The developer of what is probably the first true luxury residential building in West Palm Beach –The Bristol– has moved west to Clear Lake for his latest foray into luxury living, The Berkeley.
Following the development of The Bristol along the Intracoastal, which was completed in 2019, Al Adelsona veteran developer with 50 years of experience, led the development team behind The Berkeley Palm Beach.
“The Bristol started the excitement of West Palm Beach,” Adelson tells Realtor.com. “It was the first truly high-end condominium that turned the tide and jump-started the growth of luxury residential real estate in West Palm Beach.”
With the successor to The Bristol, the developer wanted something more accessible at a lower price. Adelson says his vision for the new complex was “The Bristol lite,” or The Bristol with lower prices.
While units at The Bristol (where Adelson currently lives with his wife Linda) start at $12 million and go up to $60 million, at The Berkeley the cutoff point is close to The Bristol’s entry point, starting at $2.5 million for a two-bedroom apartment.
“I wanted to do a project that wasn’t that expensive but still had the look and feel of The Bristol,” he says.
The 25-story, 193-unit luxury condominium is currently under construction west of downtown on Clear Lake, a massive lake that supplies fresh water to Palm Beach County.
“It’s unbelievable what’s happened here in the last decade,” he says of West Palm. “The growth…you can’t even explain it. It’s the hottest city in the United States.”
However, he credits Stephen Ross, head of related companies and owner of the Miami Dolphins, with much of the credit for the region’s economic recovery, thanks to the billionaire developer’s $10 billion investment in downtown, which has turned it into a major business center.
“It creates all these great opportunities,” Adelson says. “Companies are bringing their employees here, they’re hiring, there are 10 new restaurants in West Palm Beach. Everything is great, great, great.”
But one thing wasn’t so great. With the enormous development in the city center there was a big problem: traffic.
“That’s the only negative thing,” he says. “It’s a problem.”
Adelson’s solution was to build his successor to the Bristol on the western edge of downtown, a 15-minute drive from South Flagler Drive and just east of I-95.
“The reason I chose Clear Lake is because it’s less than two miles from Flagler, but there’s no traffic because you’ve already passed it,” he says. “And if you get off 95, you get home before the traffic.”
Additionally, he points out that the site is not only within easy walking distance of downtown and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, but is also adjacent to the new $500 million Cleveland Clinic, the first hospital built downtown over 100 years.
“It really is a prime location,” he says.
Luxury on Clear Lake
For The Berkeley’s clean, white, undulating design, the developer worked with architect Arquitectonica, the firm behind some of Miami’s most iconic buildings. Designers Bernardo Fort Brescia takes care of the interior design.
There will be eight penthouses and one of them, priced at $11.5 million, has already been sold. Adelson describes the buyer as a “former CEO of a large life insurance company.”
A quarter of the units in the building are under contract, with total sales at $125 million. Delivery is scheduled for 2029.
All units have views of Clear Lake, and the higher-elevation units also overlook the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean, offering “the largest balconies in West Palm Beach,” the developer promises.
Interiors feature natural stone finishes, European white oak floors, Snaidero kitchens and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The 193 apartments in Berkeley, including eight penthouses, have two to five bedrooms and range in size from 1,700 to 5,000 square feet.
Despite the lower price, the complex’s amenities are unbeatable, according to Adelson. “There is no one who has more amenities than us,” he says.
The seventh floor features 30,000 square feet of amenities including a pool with private cabanas, his and hers spas, a fitness center, and a golf simulator and entertainment lounge. The rooftop features a lap pool and hot tub, as well as an outdoor kitchen and sky lounge, totaling 70,000 square feet of amenities across three floors.
Of the various concierge services, a few really stand out: The building offers free on-demand car service for 15 minutes in any direction, with no specific mile radius. “We can drive you and pick you up,” Adelson says. “It’s part of everyday service.”
While this may seem like a dream perk for older residents who don’t want to fight traffic to get to their medical appointments, the developer reveals that the building’s units will be rented by all types, from singles to families.
“There really isn’t a typical buyer,” he says, although, as with most luxury projects in South Florida, there are plenty of transplants in California and the Northeast.
Perhaps the most unique amenity is the building’s in-house concierge care from UPLIN Health, which includes 24-hour access to primary, urgent and specialty services.
“I just felt that health care was a big issue in our society,” he says. “That’s one of the many ideas that sets The Berkeley apart from all others. No matter what (disease) you have, a doctor will come to your home. You can get a chest X-ray or a blood test right there at the Berkeley.”
“I decided it would be a good marketing tool and something no one else had.”
And amazingly, the medical concierge service is free – at least for a year. When asked if he thinks this particular amenity will attract many retirees, he disagrees.
“Everyone needs a doctor at some point,” he says. He admits that this is exactly the kind of service he wanted for himself and his wife, as the two plan to move across town from The Bristol to The Berkeley once the complex is completed.
“How many developers live in their product?” he asks. “I will live there for the rest of my life.”