Citizens for Thoughtful Growth has filed a new petition urging the court to overturn West Palm Beach’s approval of a 22-story condo tower on 1112 South Flagler Drive. The tower would overlook the waterfront and be far higher than any of the surrounding buildings. The project is popularly known as the Chapel by the Lake condo for the chapel that used to occupy the property before the church sold the land.
Citizens for Thoughtful Growth filed a petition for writ of certiorari Tuesday seeking the judicial review. The grassroots group is arguing that the city violated its own procedures when it re-approved the condo. The Citizens group had filed an earlier legal challenge, claiming that the city violated its own procedures in bypassing formal approval from its zoning advisory board. A three-judge panel agreed with the citizens’ group and instructed the city to send the revised project back to zoning advisors for review before voting again. On re-vote, the city approved the condo tower.
According to The Palm Beach Post, “an attorney for developer G.A.K. Partners, J. Michael Berman, on Wednesday said the developer will continue to fight. ‘These people can continue to try to crawl through all the legal loopholes they want to but the city is going to continue to approve this project … It’s a good project for the city and the people.”
The writ is seeking judicial review of the West Palm Beach decision.