OKO Group and Cain International’s proposed three-building Palm Beach condo project will carry the Aman brand.
OMA architect Jason Long confirmed the hospitality brand’s affiliation with the project at a Palm Beach Architectural Review Commission (Arcom) meeting on Wednesday, where representatives for the developer presented updated plans and renderings. OKO and Cain had not previously confirmed Aman’s involvement, despite years of local speculation.
“I, for one, am happy that the Aman brand is here in the South End,” said Arcom member Betsy Shiverick, who added that the latest design is more “Aman-like.”
The proposed five-story, three-building complex requires demolishing two existing condo buildings: the Ambassador Palm Beach Hotel & Residences at 2730 South Ocean Boulevard, and Edgewater at 2720 South Ocean Boulevard. The partners completed buyouts for the 4.9-acre site for $146.6 million in 2022.
OKO is helmed by Vlad Doronin, who also serves as CEO of Aman Group. Cain is a partnership between Jonathan Goldstein and Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, which is based in Greenwich, Connecticut.
The Wednesday meeting was the first look at plans for the condo complex since April, when Arcom sent the design team back to the drawing board. The planned complex will have a total of 41 units, with a sample floorplan showing two four-bedroom units per floor. The top floors of each building will have penthouses, according to the presentation. Ground-floor units will have private outdoor space and pools, the presentation showed. The developers have also tapped William Sofield’s New York City-based Studio Sofield to handle interior design and amenities, a spokesperson confirmed.
A vote was not required on the latest proposal, but neighbors and Arcom members weighed in on the project.
“I think Palm Beach desperately needs this,” said Thor Brown, an agent with Compass in Palm Beach, who added the town is losing buyers to new developments in West Palm Beach.
Others were staunchly against redevelopment of any kind.
“In the ‘70s, the town decided that it didn’t want this kind of corporate development,” said Arcom member Richard Sammons.
“Yes, we are losing people to West Palm Beach for newer product,” he said. “They’re welcome to do that.”
If built, the Aman-branded project would be the first newly constructed condominium in Palm Beach in 20 years. Meanwhile, across the Intracoastal Waterway, West Palm Beach has thousands of units in the pipeline, including Ritz-Carlton and Cipriani-branded towers.
