A developer wants to build a six-story, 140-unit senior housing complex on the southeast side of 1001 Wedgewood Plaza Drive in Riviera Beach, and the project is notable as much for what it lacks as what it includes. Called Great Blue, the roughly $60 million proposal would set aside the vast majority of its apartments for lower-income seniors, but it would offer no on-site healthcare and would not require state licensure, even though it is technically classified as an assisted living facility.
The project is a joint effort between an affiliate of Sun Foundation, Inc. and Catapult LLC, according to Florida YIMBY, which first reported the filing. Great Blue would require 171,182 square feet of new construction and include 112 parking spaces on a site currently occupied by a 166,192-square-foot commercial property built in 1987, according to public records reviewed by Movoto. Every unit would come with one bedroom and one bathroom, and the outlet reports the project is being pitched as taking a holistic approach to senior living with integrated health, wellness, and accessibility features.
Of the 140 planned homes, 84 would be reserved for seniors earning up to 80 percent of area median income, meaning a one-person household could qualify with an annual income of no more than $71,950. Another 56 units would go to seniors earning up to 30 percent of area median income, capping eligibility at $27,000 a year for a single person, per the same report. Palm Beach County’s overall median income sits at $107,600 annually, underscoring how far below the county average these income caps run.
An Assisted Living Facility Without the Assistance
Despite carrying the assisted living facility label, Great Blue would provide no on-site healthcare services. The only listed on-site service is daily meals, which would be supplied by GL Food Services, the outlet’s filing details show. The project would not require state licensure, a structure the research dossier’s analysis flags as a novel use of the arrangement, since facilities are typically licensed by the state when they provide medical or personal care to residents…