City commissioners in West Palm Beach, Florida, have approved Palm Beach Atlantic University's plan to increase its campus enrollment by 2,000 and build a 25-story student housing complex and an 11-story parking garage.
The Palm Beach Post reports that commissioners approved the plan over the objections of West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, who called the planned parking garage “a monstrosity.”
The 25-story tower will rise to 300 feet and will be able to house 990 students in 275 units. Its height will be more than double the previous height limit on campus, but commissioners agreed to raise it after city planners said it was consistent with high-rise towers along the nearby waterfront.
The university wants to increase its campus enrollment by two-thirds, to 5,000 from 3,000.
University President Debra Schwinn told commissioners that ensuring more students can live on site reduces the number commuting into downtown each day and would help to create “a more residential, walkable and less car-dependent campus.”
City planners warned that expanding the size of the campus would eventually worsen congestion on area roads. The expanded enrollment is projected to create an extra 2,760 vehicle trips per day.
But planners said the increase would likely be gradual, and university officials vowed to conduct regular traffic studies and work to find innovative ways to alleviate traffic.
City leaders expressed less concern over the high-rise tower and expanded enrollment than they did over the garage. The 11-story structure would include 888 parking spaces and stand 127 feet.
James was harshly critical of the structure, which he said would be an eyesore on one of the city’s main north-south corridors.
