Over the objection of neighbors, West Palm Beach officials came one step closer to approving a 25-story office building in a downtown neighborhood that currently only allows five-story buildings.

Rendering Courtesy of One Flagler Miami

Saying the move will promote the city’s growth needs, the Downtown Action Committee voted unanimously to rezone the area where Related Urban Development wants to build the Class A office tower, which would be called One Flagler, per the Palm Beach Post. The city commission is set to vote on the measure next month, which would create the new Okeechobee Business District along Okeechobee Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue, stretching to Rosemary Avenue on the west and Flagler Drive waterfront on the east. The new district would go against a 1996 voter referendum in 1996 that capped the area east of Olive Avenue at five stories.

Creation of the district has been panned by neighbors who say it constitutes “spot zoning” and would have a detrimental impact on surrounding properties by blocking views of the nearby Lake Worth Lagoon and increasing traffic. They also claim the change would weaken height restrictions in other downtown areas.

But city officials have countered by saying the economic benefits of bringing a top-tier office building to the area would outweigh the drawbacks; it would bring jobs to the area and provide space for companies in the area to expand. Plans call for preserving the nearby historic First Church of Christ, Scientist and increasing building setback requirements that create open spaces — attributes that have also been cited by advocates of the plan.

Rendering Courtesy of One Flagler Miami

The rezoning effort, which was approved by the city Planning Board in July, has also drawn support from a range of civic organizations, including the Downtown Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Business Development Board, and Northwest Community Consortium.

The 338-foot tall tower would feature 274,000 square feet and hopes that the building would attract financial firms, hedge funds, and the kind of corporate relocations the city is recruiting to the Flagler Financial District. Plans also call for an onsite restaurant that would be open to the public and offer views to the water.