By Patrick Sherry
Demolition of the Miller Land Planning building on Boynton Beach Boulevard next to Ace Hardware began in January, the first visible sign of progress for a stalled redevelopment project in downtown Boynton Beach approved nearly three years ago.
The building was the first to go in preparation for The Pierce, 115 N. Federal Highway. The Pierce, a complex of apartments, restaurants, retail stores, a parking garage and green space, is expected to take up most of the properties on the west side of Federal Highway between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard, extending to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. Ace Hardware is not part of the project site.
Affiliated Development originally estimated this as a $73 million project, but has since said it will likely cost at least $100 million. The 2.3-acre complex will have buildings up to eight stories tall and offer 150 units each of workforce apartments and market-rate luxury rentals. The developers will also construct a new home on the site for the Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant.
City commissioners, meeting as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency governing board, received an update on the work at their Jan. 8 meeting.
Developers have replaced underground sewer lines at the site. The work, which started in October, needed to be finished before any construction could be done.
The project has faced a number of roadblocks. After it received commission approval in March 2023, some nearby property owners filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s decision to relinquish control of some of the public rights-of-way on the project site. It put the developers’ plans on hold until the following year, when a judge allowed the project to move forward.
They once again faced problems when it was discovered that some of the original property owners still owned lots on the site. After resolving this issue, they attempted to continue site preparation, but during the permitting process, they determined they needed to move underground sewer lines.
No construction date is currently set.
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