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City of Belle GladeEconomic Development & Hotel Feasibility · Florida
Delivered work
City of Belle Glade, Florida · Prepared by BusinessFlare®

Belle Glade — Economic Assessment & Hotel Feasibility

A dual-track engagement for the Glades city on Lake Okeechobee — a full economic development assessment paired with a hotel feasibility study to guide catalytic investment.

Gladeswestern Palm Beach County · Lake Okeechobee
Dual scopeeconomic assessment + hotel feasibility
PIECEPreserve · Invest · Enhance · Capitalize · Expose
Overview

Turning under-leveraged assets into a growth strategy

Belle Glade is a Glades-region community with deep agricultural roots, a diverse population, and real but under-leveraged potential across retail, housing, and community development. BusinessFlare® delivered a comprehensive Economic Assessment mapping the city's land, labor, demographics, foot traffic, and industry — and translating each into concrete economic-development moves.

Alongside the assessment, BusinessFlare® produced a Hotel Feasibility Analysis testing demand for a new branded hotel serving Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay, and Clewiston. Together the two studies give the City and its CRA a fact-based foundation for attracting retail, housing, and hospitality investment.

The core finding

Belle Glade has genuine market demand — retail spending leaking to Wellington, West Palm Beach, and Clewiston, plus roughly 7,164 annual hotel room-nights of latent demand — but many projects are not yet financially feasible on their own. Public-sector support, such as CRA land contribution, can move catalytic projects like a 70-room branded hotel across the line to viability.

17,357projected 2024 population
10.9%unemployment rate
56.5%of households renting
~7,164annual hotel room-night demand
Visuals

The Glades

Belle Glade in western Palm Beach County, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, within Florida's Glades region. BusinessFlare®.
Belle Glade in western Palm Beach County, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, within Florida's Glades region. BusinessFlare®.
The work

Explore the work

Five analytical tracks, from citywide economics to a project-level hotel pro forma.

The assessment profiles Belle Glade's economy across land use, labor, demographics, foot traffic, and industry, then organizes recommendations under a PIECE framework — Preserve, Invest, Enhance, Capitalize, Expose.

Findings
  • Agriculture anchors the economy, with rising logistics and warehousing employment
  • Growth areas identified in logistics, healthcare, and professional services
  • City-owned assets — Torry Island Marina, golf course, and airport — flagged as catalysts
  • A five-part PIECE strategy translates data into economic-development actions

Trade-area analysis shows persistent supply-demand mismatches, with residents traveling 20-35 miles to Wellington Green, Southern Palm Crossing, and Tanger Outlets for goods they can't buy locally.

Findings
  • Substantial unmet demand in apparel, dining, and specialty goods
  • Retail spending leaking to West Palm Beach, Wellington, and Clewiston
  • Peak foot traffic on Fridays; most visits last 15-29 minutes
  • Opportunity for retail hubs and mixed-use 'third places' to capture outflow

The real estate review evaluates each commercial sector alongside the housing market, finding stable-but-thin office and industrial demand, a logistics-driven industrial opportunity, and a clear need for a healthier housing mix.

Findings
  • Retail: stable demand and rising rents, but feasibility often needs public support
  • Industrial: logistics growth creates warehousing and distribution potential
  • Housing: 56.5% renters and an average home value near $316,310
  • Case made for mixed-income and workforce housing

The feasibility study models visitor segments across the Belle Glade / Pahokee / South Bay / Clewiston market to estimate room-night demand and recommend a right-sized property.

Findings
  • Market of ~809 rooms across 17 properties, mostly independents
  • Area ADR ~$67.49 at ~62% occupancy — a gap in branded midscale/economy
  • ~7,164 estimated annual room-nights of baseline demand
  • Recommended 50-70 rooms, ideally a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton by Hilton

Revenue, NOI, and debt-service-coverage projections test the hotel under baseline and average-occupancy assumptions, with a second analysis isolating the impact of CRA/city land contribution.

Findings
  • 70-room hotel projects ~$1.18M annual revenue at market occupancy
  • Development costs estimated at $4.25M-$6.0M
  • At baseline, debt-service coverage falls below 1.0 — a real feasibility challenge
  • Free public land lifts the 70-room coverage ratio to 1.36, making it viable
By the numbers

Key points