North Park Is Arriving One Piece at a Time, Starting With a Pickleball Club
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
"It means the end of the beginning," Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District Chair Bob Rollins said in early September 2026. He was standing in the southeast parking lot at NW 2nd Ave. and Jeffrey St. before all five commissioners put their shovels into the old Ocean Breeze golf course.
The phrase fits better than a ribbon-cutting would. North Park won't open as a single park on a single day. It's arriving in separate pieces, each with its own contract and its own timeline. The first major building to open is a privately operated pickleball and padel club, set for November 18. The trails, dog park and playground are targeted for mid-2027. The west half of the property still has no plan.
If you live in Boca Teeca or drive Yamato Road and Jeffrey Street regularly, the site makes more sense once you see it as several projects sharing one piece of land.
This was never meant to be a park. The District bought the 27-hole Ocean Breeze course in February 2018 to replace a public golf course. The road from there runs through several reversals:
Each step changed what the land was for and who would build it. That history also explains why the first building to open is the one the District didn't have to pay to build.
Boca Paddle by CityPickle, at 50 W. Jeffrey St., runs on a concession agreement. A separate public-private partnership holds the right to operate the facility. The District's part was getting sewer, utilities, parking and road access to the property line. In August 2025, the Board authorized Butters to do that work early so the club's construction could move faster.
That is how a privately run club got ahead of the public trails. It also explains how the club works. Malcolm Butters, CEO of Butters Construction & Development, told the Boca Raton Tribune that the inaugural membership is capped at 1,000 members. Non-members can buy day passes, and Boca Raton residents get a lower rate. The club's published membership page lists the day pass at $40, or $35 for Boca Raton residents who show proof of residence.
According to Butters, the 8.1-acre site has 25 courts:
| Court type | Indoor, climate-controlled | Outdoor, canopy-covered | Outdoor, uncovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball | 14 | 9 outdoor courts total, mixed across both | |
| Padel | 2 | ||
| Total | 16 | 5 | 4 |
Across the whole club, that comes to 19 pickleball courts, including a stadium court for tournament play, and six high-clearance padel courts. Butters calls it the largest indoor facility of its kind in Florida.
The part of the building most open to the public needs no paddle at all. Farmer's Kitchen by Farmer's Table, a full-service restaurant, café and bar from Farmer's Table Boca Raton founder Mitchell Robbins, will be open to anyone. No membership or day pass is required to eat there. TAPinto reports that Chef Michael Schenk leads the kitchen. Hours and a full menu haven't been posted yet.
As of October 6, the club's website still shows November 18 as the grand opening, and you can book a hard-hat tour through its scheduling page. Like any construction date, November 18 is a target until the doors actually open.
Butters credited fellow partnership members Brian Levine and Stewart Davis with the energy and vision for the club. He added that a smooth Boca Paddle build, along with being the lowest bidder, helped his firm win the contract for the park itself.
Boca Paddle is actually the second North Park feature to open. In 2025, the District opened a Traffic Garden. It's a car-free miniature street network painted on former tennis courts, with lanes, crosswalks, bike markings, and stop, yield and one-way signs at child height, built for practicing bike and pedestrian safety. The District's account mentions children as young as two riding bikes and scooters there. The site has restrooms, shaded seating and parking nearby, and the District's materials list no admission fee. The City's page for it didn't load during our research, so check posted hours before you go.
The Traffic Garden shows the pattern. A small, self-contained piece opened once it was ready, without waiting for the rest of the park.
The part most neighbors have waited for is the 70 acres east of NW 2nd Ave. Plans there include more than five miles of walking and riding trails, with exercise equipment along some of them, plus a dog park, a playground and more than 1,000 native trees. Crews have already started removing invasive trees and plants, as code requires. The District expects substantial completion by June 2027. That's about eight months after Boca Paddle's planned opening and roughly nine years after the land was purchased. The whole project is designed to meet Sustainable SITES Initiative environmental standards.
Commissioner Craig Ehrnst called it "a beautiful park" at the groundbreaking. Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thompson and City Council members Yvette Drucker and Stacey Sipple also attended.
The rest of the site is less settled. Here's where the other pieces stand, based on the District's September 2026 capital projects overview:
Butters said he hopes to work with the District on "some additional ideas for the remaining land at North Park." For now, that's a hope from one of the builders, not a plan. Nobody can say yet what the west side of the old Ocean Breeze course will become.
The North Park dog park is on the June 2027 schedule, so this fall's dog-friendly event is elsewhere in town. The City's free Howl-O-Ween runs Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at Countess de Hoernle Park, 1000 Spanish River Blvd., with dog costume contests, dog races and a Trail of Treats. A week before Boca Paddle's planned opening, Red, White & Boca fills Mizner Park Amphitheater on Wednesday, November 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. The free Veterans Day event includes a veterans marketplace, a classic-car show, food vendors, and performances by The Coastman Chorus and Belladiva.
If you're wondering how North Park's phased opening could affect day-to-day life near Jeffrey Street and NW 2nd Ave., or what nearby homeowners might expect as the trails and club come online, Maria Bloemendaal is happy to talk through the timeline with you in English, Italian or Spanish. Let's Connect Today.
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