North Park's First Big Opening Is a Club. The Rest of the Park Arrives Later.

"The courts are going up on public park land. Getting on them will cost money." Boca Post opened its September 14 story on Boca Paddle with those two sentences, and they describe east Boca's newest park for at least the next eight months.

Boca Paddle by CityPickle has its grand opening on November 18. It will be the second part of North Park that residents can actually use. The Traffic Garden came first. The trails, pavilions and playground on the park's east side are scheduled for substantial completion around June 2027. If you live in Boca Teeca or anywhere near Federal Highway, the park you get this winter is mostly a racquet club with a restaurant. The order those pieces arrived in comes down to contracts, not intent.

A Golf Course, a Bond, and Two Rejected Rounds of Bids

The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District bought the defunct Ocean Breeze Golf Course in the Boca Teeca section of east Boca in 2018. It retired the bond in summer 2025, nearly seven years before it was due. In the workshops that came before design, walking and bike trails ranked among the features people wanted most, and the District committed to preserving green space.

The racquet facility moved on a different track. The District asked for public/private partnership proposals to design, build and manage a racquet sports facility on the southeast portion of the site. The Malcolm Butters group won the award in March 2024, and the Board approved a contract with Boca Paddle that August. Under the project, the Boca Paddle group builds a $17 million indoor/outdoor facility. The District owns the building and the land, and Boca Paddle runs it. Ground broke in June 2025 and construction started in August 2025.

The public eastern side of the park had a harder time. In July 2025 the District asked for qualifications, shortlisted six firms, and took bids. All four bids came in over budget and were rejected. A second round also drew four bids, but during evaluation the City took over the pedestrian tunnel portion, which changed the scope enough that those bids were thrown out as well. The third round went to Butters Construction in June 2026, and the groundbreaking was held in September.

Part of the site work ties the two projects together. Butters Construction is containing contaminated soil in place beneath the Boca Paddle footprint. The state Department of Environmental Protection approved the method, which avoids the cost of hauling the soil away and clears the way for the pavilions, trails and playground next door.

What November 18 Actually Opens

The club is at 50 W. Jeffery St., at Jeffery Street and NW 2nd Avenue. It has 19 pickleball courts and 6 padel courts, 25 in total, spread across indoor, covered and open-air play, including a dedicated stadium court.

The District calls the facility available to the public. In practice, every way in comes with a price. Membership does not buy court time. Court rentals, open play, clinics and leagues are all charged separately, and the Plus tier is the only plan that bundles anything: 12 open play passes a month.

Couple and family versions of Standard and Plus run from $268 to $549 a month. There is no initiation fee, annual billing gives you one month free, and members can cancel with 30 days' notice.

The court rate sheet shows where the real spending happens. For nonmembers and Community members, the posted 2026 hourly rates are $80 at peak and $45 off-peak for indoor or covered stadium pickleball, and $60 and $30 for outdoor pickleball. Padel costs $120 and $75 indoors, and $100 and $60 on covered outdoor courts. Four people splitting a peak indoor padel hour would pay $30 each. Four people on an off-peak outdoor pickleball court would pay well under $10 each.

Some things stay closed to nonmembers no matter what they pay. Regular open play, leagues and social programs are off-limits. Nonmember introductory group clinics cost $40 an hour for pickleball and $50 an hour for padel. The FAQ says day-pass holders book courts at member rates, so confirm the exact court charge when you reserve. All of these prices are pre-opening and could change after November.

The terms have also shifted since the original pitch. District minutes from April 2024 record the same $35 and $40 daily guest fees and a $49 Community membership as proposals, with a 14-day advance booking window for Community members. The current membership table lists a three-day window. Booking that much closer to game day makes a difference for anyone hoping to get a weekend morning court on the cheapest plan.

The Restaurant Needs No Pass

The restaurant and bar are open to walk-ins, and no guest pass is required. That makes the dining room the only part of the building you can walk into without buying a day pass or a membership first.

The kitchen is presented by Farmer's Table, and the club's own story credits both Farmer's Table and Red Pine. East Boca residents already know the pair. Farmer's Table Boca Raton runs out of the Wyndham Boca Raton Hotel, and Red Pine, its sister restaurant from Chef Chi, has a following of its own. The District's announcement describes a dining area with viewing spots over the courts. Until the trails open, a table there is the easiest way to spend an evening at North Park without booking a court.

The Rest of the Park Runs on a 2027 Clock

This is when each piece of North Park opened or is expected to open, based on the District's own updates:

1. August 2025. The Traffic Garden opened on Jeffrey Street west of NW 2nd Avenue, built on pavement that used to be tennis courts. It gives children a car-free place to practice bike and road safety. Restrooms and a shaded seating area for parents were added after opening, and there is a parking lot next to it.
2. November 18, 2026. Boca Paddle by CityPickle holds its grand opening.
3. Around June 2027. The Butters Construction work on the east side is scheduled for substantial completion. BocaNewsNow's preview of the groundbreaking listed trails, a dog park, a playground and new native trees.
4. Date not yet set. The custom concrete skatepark and asphalt pump track on the southeast portion of the park are in permitting.
5. Still proposed, not approved. A field house and aquatic facilities.

In the July Boca Raton Tribune coverage, District Executive Director Briann Harms said feedback from nearby residents suggested they would oppose athletic fields because of lighting, parking, traffic and noise. That feedback helps explain why the list above has trails and a dog park on it and no ballfields.

The Skatepark Is Approved, and an Appeal Letter Is on File

On September 3, the City's Planning and Zoning Board approved the skatepark and pump track site plan 7–0. Boca Post reported that this is final board action and does not go to City Council. At its September 8 meeting, the District reported that the Community Appearance Board had also approved the project unanimously and that staff had moved on to permitting. A $32,600 Plant-A-Park grant helped pay for the workshops, survey and concept design.

Neighbors raised concerns at the hearing. James Richardson, who chairs the Boca Teeca Presidents Council representing 13 condominium associations and 1,600 units, asked the board to delay or deny the plan. He cited traffic of 11,000 to 12,700 vehicles a day on NW 2nd Avenue. Mary Louise Gladstone asked for an independent noise study. Michael Schneider presented resolutions from condominium boards opposing the location, and six Boca Teeca boards filed resolutions against development at North Park that they consider incompatible with the neighborhood.

City staff reached different conclusions. Their review added 17 parking spaces for the skatepark, bringing the total to 327 against a requirement of 152, and the Transportation Division expected no net increase in traffic. Harms said the plan is to close the skatepark at 9 p.m. and the rest of the park around 10 p.m. Boca Post noted that no condition on operating hours was attached to the approval.

There is one open question. District counsel reported that Susan Gladstone filed a letter seeking to appeal the approval. On September 4, the City Attorney's Office advised that no stay had been entered and that the approval stands unless an appeal is properly perfected. As of the District's September 8 minutes, permitting was moving forward with that question still unresolved.

Before the Grand Opening

Memberships are on sale now, and the District told its mailing list that only a limited number are available this year. The club lists access from both Federal Highway and I-95. The club's pages do not yet publish regular operating hours, so call ahead before planning an early or late game. If you have a resident day pass in mind, bring proof of Boca Raton residence, since the $35 rate depends on it.

If you are weighing what North Park's next phases could mean for a home in Boca Teeca or along the NW 2nd Avenue corridor, The Jessica Gulick Group follows each District update and permit decision as it happens. Request a Private Consultation, and we will walk you through what is approved, what is pending, and the dates that matter for your property.