A developer wants two 8-story buildings with 244 affordable senior apartments at 1350 NW 31st Ave. City reviewers take up the Live Local Act plan Wednesday.

A developer has filed plans for 244 affordable apartments for seniors on a vacant lot in west Pompano Beach. The project, called Residences at Pompano Beach, would rise at 1350 NW 31st Ave.

The city’s Development Review Committee is scheduled to review the plan at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. The slot is listed as virtual on the committee’s Nov. 4 agenda.

The applicant is The Richman Group of Florida, which is buying the land from its owner, Aviara Corporate Park LLC. It filed the plan under Florida’s Live Local Act, the state law that lets apartments go up on commercial land when enough of them are affordable.

What the plan includes

The figures below come from the applicant’s project narrative, dated Sept. 29, in the project documents filed with the city under case PZ 26-12000020.

  • 244 apartments, all of them restricted as affordable senior housing
  • two residential buildings, each eight stories and 85 feet 10 inches tall
  • a one-story retail building of about 4,209 square feet facing NW 31st Avenue
  • a one-story clubhouse with a pool for residents
  • one-, two- and three-bedroom units
  • parking behind the buildings, with three driveways onto NW 31st Avenue

The lot covers about 5.4 acres. It sits on the east side of NW 31st Avenue, about 300 feet south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the narrative says.

Who could live there

Under the plan, 234 of the apartments would be set aside for households earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income. The other 10 would be for households at or below 120%. The filing calls the project senior housing but does not give a minimum age.

The narrative says Broward County is providing financial support for the project. It does not say how much.

Unit type Smallest size in the plan
One bedroom 635 sq. ft.
Two bedrooms 926 sq. ft.
Three bedrooms 1,344 sq. ft.

Source: applicant’s project narrative, PZ 26-12000020.

Why the city cannot vote it down on density

The Live Local Act requires at least 40% of the units to stay affordable for 30 years. This plan makes all of them affordable.

Under the state law, section 166.04151(7), a qualifying project “must be administratively approved.” That means no vote by the City Commission or a city board, as long as the project meets the city’s other development rules, such as setbacks and parking. The city cannot require a rezoning for the height or density the law allows.

The land is zoned for business, B-3 and B-4. The narrative puts the density at about 45 units per acre. That is under the B-3 limit of 46 and half the 90-unit maximum the act allows in the city.

The application is being handled as a minor site plan, the narrative says. The Nov. 4 agenda lists it as a major site plan.

A bigger plan came first

The same land already had approval for a different project. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board approved 369 apartments and 4,624 square feet of offices there on Feb. 28, 2024, according to the narrative. That project is not being built.

The new plan would hand back 53 “flex units” the earlier project had been given. The city can then use them elsewhere.

What it means for you

  • If you are a senior looking for affordable rent: nothing is open for applications yet. The plan still needs city sign-off, building permits and construction.
  • If you live nearby: the plan adds two eight-story buildings and retail along NW 31st Avenue. Because of the state law, the city reviews it against its code instead of holding a public vote.
  • If you want to follow it: the case number is PZ 26-12000020. The project planner is listed on the agenda, along with the meeting details.

We will report what the committee says after Wednesday’s review. For how land use decisions work in the city, see our guide to building permits and zoning in Pompano Beach. For what homes cost now, see Pompano Beach home prices.