PALM BEACH GARDENS: A nine-story hotel and eight-story building may be part of the developing palm beach gardens skyline clustered at Interstate 95 and PGA Boulevard.
Drury Development Co. , owner of Loehmann’s Plaza, based in St. Louis asked the city of Palm Beach Gardens to demolish the languid mall and build housing, apartments and a place to eat in its place.
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Several storefronts are now empty in the 13. 7-acre assets known for the long-closed clothing store and a Cinemax cinema now closed. A church, a dance studio and an antique shop are all working there lately.
Drury’s plan would be to demolish the mall and replace it with a 292-room Drury Hotel, the first in Palm Beach County, on the west side of the assets near Interstate 95 and a 315-apartment construction on the east side, to a seven-story parking lot with 499 spaces.
The company recently operates more than 150 mid-priced hotels across the country, Florida homes in Fort Myers, Gainesville and Orlando. It’s also building a momentary hotel in the Orlando area, according to its website.
By comparison, the nearby Palm Beach Gardens Marriott has 11 floors and the Embassy Suites on Interstate 95 along PGA Boulevard has 10 floors, according to both hotels.
The redevelopment plan is in the initial stages. No review date is posted through the City Development Review Committee or the Planning, Zoning and Appeal Commission on the City’s website.
The Palm Beach Gardens City Council will also want to review and vote on the map.
The prominent location of the square is marked by neighbors promoting and pushing to expand projects that capitalize on the new grocery-buying behavior explained by the coronavirus pandemic.
Just east of Loehmann’s Plaza is the PGA station, which builder Dan Catalfumo hopes to convert into 400 luxury apartments and an eight-story work building.
The plan, which was unanimously approved by the city council in November, encompasses the shift from retail to residential and work progression that other major shopping centers in northern Palm Beach County have made, adding Harborside Place on Jupiter.
Further east on PGA is Legacy Place, a mall that was sold in November to Dallas-based Lone Star Funds and Boca Raton-based Woolbright Development for $101. 6 million.
The settlement broker said whether Legacy Place’s new owners were planning major changes to the outdoor mall, which had 72 percent of its advertising space rented in November.
In 2019, Kimco Realty Corp. sold Loehmann’s Plaza to Drury for $16. 5 million. But it has a long history of projects that have not materialized.
In 2013, Palm Beach Gardens Square sued the city after officials rejected plans for a potential BJ Wholesale Club, alleging they had improperly disposed of the owner’s acquired rights. The legal war continued for years before the case ended prejudice in 2017.
Later in 2017, Kimco said he hoped to redevelop the domain to include a three-story sports club, 225 apartments and health-focused department stores and restaurants.
In June 2018, a planning expert advised the city to take advantage of a long-haul Tri-Rail station in the area and aim for the growth of workspace, hotels and housing for millennials around it.
The progression of the nearby PGA station also its plan around a proposed Tri-Rail station.
kkokal@pbpost. com
@katikokal