Riviera Beach’s planning and zoning board has signed off on a first key step for the Gallery at Marina Village, a twin‑tower, 418‑unit apartment complex on city‑owned waterfront land, while simultaneously warning the developers that they expect more concrete workforce housing in the mix. The early green light is a big procedural win for Related Urban and its partners, but the last word now rests with the Riviera Beach City Council, and the tone from the board made clear that affordability is not a side issue.
Board sign‑off and next steps
Related Urban Development Group, working with BH Group and Tezral Partners, is proposing to build the Gallery at Marina Village on about 2.45 acres bounded by Broadway, East 12th Street, Avenue C and West 13th Street, according to The Real Deal. Board members backed moving the site plan forward but attached a clear message, recommending that the team fold workforce units into what has so far been submitted as a market‑rate project. With that recommendation, the proposal now heads to the City Council for a final vote.
Unit mix, amenities and what developer says
The plan calls for 190 two‑bedroom apartments, 152 one‑bedrooms, 38 three‑bedrooms and 38 studios, plus about 3,000 square feet each of retail and office space, an 1,800‑square‑foot fitness center, an 1,800‑square‑foot coworking room and a ground‑floor pool deck, The Real Deal reports. A nine‑level parking garage is slated for 652 spaces, which is about 25 percent fewer than the 863 spots city code would normally require. “That doesn’t mean a workforce person can’t reside in the Gallery at Marina Village, but the market will dictate what the rents will be,” Related Urban president Alberto Milo told the board, adding that rents are expected to land in the roughly $2,500 to $4,000 a month range.
Where the project fits in Marina Village
The Gallery would sit next to Residences at Marina Village, an eight‑story, 149‑unit affordable and workforce housing building that Related Urban and Tezral Partners currently have under construction and expect to finish this fall, local reporting shows. Both projects plug into Riviera Beach’s long‑running Marina Village master plan, which aims to overhaul about 90 acres of city‑owned waterfront with housing, hotels and retail, as detailed by WLRN. Taken together, the developments signal a quickening pace of private proposals aimed at pulling more residents, visitors and commercial activity into the port district.
What’s at stake for affordability
City officials have long pitched Marina Village as a way to grow jobs and the tax base, but critics and several board members argue that, on public land, the city should lock in stronger affordability commitments. The board’s push for workforce units reflects concern that shiny new market‑rate towers could help ratchet up nearby rents and squeeze long‑time residents unless the city secures firm set‑asides for local workers…