Our Corner of the Palm Beaches Is Changing Fast: Here's What's New
November 3, 2026
November 3, 2026
If you've driven down Railroad Avenue, PGA Boulevard or Northlake lately, you've seen it: our corner of the Palm Beaches is changing faster than at any time I can remember. A New York-pedigree hotel just opened in West Palm, a Ritz-Carlton is rising on the Intracoastal in the Gardens, and Avenir finally has a town center of its own.
Season is here, my phone is ringing, and the question I hear most is simple: what is actually going on around here? So here's my roundup of the three areas everyone is talking about, and what it all means if you're thinking about buying or selling.
Nora (short for NOrth RAilroad Avenue) is a 40-acre district of restored 1920s-era warehouses and new buildings along North Railroad Avenue, just north of downtown West Palm Beach. It's being developed by NDT Development, Place Projects and Wheelock Street Capital with the City of West Palm Beach. The first shops and restaurants opened in fall 2025, and this fall the district's hotel arrived.
The Nora Hotel is open. The 201-room hotel opened October 19 at 1135 North Railroad Avenue, right as Palm Beach season began. The Nora Hotel is BD Hotels' first venture beyond Manhattan, developed with hotelier Sean MacPherson, from the group behind New York's Bowery Hotel, The Mercer and Hotel Chelsea. It has a rooftop restaurant and pool, a lobby bar and a Sisley Spa, and Pastis, Stephen Starr's Parisian-style brasserie, is slated to open there this fall.
Homes are coming next. Nora House will be the district's first for-sale condo building. The 12-story building is planned for delivery between 2027 and 2030, with prices starting in the upper $1 millions according to the developer's sales launch. Its sales gallery is at 955 N. Railroad Avenue, and I'm happy to walk it with you. Nora's first residential building will be The George, a 12-story rental tower with 350 apartments plus townhomes and lofts, and 15- and 20-story buildings are planned after that.
The dining scene keeps building. Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, H&H Bagels, Sunday Motor Co., Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Celis Juice Bar are part of the lineup, and Cameron Mitchell's Mediterranean restaurant Del Mar opened in April. Shops like Le Labo, Warby Parker and LUCE fine jewelry, plus fitness studios SWEAT440 and Solidcore, round it out.
Why it matters: walkable, hotel-anchored districts like this tend to pull nearby home values up. Nora is minutes from Palm Beach Island, Brightline and PBI, so expect more buyers who want a lock-and-leave condo with a real neighborhood around it.
The Gardens has always been about golf, clubs and gated communities. That hasn't changed, but the PGA Boulevard corridor is seeing a wave of major new projects.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences are in the home stretch. At 2200 PGA Boulevard, Catalfumo Companies is finishing 106 residences on 14 acres of Intracoastal frontage, with a private 29-slip marina and more than 20,000 square feet of amenities. Prices run from about $4 million to more than $10 million, and the developer secured a $401 million loan in May to complete construction and sell the remaining inventory. It's the first property in Ritz-Carlton's "Estate Collection" anywhere.
PORT 32 is reshaping the marina next door. The ground-up marina redevelopment at 2385 PGA Boulevard topped out in June and is expected to open in December 2026, adding to the waterfront energy along the Intracoastal.
The executives are coming. The Palm, an eight-story office and retail building on the PGA corridor, is slated for 2028 and is the only new Class A office project in the area. New offices bring new employers, and new employers bring buyers for homes in BallenIsles, Old Palm, Mirasol and the rest of our club communities.
Why it matters: branded residences and Class A offices are the signals luxury buyers watch. They tell relocating executives and second-home buyers that the Gardens is a destination, not just a suburb.
Avenir is the roughly 4,750-acre master-planned community on the western edge of Palm Beach Gardens, off Northlake Boulevard. Homes went up faster than shops, and a local leasing agent described the area as underserved for retail. In 2026 that started to change.
The Town Center is open. Publix opened at Avenir Town Center on May 21, nearly two years after a tornado destroyed the original store while it was under construction. Walgreens has joined it, with more shops and restaurants on the way, and an Aldi is planned at Coconut Crossing across the street.
The clubhouses are opening. GL Homes opened the 28,000-square-foot Great Egret Clubhouse at Apex at Avenir in August.
Builders are betting big. GL Homes, DiVosta and Hearthstone spent a combined $107.4 million on Avenir homesites this spring, and Kolter's L'Ambiance passed the halfway-sold mark in January.
Health care is moving in. Construction started in June on Health Park at Avenir, a 100,000-square-foot campus for Jupiter Medical Center with a neighborhood hospital, a 24-hour emergency room and medical offices, set to open in 2028.
Why it matters: Avenir is one of the best places in the Gardens to buy brand-new construction, with resort-style clubhouses and now everyday conveniences close to home. It's a natural fit for families and buyers who want new, not renovated.
Nora | Lock-and-leave condo buyers who want walkability near Palm Beach Island | Nora House pricing and how fast the first units sell |
Palm Beach Gardens (PGA corridor) | Boaters, golfers and executives who want waterfront or club living | Ritz-Carlton closings and resale demand in established clubs |
Avenir | Families and buyers who want brand-new construction with amenities | New phases released by GL Homes, DiVosta and Kolter |
If you're buying: new projects launch and sell in waves, and the best floor plans and lots go first. Getting in early, with someone who knows the sales teams, makes a real difference.
If you're selling: all this new development raises the profile of the whole area. If you own in an established Gardens or Jupiter community, buyers drawn by these headlines are your buyers too, and this season is a strong time to list.
Whether you want a first look inside Nora House, a private tour of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, or a drive through Avenir's newest neighborhoods, I'd love to show you around. And if you're curious what all this growth means for the value of your current home, I'm happy to put together a free home valuation.
Call or text me at (617) 908-5300, or reach out here. Just call Jenni.
Nora, short for NOrth RAilroad Avenue, is a 40-acre district of restored 1920s-era warehouses and new buildings just north of downtown West Palm Beach. It's home to restaurants, shops, fitness studios and The Nora Hotel, with apartments and condos planned.
The Nora Hotel opened on October 19, 2026, at 1135 North Railroad Avenue. It has 201 rooms, a rooftop restaurant and pool, a lobby bar and a Sisley Spa. Pastis, Stephen Starr's Parisian-style brasserie, is slated to open at the hotel this fall.
Yes, soon. Nora House will be the district's first for-sale condo building. The 12-story building is planned for delivery between 2027 and 2030, with prices starting in the upper $1 millions, and its sales gallery is at 955 N. Railroad Avenue. A rental tower, The George, is also planned.
Residences at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Palm Beach Gardens range from about $4 million to more than $10 million. The 106-residence building sits on 14 acres of Intracoastal waterfront at 2200 PGA Boulevard with a private 29-slip marina.
Avenir is a roughly 4,750-acre master-planned community on the western edge of Palm Beach Gardens, along Northlake Boulevard. It's planned for about 3,900 homes, a town center, a medical campus and more than 2,400 acres of nature preserve.
Publix opened at Avenir Town Center on May 21, 2026, and Walgreens is open too, with more shops and restaurants on the way.
Season (October through April) is when the most buyers are in town, which makes it a strong time to list. For buyers, new projects release homes in waves, so getting in early matters. Every situation is different, so reach out or start with a free home valuation.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
A new hotel in Nora, a Ritz-Carlton on the Intracoastal and a town center in Avenir: here's what it all means for buyers and sellers this season.
Jennifer is excited to continue her entrepreneurial path in the Real Estate industry and the passion she has for assisting people when it comes to finding their dream homes knows no bounds.
