Related Ross Advances $300M Curio by Hilton Near West Palm Beach Convention Center

• Related Ross plans a $300 million, 400-room Hilton Curio hotel at 900 S. Rosemary Avenue in West Palm Beach, replacing a surface lot that has served as convention center overflow parking since 2016.
• The 18-story hotel would rely on 590 leased spaces in the county-owned convention center garage instead of a dedicated parking structure, and the project needs zoning waivers plus City Commission and Palm Beach County Commission approval before moving forward.
• Related Ross, led by billionaire Steve Ross, is also pursuing a sale-leaseback arrangement in which the developer would sell the site to Palm Beach County and lease it back for decades while funding the hotel's construction.

A Second Convention Center Hotel Takes Shape

Related Ross has filed plans for an 18-story, 400-room Curio by Hilton hotel at 900 S. Rosemary Avenue, on a roughly 1.8-acre parcel just south of Okeechobee Boulevard near the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The site currently functions as overflow parking, but the proposal would transform it into a hotel rising 204 feet, complete with a two-story meeting and event space and a 7,300-square-foot restaurant. The project is designed to complement the existing Hilton West Palm Beach, which sits directly across Rosemary Avenue and which Related Ross also developed.

Zoning Waivers and City Approval

Before construction can begin, Related Ross is asking West Palm Beach to establish a new "Hotel II Subarea" zoning classification within the CityPlace commercial development and to approve three separate waivers tied to building design and vehicle access. Those waivers would reduce required active-use frontage along both Rosemary Avenue and L Street, and shorten the required clearance between a driveway and a nearby street corner. City staff and the Planning Board, which voted 4-0 in favor following a June hearing, have recommended approval, setting the stage for a City Commission vote.

A Sale-Leaseback Instead of a Parking Garage

Rather than building a dedicated parking structure, Related Ross plans to lease 590 spaces in the county's convention center garage for hotel guests and employees, an arrangement that would also cover the existing Hilton West Palm Beach. Related Ross, the firm led by billionaire Steve Ross, is separately negotiating a sale-leaseback deal with Palm Beach County in which the developer would sell the site for roughly $26 million and lease it back for up to 99 years, while remaining responsible for funding the estimated $300 million in construction costs. In exchange, the county would collect guaranteed rent over the life of the lease, though the property would no longer generate property tax revenue.

A Boost for West Palm Beach's Convention Business

The new Curio by Hilton is intended to address a longstanding gap in the city's convention capacity. Convention organizers have said they need 700 to 800 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center to compete for national conferences, and the existing Hilton West Palm Beach frequently fills up during major events. Adding 400 more rooms just steps away would give the city significantly more room to accommodate larger gatherings. For Palm Beach County, the arrangement is also structured to generate substantial long-term revenue, with Related Ross's payments under the proposed 99-year deal projected to exceed $1 billion over the life of the lease. The West Palm Beach City Commission is scheduled to consider the zoning ordinance on first reading, with related resolutions on the site plan and development regulations returning for final action at a later meeting, while the broader land and parking arrangement still requires Palm Beach County Commission approval.