Delray Beach’s planning and zoning board has rejected a proposal to allow an indoor gun range in the Wallace Drive Overlay District, but the plan will still move forward to the city commission for consideration.
The property in question is an 18,400-square-foot flex office warehouse at 1215 Wallace Drive, owned by Wallace Drive LLC. The site is adjacent to a senior housing community and a church, and it is about 1,000 feet from Pine Grove Elementary School. The proposed ordinance would permit indoor gun ranges within the overlay district, which covers several parcels including self-storage facilities, warehouses, single-family homes, and vacant lots—some of which are owned by the city.
At Monday’s meeting, four out of seven board members voted against the proposal. Neil Schiller, attorney for Wallace Drive LLC, said that the planned facility would serve both private members and Delray Beach police officers for firearms training. He explained that under the proposed rules, other property owners in the district could also apply to build gun ranges but would need city commission approval. Requirements would include 24-hour security, adherence to National Rifle Association safety regulations, compliance with noise limits, and a ban on alcohol sales.
Despite these measures, some board members raised concerns about proximity to sensitive sites. Board member Mitch Katz highlighted that there were no minimum distance requirements from homes or schools in the proposal: “But gun ranges? Well, we can just put them across the street from a school,” he remarked. Schiller responded that his client’s building is at least 1,000 feet away from Pine Grove Elementary School.
Board member Dedrick Straghn expressed discomfort with placing a private gun range near residential communities and religious institutions: “This doesn’t smell right to me,” Straghn said. He also noted that another gun range already operates within a quarter mile in a different zoning district where such facilities are allowed.
Attorney Mark Grafton stated that the new range would be state-of-the-art and meet police department needs for specialized training scenarios.
Chairman Gregory Snyder suggested adding requirements for at least 500 feet between any future gun range and schools or churches as well as stricter noise limits. However, only three board members supported this amendment while four opposed it.
Wallace Drive LLC acquired the property for $5.8 million earlier this year. The site lies approximately 1.5 miles from Kolter Group’s planned Alton Delray apartment complex with workforce housing units under Florida’s Live Local Act legislation and less than two miles from Aura Delray Beach apartments recently purchased by Related Companies for nearly $117 million.
The absence of minimum distance requirements contrasts with practices in other Palm Beach County municipalities where such restrictions are typically imposed on gun ranges.
