FBI agents have subpoenaed members of the Riviera Beach City Council as part of an inquiry into the city’s redevelopment of Marina Village, but city officials on Mar. 26 continued to advance new development plans for the area.
The investigation has drawn attention because it coincides with significant redevelopment efforts in Marina Village, a publicly owned site. The FBI reportedly delivered subpoenas on Feb. 24 to Mayor Doug Lawson, City Council Chair Shirley Lanier, and Councilmember Bruce Guyton, seeking records from their phones, computers, and other electronic devices related to the marina project. No criminal charges have been announced and Related Urban, a developer involved in the project, has not been named in connection with the inquiry.
Despite these developments, city officials moved forward Wednesday by endorsing Related Urban’s proposal for two 20-story apartment buildings at Broadway and East 12th Street. The plan includes 418 market-rate apartments and about 6,300 square feet of commercial space on approximately 2.5 acres.
A previous issue arose during bidding for a larger mixed-use project at the marina that could include hotels or a convention center. In July, Related Urban was deemed the only acceptable bidder after three other bids were disqualified by the city’s purchasing department due to incomplete submissions. During that meeting Guyton said: “When there is no competition, it gives us less leverage. When we have more than one to consider, it puts us in a better negotiation posture.” Lanier added: “I still have some heartburn about moving forward with this after there is a process, and the process was not completed. And that is just what it is.”
Ultimately bidding was reopened; Related Urban now competes with Forest Development and Sonnenblick Development for future phases of redevelopment.
Related Urban’s planned towers will be next to Residences at Marina Village—an eight-story affordable housing building under construction by Related Urban and Tezral Partners—with $100.3 million in grants and loans earmarked for households earning between 30 percent and 110 percent of Palm Beach County’s median income level. Both projects are being built on land leased from Riviera Beach for up to ninety-nine years.
While earlier proposals suggested including workforce housing units within Gallery at Marina Village following encouragement from city planning officials—particularly toward Albert Milo of Related Urban—the topic did not come up during Wednesday’s meeting.
