Writer: Eleana Teran
2 min read August 2022 — Northern Palm Beach County is experiencing significant economic benefits from an influx of companies and individuals to the region. Local leaders are working hard to accommodate that growth while also managing the accompanying ‘growing pains’.
Noel Martinez, president and CEO of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, discussed with Invest: the tremendous growth he has seen across the region. “Over the past 12 months, the chamber brought in over 200 new members. If there are any takeaways from the past 12 months, it’s that we are exploding, we’re growing and there’s a lot of great stuff going on here in the North End of the county,” said Martinez.
According to Martinez, a variety of “game-changing” projects are underway that will enhance the area such as Nautilus 220, a marina redevelopment project in Lake Park, and PGA Station, a mixed-use development with hopes to build a train station that connects to Miami, Broward, Orlando and eventually further up.
Industries such as finance, tech, hospitality and tourism are experiencing a great deal of activity and growth in the North End.
As growth continues, municipalities are faced with a variety of challenges, especially those regarding affordability, land scarcity and mobility. “I think certain issues are bigger for us than other parts of the country because of the growth that we’re facing,” said Martinez.
“We are locked in geographically, so there isn’t room for expansion. Cities around us are growing by grabbing land to the west,” Deborah Searcy, mayor of the Village of North Palm Beach, told Invest:, pointing to housing as a key issue and the inability to adequately meet demand. “There is little more action we can take because we are built out. There are only a handful of parcels that will allow for new construction to take place.”
According to Redfin, the median sales price of homes is nearly $500,000 and $750,000 for Village of North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens, respectively, versus the nationwide $413,000. It is estimated that 1,100 workforce units have been built in the county since 2006 out of the 20,000 that are needed in the region.
However, the Village of North Palm Beach is making infrastructural investments to help meet the needs of local residents. “We recently passed a US-1 lane repurposing which will make our main corridor more beautiful, safe and sustainable and provide a better sense of place,” said Searcy. The project will repurpose the six-lane highway into a four-lane road, allowing more space for pedestrians and cyclists while maintaining mobility for those who travel through the highway. When asked about the project, Martinez said it will create jobs, bring much-needed tax dollars and add to the quality of life.
“We are working on a couple of big projects, one of which is a master plan for our parks (…) We’re also excited about our land repurposing project. We’re going to be creating a sense of place, and it’s going to be more aesthetic and comfortable,” said Searcy, pointing to the multiple infrastructural plans the town has proposed to create a better environment for further development in the area, including an underwater project to focus on stormwater needs and maintaining their public golf course, marina and state park.
