By Jane Smith and Dan Moffett
The almost 2-acre oceanfront parcel that once housed the Pelican Apartments along the former Dog Beach in the County Pocket will soon be home to Gulf Stream Views.
The property sale for the luxury townhome project is expected to close in mid-May, said real estate broker Steven Presson. It has been on the market for $6.895 million since last June.
“An investment group is coming down from the Northeast and looking to build 14 oceanfront townhomes,” Presson said.
The complex will sit on the west side of Old Ocean Boulevard, just south of Briny Breezes. Each townhome will have three stories, a driveway and a garage, according to plans submitted to the town of Briny Breezes. The townhomes will range in size from 3,351 to 3,386 square feet.
Seven townhomes will sit on each side of an access road, the plans show. The proposed complex has two buildings with three units each on the western part of the property and four buildings with two units each on the eastern side. The main entrance into Gulf Stream Views will be from Old Ocean Boulevard on the east side of the complex.
“I believe this will prove to be a valuable project that will not only enhance the Briny Breezes area,” Presson said, “but increase property values for all.”
Briny Breezes became involved because the soon-to-be owner needs town permission to make a cut into Briny Breezes Boulevard on the northern edge of the project to connect to Boynton Beach water lines, Town Manager Dale Sugerman said at the April 26 Town Council meeting.
The council may take up the request at its May 24 meeting.
The project’s owner received a tentative go-ahead from the county Department of Planning, Zoning & Building, subject to approval by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Two of Gulf Stream Views’ townhomes and parts of two others sit east of the state’s Coastal Construction Control Line. If past approvals of buildings proposed within the CCCL are any indication, the state will approve the Gulf Stream Views complex.
The city of Boynton Beach must approve the water and sewer plans.
Presson declined to comment further until after the sale closes. The property’s current owner, David Rinker, could not be reached for comment.
More than 14 years ago, the parcel abutted a section of Palm Beach County beach that was used informally as a dog beach, attracting dogs and their owners from surrounding communities and as far away as Broward County.
In July 2004, some nearby residents complained to Palm Beach County commissioners. They unanimously closed county parks and beaches to dogs.
Mike Smollon, a retired Boynton Beach fire lieutenant who lives south of the proposed Gulf Stream Views in the County Pocket, wonders how long the complex will take to complete.
“It will help our property values,” he said, “but it will increase our traffic.”
Of the land sitting empty next to the ocean, Smollon said the sale “was bound to happen. It’s a valuable piece of property that couldn’t sit vacant forever.”
Neighbor Marie Chapman hopes the new owners will reach out to the residents in the area and show their renderings.
“Key West-style of architecture will fit in with us,” she said, “but not industrial style.” Chapman also is concerned about how Gulf Stream Views will deal with its drainage plans. “Right now, it’s open land. When they build on it, that’s less land that will be available for drainage,” she said.
The homes south of the parcel are at a lower elevation and the streets usually flood with the summer downpours, she said.
“I’m excited to see what will go there,” Chapman said.
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