Forest Development Wins Bid for $556M Marina Village Megaproject in Riviera Beach

• Forest Development won the bid to redevelop Riviera Beach’s Marina Village waterfront district.
• The $556.1 million proposal includes a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, condos, restaurants, and a convention center.
• Developer Peter Baytarian beat competing proposals from Related Group and Sonnenblick Development.

What Forest Development Is Planning

Forest Development has officially secured the opportunity to redevelop 12 acres of Riviera Beach-owned waterfront at Marina Village after city council members selected the firm’s proposal over competing bids from Related Group and Sonnenblick Development.

Led by developer Peter Baytarian, the North Palm Beach-based firm proposed a phased $556.1 million mixed-use redevelopment designed to transform the long-stalled Marina Village district into a major hospitality and residential destination.

Plans include a 20-story Marriott Autograph Collection-branded hotel, a possible 10-story convention center, a 20-story condominium tower with boat storage, three restaurant and office buildings, and a redesigned Bicentennial Park.

Marina Village Renderings

What Helped Forest Development Win

Baytarian emphasized that the project would move forward without public bonds or tax abatements. The proposal also includes a culinary school operated by celebrity chef Richard Burke that would provide scholarships to Riviera Beach residents, along with a $100,000 annual contribution toward a community benefit fund. The development team includes architecture firms Adache and Dwell, planning firms Insite Studio and WGI, and contractors Moss and Gilbane. Forest Development projects the redevelopment could generate roughly $2.9 million annually for the city while creating approximately 1,000 permanent jobs.

Competition Was Fierce

The bid process attracted major South Florida development firms. Related Group, alongside BH Group, PEBB Enterprises, and Tezral Partners, proposed a competing mixed-use project with a hotel-condo tower and rooftop sports complex. Sonnenblick Development proposed a Margaritaville-anchored waterfront concept featuring restaurants, an aquarium, and entertainment space. The Related-led proposal reportedly received the highest score from the selection committee before Riviera Beach officials ultimately selected Forest Development.

What the Project Signals for Riviera Beach

The Marina Village redevelopment reflects the growing push to transform underutilized waterfront districts across South Florida into hospitality and mixed-use destinations. For Riviera Beach, the project could become one of the city’s most significant redevelopment efforts in decades while helping reposition the waterfront as a regional destination for tourism, dining, and residential growth.