The developer of The Bristol, the luxury condo on the Intracoastal, is teaming with the Morrison family to build a condo tower facing Clear Lake.

by AlexandraClough, Palm Beach Post

The Berkeley condominium in West Palm Beach kicked off construction on Wednesday, Dec. 11, marking the first luxury for-sale residence to be built on the western edge of downtown. The 25-story, 193-unit tower, estimated to cost $500 million to build, will rise facing the city’s other waterfront, Clear Lake. This body of water serves as the city’s drinking water supply. The Berkeley will be built on two acres at 601 and 621 Clearwater Park Road along South Australian Avenue. The site is just east of Interstate 95 and north of Okeechobee Boulevard.

The Bristol was the luxury leader. The Berkeley West Palm Beach condo will be close behind. Bristol builder teams with investors for Clear Lake condo tower on West Palm’s waterfront

The Morrison family of Palm Beach bought two old buildings on the sites in 2021 and 2022 for a combined $13.5 million. The family, through their Sympatico Real Estate company, then teamed with Al Adelson, who built the ultra-luxury condominium on the Intracoastal Waterway known as The Bristol.

Following a groundbreaking ceremony, The Berkeley developers showcased a sales gallery on the 9th floor at 500 S. Australian Avenue. The gallery contained elements of a sample condo unit, with white oak floors, contemporary cabinets and floor-to-ceiling windows. Each unit will offering unobstructed views to the west of Clear Lake and beyond. The condos above the 15th floor will have an eastern view of downtown West Palm Beach, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Berkeley’s roots in The Bristol

Some investors in The Berkeley also are owners in The Bristol. The waterfront Bristol tower rises 24 stories and has 68 units, with an average price of $10 million per unit.

When completed in 2019, The Bristol put West Palm Beach on the map as a suitable residence for wealthy people who previously deigned to live only in exclusive Palm Beach. Palm Beach buyer snaps up entire floor of The Bristol condo Unlike The Bristol, however, The Berkeley is geared to people with families who moved to West Palm Beach to work in the new financial firms and companies downtown, Adelson said at the groundbreaking.

To accommodate families, The Berkeley’s units will feature two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units, plus a “flex room,” said Bernardo Fort-Brescia, co-founder of the architectural firm Arquitectonica, which designed The Berkeley. The room can be used as a private exercise area, a library, an office or even a play space for grandparents and their grandchildren, Fort-Brescia said. There are two amenity decks for residents. They are akin to a family club as well as a wellness club, Fort-Brescia said. One is a seventh-floor deck for families, including a teen room, pool, play area, spa, and fitness center.m And on the rooftop, adults have their own space that includes a private dining room, club lounge and pool.

Meanwhile, each unit will have a large outdoor terrace, “the most expansive balconies ever designed in West Palm Beach,” Adelson told those gathered at the groundbreaking.

And unlike The Bristol’s $10 million-plus units, The Berkeley’s units will sell for $1.8 million to $4 million. Units on higher floors, which will also offer north- and east-facing ocean views, will cost more, as will penthouse units. The project’s family-friendly approach was lauded by Mayor Keith James, who spoke to investors, real estate professionals and other government officials gathered under a giant tent for the groundbreaking ceremony.

Up until now, people living downtown often felt they had to move out of the urban core when they had children, James said. The Berkeley “will fill a void . . . and have a widespread impact on the city,” James said.

The Berkeley’s location also just received an added boost with newly-approved plans to bring a Vanderbilt University business school campus to this section of the city. The campus would be built on seven acres of land east of The Berkeley, along South Tamarind Avenue between Evernia and Fern streets. Other real estate developers also are planning new condominiums for downtown West Palm Beach. Many of them are clustered along North Flagler Drive, north of the downtown. But Adelson isn’t concerned that there are too many condos for sale in the downtown.

“I am a strong, strong, strong believer in the West Palm Beach market,” Adelson said.

With West Palm Beach’s continued growth as a financial hub, the city “is the hottest market in the country,” Adelson said.

The city’s rising profile prompted James to gently rib The Berkeley developers at the groundbreaking.

Sales banners list Palm Beach, rather than West Palm Beach, below The Berkeley name, James pointed out.

“It must be a typo,” James quipped. “I’m sure it’s not intentional.”