A developer is seeking approval for The Oval project adjacent to Wildflower Park. City Council members and residents have mixed reactions about the proposal, with some saying it would detract from the park’s beauty. Rendering provided
By Michael Cook
Boca Raton’s Wildflower Park might get a new next-door neighbor, as a developer is asking the city for the green light to build a five-story luxury development called The Oval.
The mixed-use project has community members on the fence, with some seeing it as a potential boost to downtown and others worried it could disrupt views of the park.
“I don’t like it. We got enough here,” said city resident Alan Peterman, 67, who passes through the waterfront park as part of his daily walk. Peterman said he wouldn’t want to see a multilevel development rise right beside the park, which he said could detract from the park’s natural beauty and add traffic to an already congested area.
“To do the high-rise and change the whole thing, personally, it hurts me,” he said. “Keep it part of the park.”
The Oval is proposed for the vacant, fenced-in lot on the northeast corner of East Palmetto Park Road and Northeast Fifth Avenue. Calvin Haddad, president of Fifth Avenue Associates that owns the property, is seeking to build an oval-shaped structure with 10 residential units and 2,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, intended to provide walk-up amenities for those strolling through the downtown area.
The proposal is in the city’s review pipeline and must be approved before moving forward, though there is no official timeline yet.
The site is adjacent to the 2.3-acre art-filled park, to which the city been working to attract more visitors. The most recent efforts include the rollout of free weekly recreation programs and four new permanent public art projects inspired by the city’s centennial, which cost the city more than $500,000. In another effort to boost foot traffic, the city launched Food Truck Fridays in February, which will continue on the last Friday of each month.
The park, named after a 1980s restaurant and bar that previously stood there, opened in 2022 after a multimillion-dollar construction project.
It fronts the Intracoastal Waterway at the western end of the Palmetto Park Road bridge.
Park expansion an option?
Boca Raton City Council member Marc Wigder, who also chairs the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, prefers a permanent concession stand at the park and is not in support of The Oval project. Wigder, who is up for reelection March 10, hopes to convince the private landowner to reverse the development plan and sell the lot at 501 E. Palmetto Park Road to the city for a potential park expansion.
The idea would create extra space for amenities, such as a standalone shop for a hot-dog vendor or an ice cream parlor, something he says the park is missing. Another part of his plan would be to improve traffic flow by widening the roads at the heavily trafficked intersection and to provide additional parking for visitors.
Wigder said it seems more logical for the property to be acquired by the city to meet the community’s needs, but any purchase would require City Council approval. He made clear the city can’t force the private developer to do whatever the city wants, as the company owns the land.
“But if that piece of property was built with a commercial structure, I think the park might lose its visibility or access,” Wigder said. He pictured Wildflower Park tucked behind the proposed development, with only a narrow pathway leading in from Palmetto Park Road.
On the other side of the conversation is former Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke, who would be in favor of a mixed-use development on the lot west of the park. She said a coffee shop or an ice cream parlor in the retail area could create walkability to nearby restaurants and shops. “I think anything that’s built downtown or adjacent should consider the human element,” she said.
Art and activities
O’Rourke, a key figure in launching the city’s public art program in 2023, said it is heartening to see pops of colorful artwork installed throughout the park as part of efforts to activate the space. Boca Raton invested about $540,000 in the four art projects inspired by the city’s history, installed at the end of last year.
New features include environmentally themed murals under the bridge along a pedestrian path connecting Wildflower to the south with Silver Palm Park, which is popular for its boat ramp and docks. Other additions are centennial mosaics on the restrooms and a sunrise-inspired splash pad mural. The most popular attraction is Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0, a house-framed swing set repainted in the city’s centennial colors, which draws hundreds of visitors each week to take action on the four swings that face the Intracoastal.
There’s also the Bloom in Wildflower series of pop-up wellness activities, which cost the city about $1,200 to produce since launching last fall. The weekly instructed classes include yoga and Pilates and attract about a dozen attendees per session. The city said the program has been well-received and it plans to continue building on that success.
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