Downtown utility work offers signs of progress on Gulfstream Hotel, WMODA
Water, sewer and electric lines are being rerouted to accommodate the two high-profile Lake Worth Beach developments
If you’ve been downtown lately, chances are you’ve seen a few signs of progress on two high-profile Lake Worth Beach developments.
One lane of Lake Avenue, roughly between S. Lakeside Drive and the Lake Worth Bridge, has been closed to traffic for the past week as crews relocate and install new underground utility lines for the $134 million renovation and expansion of the historic Gulfstream Hotel.
The lane will remain closed until the middle of February as the water, sewer, gas and fiber optic lines are rerouted to make way for the renovated hotel’s addition, said Amy Gill of Restoration St. Louis, the company overseeing the project.
The upgraded Marriott Bonvoy hotel with 90 rooms remains on track to open later this year, said Gill, who would not offer a specific target date. The hotel, built in 1925, has been shuttered since 2005.
“We are putting tiles in the bathrooms on the sixth floor. Painting is done on (floors) six and five and they are painting on four and three,’’ Gill said. “Vanities get delivered next week. We’re getting there.’’
The project’s second phase, expected to start late 2026, entails a mixed-use building on adjacent land west of the renovated hotel, with an additional 50 hotel rooms, 83 apartments, rooftop restaurant, spa, gym and a ballroom.
The expanded space will also include a 273-space parking garage, set to be open when the entire project is complete.
Less than half a mile west of the Gulfstream, in the heart of downtown, a fleet of electric utility bucket trucks was in action Jan. 14 moving and upgrading power lines to accommodate the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts project and K Street garage.
The activity was confined to the alleys behind Lake Avenue between K and M streets, with minimal disruption to vehicular traffic. It’s unclear how long the utility work will last; a reporter’s email to Lake Worth Beach’s public information officer seeking details was not returned.
WMODA submitted permit applications for the downtown mixed-use campus in October of 2025.
“City staff is working to finalize entitlements for the City’s “K” Street garage site while the WMODA design team is collaborating with Chihuly Studios to refine the museum’s interior space,’’ according to a Lake Worth Beach CRA social media post.
The CRA said WMODA is working with local art organizations to develop “community focused public art components’’ for the museum and a so-called arts alley behind the building. The utility work Jan. 14 was confined to a public alley that will be converted to the WMODA arts alley.
WMODA hopes to have plans for the museum approved by the end of June, with construction starting in late summer or early fall.
Is there an updated completion date on this utility project at the Gulf Stream? As a resident, its not a big traffic problem for me. But it is a noise issue from the 24/7 running of what sounds like an industrial generator or pump. I would love to know when that will go away. Thanks!