Palm Beach Atlantic moves forward with 25-Story tower in Downtown West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The skyline in downtown West Palm Beach could soon look a little different. Palm Beach Atlantic University is one step closer to building a 25-story, mixed-use tower on Acacia Rd and Dixie Hwy.

The project will cost $250 million. On Tuesday, the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners approved Palm Beach Atlantic to issue the bonds. To make it clear, the school is the one paying for this project, not taxpayers.

This tower will add 990 beds to Palm Beach Atlantic University, as well as a new dining facility, fitness facility, and parking garage.

"This project really is to bring students back on campus and bringing them back on campus gives us an ability to educate them whole body. So they're there. We're physically available to pour into them. And then it also gives us the ability to just take some of their trips from being commuters," PBA Associate Vice President of Construction and Facilities Curt Brown said.

Brown said his will help with traffic in the city and create more affordable housing for students. "Currently we have 1,400-and-some beds on campus, and what this will do is increase that. It's basically an affordable housing project for our students. Who can live on the 25th floor of a residence hall overlooking the ocean and the water at affordable rates downtown?", Brown said.

These college students will have a brand-new high-rise facility that will be a marker for downtown West Palm Beach. "They build relationships with other students that they wouldn't know if they didn't live on campus," President and CEO of Barber & Associates, Anthony Barbar said.

The school is getting ready to start construction this summer. It will take two years to build, and they plan to have it open in August of 2027. The project has a five-year economic impact of $1.36 billion and will create close to 4,500 jobs.

"It's exciting for the students, for the students that are going to live there, for the students that are going to enjoy the benefits of it. It's going to be a very exciting project for Palm Beach Atlantic and for the city of West Palm," Barbar said.

The plans will be in front of West Palm Beach city commissioners on Monday for final approval.

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