Singer Island beachfront high-rises back on track after decade delay

After a decade-long delay, a giant resort and spa project is back on the drawing board for Riviera Beach’s Singer Island.

The Wellness Resort and Spa complex would be composed of two 20-story towers along North Ocean Drive, less than a mile north of Blue Heron Boulevard. It would generate millions in tax revenue and create thousands of temporary jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs.

But the project, delayed by the economic downturn until its recent approval by the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, also raises questions about the balance coastal communities must strike between economic development, guarding against beach erosion and limiting the risk of damage from hurricanes. There also are questions about its size, which is larger than when it got its original approval in 2004.