Developers presented their plans Wednesday for a 25-story, high-end office building on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.
Star architect David Childs, who also designed the Freedom Tower in New York City, said he wants to build the project on the parking lot of the Christian Science Church.
Contrary to the controversial Bristol Condos, this project is not going to impact the view of the water from the church.
“This one is going to have the church in it,” Childs said. “The church will be saved by this project and we’ll continue to use this landmark.”
Childs drew inspiration from a lighthouse. At night that vision comes to light with the top story lit up. It can be lit up in different colors for several occasions.
“I think it will really mark West Palm Beach,” Childs said.
Chief Executive Officer with the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Dennis Grady, also thinks it’s going to bring jobs and economic growth to the region.
“The plans were presented to the chamber on Tuesday and they unanimously approved it,” Grady said.
Grady said the office space is best suited for large banks, hedge fund companies.
“It’s desperately needed in this community,” Grady said.
That need is what inspired Kenneth Himmel, CEO of Related Urban, to start developing this project around 10 years ago.
“The objective here is to develop a building for the kind of tenants who simply can’t find a home here at this point,” Himmel said. “Because they’re looking for a luxury class A office space.”
The project still needs approval. If everything went according to plan the building could be completed by 2020.
Himmel said this is not a speculative project. Related Urban has developed some of the largest office buildings in New York City.
He said the company is planning on bringing the same tenant base they work with in New York to West Palm Beach and he said businesses are already signing up.
“We have 270,000 square feet (in this project),” Himmel said. “Over one third, probably 100,000 square feet of that, is accounted for.”
