A popular Palm Beach social club won a second approval Wednesday to increase its membership.
In a unanimous vote, the Town Council approved the Carriage House’s request to add 75 new members, raising its total membership to 382.
Another 75 members potentially could be added next year as part of the private club’s three-year, phased expansion plan, bringing the total membership to 457. Carriage House was originally approved for 232 members.
“This has been really successful,” council member Ted Cooney told Carriage House officials who were in the audience during Wednesday’s meeting. “This caused a lot of community consternation originally, and you guys have really proven yourself an outstanding neighbor. Your team and the leadership of the club should be commended for doing what you said you were going to do, and doing it even better than you said you were going to do. You’ve surprised and turned around former opponents and turned them into supporters. You really have been an asset to this community.”
The Town Council on Wednesday approved a request from the Carriage House to increase its membership by 75. The private members club, seen here on Thursday, is modeled after an upscale private nightclub in London.
The council’s decision follows its approval last April of a special exception, site plan and variance that increased the club’s membership to 307, added outdoor courtyard seating, and eliminated the on-site parking space requirement created for increased private club membership.
A parking variance wasn’t requested Wednesday because off-site supplemental parking remains above the required minimum, according to town documents.
Carriage House, an English-style, members-only social club modeled after an upscale private nightclub in London, opened in March 2022. It offers dining spaces, a large courtyard, a reading room, seating rooms, parlor, wine room, three bars and numerous lounge areas.
The club occupies two landmarked buildings: the ground floor of 270 S. County Road, and the entire building at 264 S. County Road. The two buildings are connected by an open-air courtyard.
The town council in February 2019 gave permission for the club to open, but attached 31 operating conditions as part of a declaration-of-use agreement.
A proposal in October 2022 to reopen the agreement in order to add outdoor café seating was rejected by the Town Council on a 3-2 vote, with those in opposition citing a provision that the club could not ask for any modifications within two years of opening.
Last year, the club requested and was granted permission to transfer 40 of its approved indoor dining seats to outdoor seating. The shift did not increase the seating counts above the prior approved total of 153 (67 at lunch).
In a presentation to the council Wednesday, Carriage House CEO Mario Pederzolli said the addition of outdoor dining at the club has been “an unqualified success.”
“It is certainly appreciated by all our members and their guests,” he said. “We continue to work closely with our neighbors, and I’m pleased to report that there have been no complaints whatsoever, whether anecdotally or confirmed by (Police) Chief (Nick) Caristo. And to quote Chief Caristo, we are one of the only establishments on the island he hears absolutely nothing about.”
Filling restaurant seats at the Carriage House, whether indoor or outdoor, is key to the club’s success, Pederzolli said.
Though the club is approved for 153 seats, only 59% were occupied in January, he told the council. That percentage dropped slightly in February (58%) and March (56%). Increasing membership would help fill those seats, Pederzolli said.
“The conclusion is clear,” he told council members. “We do not need an increase in seating. We simply require more members. The average peak season occupancy of 58%, therefore, is just not sustainable. Although that is an uptick (over) last season — we did expect that — we remain significantly short of the reservation percentage we require to make this viable.”
Pederzolli added that the club plays no role in the island’s traffic challenges and “never will,” as approximately 90% of dining takes place after 7 p.m., he said, when Royal Palm Way is typically quiet.
“When it comes to the current traffic issues on the island, Carriage House just does not contribute to any congestion at all, in any shape or form,” he said.
During his presentation, Pederzolli also shared that the club had met key performance indicators outlined in its declaration-of-use agreement.
The agreement stipulates that at least 50% of the club’s members must live in Palm Beach, Pederzolli said, and an independent audit revealed that 85.5% do.
The club’s waitlist has an ever higher percentage of Palm Beach residents, he added.
“Carriage House exists for Palm Beachers to enjoy,” he said.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach approves expanded membership for Carriage House social club