One of Riviera Beach’s most ambitious developments has arrived before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board. Called The Waterway, the project envisions a three-tower mixed-use complex spanning two parcels at 3200 Broadway Boulevard and 3140 Lake Shore Drive. Spearheaded by KMG Holdings, LLC and designed by REG Architecture, the 4.51-acre proposal will feature workforce and market rate units, along with retail, office, and other active uses.
Set for review on October 23rd at 6 P.M., the Waterway development comes with a complex history. KMG Holdings, LLC acquired the waterfront parcel at 3140 Lakeshore Drive in 2018, followed by the adjacent west parcel at 3200 Broadway Boulevard in late 2020. Prior to KMG Holdings, an 18-story tower was proposed on the site in 2006. The most recent iteration would replace a 20-unit condominium built in 1967 along the waterfront, as well as a former BellSouth Communications office building. Originally envisioned as a single high-rise tower, the proposal has since expanded into a three-tower complex featuring 785 residential units.
The Waterway’s three towers will offer a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. The two western towers will feature 239 and 233 units, respectively, while the waterfront-facing tower will contain 313 units. Of the total, 30 units are designated as MEAHOP workforce housing units under the Minority Employment and Affordable Housing Opportunity Plan (MEAHOP). These units are aimed at lower or moderate-income households.
This requirement steams from a rule which permits height increases in exchange for workforce housing. While the two western towers comply with Riviera Beach’s 240 FT height limit, the waterfront-facing tower is proposed at 300 FT, taking advantage of the city height bonuses. This requires 60 MEAHOP units, equivalent to 30 workforce housing units, which will be concentrated in the west tower’s upper floors.
Residents of the building will have access to amenities from a clubhouse, multiple infinity pools, a theater, lounge, gym, and other amenities. The development will also include access roads flanking both sides of the three-tower site, providing entry to 1,637 parking spaces for residents and retail patrons.
One of the proposal’s highlights is the tower’s street-level activation and podium design, which includes 2,925 SF of restaurant space and 9,771 SF of retail and office uses. Along the waterfront, a public pedestrian promenade is planned, designed with seating, landscaping, and a proposed dock.
Architectural elevations show the towers will feature a combination of curtain glass, smooth stucco, expansive glass balconies, and other design elements, including a garage wrapped in brown-toned metal louvers. The waterfront-facing tower is planned to rise 25 floors, measuring 300 FT to the roof or 305 FT at its tallest point. The two 21-story towers will then top out at 240 FT to the roof, or roughly 260 FT to their highest points.
Riviera Beach’s Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to review the proposed development on October 23rd. The board acts as an advisor to the City Council, meaning it does not grant final approvals. Instead, its recommendations, whether for approval or denial of the five items, will be forwarded to the City Council for the final decision. The development will proceed in one phase, with all three towers rising at once.
If approved by the City Council, the project would represent another major investment in Riviera Beach’s evolving skyline. Traditionally a low-density city defined by smaller-scale infill, Riviera Beach has recently attracted growing interest from major developers. Firms such as Forest Development and the Related Group have introduced multiple high-rise proposals across the city, including the recently approved Oculina Development, which leverages the same MEAHOP incentives to achieve additional height.