three-story townhouse buildings, along with a clubhouse and pool. All 47 units will be three-bedroom homes, split between 39 two-story units of 3,102 to 3,268 square feet and eight larger three-story units of 3,231 square feet that include an elevator. Each unit will have its own two-car garage and two-car driveway, and trash containers will be stored inside the garages rather than in a shared collection area.
A new 47-unit development in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Planning Document)
The property where a new 47-unit development will be located in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The three-story buildings will sit on the south side of the property, next to commercial uses, while the two-story buildings will front Federal Highway and line the property’s edges, including the boundary with the neighboring single-family homes.
The buildings are designed in what the developer calls a “contemporary modern” style, featuring a neutral color palette, gray metal roofing, wood cladding accents and recessed balconies, with shifts in the facades meant to break up the visual length of the townhouse rows. City planning staff noted in their review that the most detailed architectural treatment is on the sides of the buildings facing Federal Highway and the internal driveways, while some side and rear walls carry less ornamentation.
The development will include a centrally located, two-story clubhouse of about 2,411 square feet with a club room, restrooms, an office and a fitness area, along with an adjacent pool, spa and a play area for children. Roughly 27 percent of the site will be preserved as open space, above the city’s 25 percent minimum. The landscaping plan calls for removing 27 trees and seven palms, which will be replaced on a one-for-one basis under city rules, while adding 167 new trees and 169 new palms throughout the site. Internal walkways will connect the units to the clubhouse, pool and the public sidewalk along Federal Highway, with bicycle parking near the amenity area.
The project will be gated, with access controlled through a single entrance off Federal Highway.
A new 47-unit development in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Planning Document)
Because free-standing multifamily housing is not permitted outright in the property’s commercial zoning district, the developer needed the city’s approval of a conditional use allowing residential construction on the site. City commissioners were required to find that the housing would not harm the stability of the surrounding neighborhood or hinder future development of nearby properties.
The commission also approved four waivers from the city’s development rules, permitting: no required gap between attached townhouse units (in place of a design that calls for internal notches within each building instead); a decorative fence in a landscaped area along Federal Highway that is normally required to remain unobstructed; drive aisles two feet narrower than the standard width; and a landscaped buffer between driveways narrower than typically required.
Commissioners additionally approved a request to reduce the required separation distance between some of the residential buildings, and determined that the development’s private driveways and garages provide adequate accommodations for deliveries and move-ins in place of dedicated loading docks that would otherwise be required for a project of its size. At 10.7 units per acre, the project’s density falls below the maximum allowed for the property under the city’s comprehensive plan.
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the project on a 7-0 vote in May, after city staff and residents raised questions during the review process about the project’s design, including the width of its interior drive aisles, its uniform three-bedroom unit mix, sidewalks that run flush with driveways, lighting levels that initially exceeded city limits, and rooftop equipment screening that had not yet been fully detailed.
The property where a new 47-unit development will be located in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
Some officials viewed the project favorably, however.
“I think it’s a good project on an unused, neglected parcel for 20 years,” said Commissioner Judy Mollica. “I personally thought it was a beautiful project, and we needed it there in the gateway from Boynton to Delray.”
At the Planning and Zoning Board meeting, residents of Gulf Stream and the neighboring Place Au Soleil community spoke in favor of the project, saying they viewed it as a more predictable outcome than a potential future redevelopment of the site under Florida’s Live Local Act, a state law that could allow significantly denser development on the property through an administrative process rather than a public hearing. Supporters also contended that homes would be a better development option after it remained vacant for so long under commercial zoning.
“The market has spoken about developing that parcel commercially,” Mollica said.
Vice Mayor Tom Markert said conditions such as additional stop signs and speed bumps helped allay concerns over the internal traffic pattern.
A new 47-unit development in a triangular parcel between Delray Beach and the Town of Gulf Stream along Federal Highway. (Planning Document)
An 8-foot masonry wall is also planned along the property’s eastern edge, next to the Gulf Stream homes, paired with staggered tree plantings for additional screening, and the buildings along that side of the property are limited to two stories.
The developer will pay the city a parks impact fee of $23,500, or $500 per unit, before building permits are issued. A traffic study found the project would generate 324 average daily vehicle trips, a level county transportation officials determined meets local performance standards.
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