The first commercial Kelly Slater Surf Ranch venture is in the preliminary stages of its first application and surf pool design process in Palm Beach County, Florida. (AKA Surf Ranch Florida)
Josh Kerr and other pro surfers could be enjoying barrels like these if the Palm Beach County application is approved. Photo: Kelly Slater Wave Company
There is a meeting scheduled with the Palm Beach County Commission for March 23, 2017 which will address amending the county’s “planned industrial park” regulation, which would open the door for larger commercial facilities, namely a Kelly Slater Surf Ranch. They are currently looking at an 80-acre plot in the 1,300-acre Palm Beach Park of Commerce, also known as First Park South Florida.
The proposed Kelly Slater Surf Ranch application has also noted the facility could hold “special events,” which leads one to wonder if a CT event in Florida isn’t too far off.
“The Surf Ranch would be comprised of a man made surfing lake and support facilities intended for ‘public recreational and competition purposes,’ which may include larger events requiring separate approvals for Special Events,” reads the application.
The Surf Ranch would be developed on the extreme northwest corner of the Park of Commerce, according to the application. It describes the project as a concrete man-made lake of about 13 acres, measuring 2,000 feet long by 185 feet wide.
“It may be beneficial to note that the land area currently under consideration has been available for over 10 years for development,” reads a statement by Joni Brinkman of Urban Design Kilday Studios, the group that filed the application. “The narrow configuration of the parcel has inhibited the marketing of the property for larger warehouse or manufacturing/processing uses desired for the existing IG Use Zone [industrial] designation on the 80+ acre parcel. Code amendments to allow for the use to be considered by the BCC will allow for a tax generating facility to be constructed on the site that will focus world-wide surfing sport attention on Palm Beach County.”
Stay tuned to SurfParkCentral.com as the story develops.
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