Under the plan, the old Twin City Mall site would become a 'town square' of tiered buildings covering 13 acres at U.S. 1 and Northlake Boulevard
NORTH PALM BEACH — A master plan before the Village Council calls for the redevelopment of the old Twin City Mall site into hundreds of residences, retail and restaurant spaces, a hotel and even an assisted-living center, much of it in buildings between nine and 14 stories tall.
The plan, which faces a council vote Thursday, envisions the weed-infested site along U.S. 1 becoming a hub for North Palm Beach, the kind of place that sees residents shop and dine out closer to home instead of traveling to West Palm Beach or other nearby cities.
Several council members like that Village Place would increase local tax revenue and refresh the property. Others worry that its buildings will overpower a community largely made up of single-family homes and smaller office buildings.
Nearly 100 people gathered at Village Hall on Aug. 8 for a presentation on the complex. Several spoke both in favor and against Village Place that night, when the council had been set to vote on the plan. It postponed the vote in hopes of reaching consensus among its five members.
“I think the project is beautiful and I welcome the tax revenue, but I cannot stomach nine stories on U.S. 1,” said Mayor Susan Bickel, one of three who expressed reservations about the master plan. “I don’t want to drive by that every day.”
A seven-story apartment complex already is in the works for the area. Called the Northlake Promenade Apartments, it would sit on the western side of the former mall’s lot. It already has won endorsements from the Lake Park and North Palm Beach planning boards. The Lake Park Town Commission will have the final vote on the proposal.
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