North Park Boca Raton: What's Opening and What's Still Unplanned

On September 3, five commissioners from the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District dug ceremonial shovels into a parking lot at NW 2nd Ave. and Jeffery St. Behind them were 70 acres of what used to be the Ocean Breeze golf course in Boca Teeca. Now those acres are officially under construction. After the ceremony, guests walked over to tour a building that was already standing in that same lot. That building is Boca Paddle, a pickleball and padel club.

That order explains North Park's whole rollout. Most public parks open trails and playgrounds first and add the specialty facility later. North Park is doing the reverse. The paid club opens in November, the free trails and dog park are targeted for the middle of next year, and the west side, twice the size of the area now under construction, has no plan at all after the District turned down every proposal it received.

The one piece open today is the one meant to be temporary

Right now, the only part of North Park the District lists as open for public use is the Traffic Garden. It sits on the old tennis courts off Jeffrey Street, west of NW 2nd Avenue. Boca Magazine gives 5805 NW 2nd Ave. as the address to put in a GPS. It's a small practice road network with stop and yield signs, crosswalks, bike lanes, and directional markings, built so children can learn bicycle and pedestrian safety on bikes and scooters. Parking is in the lot just east of the garden, which you enter from the westbound lane of Jeffery Street.

When it opened in September 2025, Boca Magazine reported it was free to use and that motorized bikes, boards, and vehicles were not allowed. The District's September 2026 update doesn't repeat those terms or list hours. What it does say is that the garden was "intended as a temporary amenity," that it will stay open "until future redevelopment occurs," and that it "has already proven popular with families and schools." The District built it as a low-cost interim use. Resurfacing old courts cost less than sodding and irrigating the site. So far, nothing scheduled to replace it is in sight.

The first new amenity charges by the hour

Boca Paddle is expected to open in November 2026. The District hasn't named a specific day. It's a public-private partnership. The operator is building a $17 million indoor and outdoor pickleball and padel facility with food service, and the District will own the building and the land. Construction started in August 2025. The club's address is 50 W. Jeffery St. The courts will be a mix of indoor, covered, and open-air, including a dedicated stadium court.

Boca Post reported the detail most likely to catch people off guard: membership doesn't include court time. Court rentals, open play, clinics, and leagues are billed separately at member rates. The one exception is the Plus membership, which includes 12 open-play passes a month. Here are the ways in, based on the club's FAQ as Boca Post reported it on September 14:

Day-pass holders can't join club programming beyond the intro clinics. Membership presales opened August 18, and the club's website announced a second round as of mid-September. Beyond the courts, the club lists locker rooms, saunas, cold plunge recovery, workspaces, phone booths, and a pro shop. Boca Post also pointed out that the District's announcement didn't say what the District receives from the operator.

Why the free park took three rounds of bidding

The east side is what most people think of when they hear "North Park." Plans call for more than five miles of walking and riding trails, a dog park, a playground, and exercise equipment along some of the trails. More than 1,000 native trees will go in east of NW 2nd Ave. The Boca Raton Tribune reported that the scope also includes mountain-bike trails, gardens, restrooms, a maintenance building, and parking. Butters Construction's contract is $19,741,054.81.

The District's capital report explains why work only started this month. The first round of bids came in over budget, so the District rejected all four and narrowed the scope. During the second round, the City took over the pedestrian tunnel part of the project, which changed the bids enough that the District rejected them again. The third round produced the Butters contract in June 2026. The District now expects the east side to be "substantially complete by June 2027." As of today, that's about nine months away, and it's a target, not a promised opening date.

Some of the delay comes from the site's past. Soil contaminated during the golf course years is being dealt with under oversight from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In some areas, Butters is sealing contaminated soil in place beneath the Boca Paddle building instead of hauling it away, a method that makes room for the pavilions, trails, and playground next door. District Chair Bob Rollins described the groundbreaking this way:

"It means the end of the beginning, as we now have started putting our plans in place here with development."

The dog park matters for anyone who has worked their routine around Boca's limited off-leash options. It's part of the east-side plan and would be run by the District. It isn't open yet, and the District hasn't given it a separate opening date.

The skatepark cleared its hearings, with one loose thread

Also on the east side is a 42,000-square-foot skatepark and pump track. The District's board accepted the final design in January 2026 and approved a construction agreement with American Ramp Company in May. The city's Community Appearance Board approved it unanimously on September 1, and the Planning and Zoning Board did the same on September 3. The District has now started permitting. Boca Post reported that the item doesn't go on to City Council. Boca Daily News reported that Council approval is still required. The District's own report says the required site-plan review is complete.

The loose thread is an appeal. According to the District's September 8 minutes, an appeal letter was submitted regarding the Planning and Zoning approval. The City Attorney's Office replied that no stay had been entered, and the approval stays in effect unless the appeal is properly perfected under the City Code. On funding, the City had committed to two-thirds of construction costs, and in August 2026 the District set aside $3.2 million from its reserves. No construction date has been published.

The west side went through nine proposals and kept none

The west side of North Park covers about 140 acres. That's double the east side and the largest single piece of the property. In 2025 the District paid off the bond on that land early, which took full ownership from the City and saved more than $1 million in interest. Then it asked for proposals. Nine came in: Newell Golf, the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, Kemper Sports/Old Tom Capital, Boca Sports and Entertainment, Boca Surf, Wave House, Ellish Builders, and 8AM Golf. Boca Surf scored highest, with 381 points.

On November 3, 2025, the board turned down Boca Surf and similar surf and aquatics projects, citing concerns about community compatibility and traffic. On November 17, it rejected all the remaining west-side proposals, including Kemper Sports' family-oriented golf concept and the indoor and outdoor sports complex. The Boys & Girls Clubs had proposed a separate 25,000-square-foot facility on a 1.8-acre parcel at Jeffrey Street and NW 2nd Avenue, so their talks continued on their own track. On August 17, 2026, the board voted 3–2 to end those talks too.

As of September 2026, none of the 2025 proposals is still under consideration. The District says future planning for the west side "will occur in the future as determined by the Board." The west pedestrian tunnel is also closed. Its retaining walls need structural and drainage repairs, and those construction plans are finished.

The calendar, as the District has it

1. Now: The Traffic Garden is open, with parking off westbound Jeffery Street.
2. November 2026: Boca Paddle opens. Day passes are $35 for Boca Raton residents and $40 for nonresidents, and the restaurant and bar take walk-ins.
3. June 2027 target: The east side is substantially complete, including trails, the dog park, the playground, and restrooms.
4. No date yet: The skatepark and pump track. Permitting has started.
5. No plan yet: The 140-acre west side and the 1.8-acre parcel at Jeffrey and NW 2nd.

The next thing to watch for is a District board agenda that brings the west side back for discussion. Those agendas are posted on the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District website.

How fast North Park fills in will shape north Boca for years, and The Weppner Group follows these District decisions as closely as any market report. If you're thinking about what the park's timeline means for a home in Boca Teeca or nearby, schedule a private consultation with The Weppner Group.