$10M plan would bring family-friendly business to downtown West Palm Beach

Developers are looking at investing more than $10 million into a vacant building in downtown West Palm Beach, according to city documents. The investors would then buy the property, located at 314 Clematis St., outright for another $7.6 million over five years.

The West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency bought the building for $7.5 million in 2019. After previous deals to buy the building fell through, Brand Atlantic Real Estate Partners and Blue Water Advisors LP plan to turn the building into a restaurant/bar with a second-floor terrace.

Developers, who state records show are based in Palm Beach and Boca Raton, plan to fill the space with ping-pong tables, golf simulators, bowling alleys, an arcade and tables. Those details were revealed in a presentation to the city of West Palm Beach earlier this month.

West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency

"Downtown West Palm Beach ... is very much a resort environment," Andrew Dance, managing partner at Brand Atlantic, said. "It feels like you can kind of float around freely. Mom and Dad can go have dinner at Lynora's (Italian restaurant). But there's not a lot of opportunities or things for the kids to do right now."

He argues this proposal allows kids to have fun without using a fake ID.

According to previous reporting from WPTV, a nonprofit specializing in small business incubation attempted to purchase the building for $10 million in 2022. It won the bid process, but the purchase fell through and wasn't completed.

After the deal fell through, the city said it approached Brand Atlantic regarding their proposal for the building. However, it said Brand Atlantic stated that the cost of construction and financing made their proposal invalid as well. The city has worked on selling the building for more than a year.

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West Palm Beach Commissioner Christy Fox expressed frustration during a July 2023 works session meeting over the inability to turn the property over to a developer.

"I feel like we're going through this process for the third time," Fox said. "A lot of the options we're talking about are the same options that we already went through twice last year."

The property at 314 Clematis St. is one of the last few buildings that is vacant in the area. It is currently decrepit with holes in the walls, ceilings and paint peeling off the walls. It's also attracted people, who are experiencing homelessness as well.

The Amir Amid Holocaust Museum also submitted an application to renovate the building, but city staff said it didn't meet the qualifications.