The Jupiter Town Council voted 4-1 late Thursday to advance the Suni Sands hotel, condo and marina plan on first reading. Council members also made clear that the developer has more work to do before the plan comes back for final votes.
The council passed all four ordinances tied to the project at a special meeting that ran from 6 p.m. to about 11 p.m., according to the town's video of the meeting. Councilor Ron Delaney voted no each time. Mayor Jim Kuretski, Vice Mayor Phyllis Choy and Councilors Dan Guisinger and Malise Sundstrom voted yes.
First reading is not final approval. Each ordinance needs a second vote at a later hearing, and the town has not set a date for it yet. Before the meeting ended, Kuretski said nothing had been approved that night. He described the vote as a step that lets the applicant hear the council's response, and he said the ball is now in the applicant's court. A site plan would be considered separately, later.
What the council voted on
The project would replace the former Suni Sands mobile home park on the 10.5-acre Sperry Parcel at 961 and 997 N. A1A with a 110-key hotel, 44 condos, a spa, a restaurant, shops and a 17-slip marina. About 4.07 acres around the Suni Sands shell midden, an archaeological site, would be preserved, and a 1.41-acre parcel would go to the town. Our explainer on the plan has the full background.
The four ordinances passed on first reading:
Ordinance 30-26 amends the town's Inlet Village zoning rules, changing the boundary of the Flex South subdistrict and its maximum building height.
Ordinance 31-26 changes the land use map for the site to about 5 acres of Inlet Village Flex and 5.5 acres of Conservation. As written, it would also shorten the Riverwalk corridor requirement from 535 feet to 142 feet. Kuretski asked that the second-reading version say the corridor shrinks to "less than 250" feet instead, leaving the final number open. He also asked staff to correct a clause describing the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation and to add a cap on traffic trips. The town attorney said the changes would be made for second reading.
Ordinance 32-26 rezones the property: 5 acres of Flex South, 4.1 acres of Conservation Preservation and 1.4 acres of Conservation Restricted.
Ordinance 33-26 creates the planned unit development (PUD) for the project. This was a quasi-judicial vote, which means the council decides it like a judge, based on evidence presented at the hearing.
'Public benefits' still at issue
Under a PUD, a developer can ask for waivers from normal zoning rules in exchange for public benefits. Council members said the benefits on the table so far do not justify all the waivers the developer wants. Several members said items that were already required by the town's January 2026 settlement agreement with the property owners, or by town code, should not count as added public benefits.
The council passed the PUD ordinance with conditions. Before the second reading, the developer's statement of use, dated Oct. 12, must be revised, and the developer must either drop some waivers or offer more public benefits.
The council member who made the first motion said, "I'll support these on first reading. Again, I may not on second." Kuretski noted that the council's vote to approve the settlement agreement "wasn't unanimous."
Kuretski presided over the meeting. Town Attorney Thomas J. Baird read the ordinances into the record.
Dozens of opponents spoke against the project during public comment, as first reported by WPTV.
What's next
The ordinances return for second reading at a hearing the town has not yet scheduled. Jupiter Tide will report the date once the town posts it. Agendas are posted on the town's meeting portal.
Sources
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