"We didn't have any parks to go to in our neighborhood," retired city staffer Diane King said at the September 3 groundbreaking for the east side of North Park. She was talking about growing up near the old golf course off NW 2nd Avenue. She said she liked the idea that kids could someday walk five blocks to a park.
"Someday" is the important word. The 212-acre North Park at 5800 NW 2nd Ave. is opening in pieces, and the order surprises many people. The parts that cost money or serve a narrow purpose open first. The free, everyday parts like walking trails, a dog park and a playground come last. For anyone living around Yamato Road and Dixie Highway, that order shapes how the site can be used between now and mid-2027.
How a 27-Hole Golf Course Became a Phased Park
The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District bought the land in the Boca Teeca subdivision in February 2018. The golf course there was called Ocean Breeze. People still use both names for the site, but Ocean Breeze was the course and Boca Teeca is the neighborhood around it.
At first the District looked at building a replacement golf facility called Boca National on the 27-hole site. It put that plan on hold after the City received another golf course nearby and signaled it would not approve the proposal. Speakers at District meetings still argue for golf and against plans that would affect Boca Teeca condo owners, so the debate over the land is still going on.
The schedule for the east side of the park comes from its bidding history. The District bid the east-side construction three times. The first four bids all came in over budget. During the second round, the City took over the pedestrian tunnel portion of the project, which changed the bids enough that they were rejected. The Board awarded the contract to Butters Construction in June 2026. Meanwhile the racquet club was moving on its own track as a public-private partnership. It was awarded in March 2024, broke ground in June 2025 and started construction in August 2025. That head start is why the club opens in November, while the District expects substantial completion of the trails by June 2027.
The Opening Order, Piece by Piece
Here is where each part of North Park stood as of early October 2026:
- Traffic Garden. Open now, on the former tennis courts at the park's northwest corner.
- Boca Paddle by CityPickle. Hard-hat tours start October 7, and the club opens November 18.
- East-side trails, dog park and playground. Construction started in September. Substantial completion is expected by June 2027.
- Skatepark and pump track. The design is approved and the project is now in permitting. The District's September update doesn't give a construction date.
- Pedestrian tunnel under Jeffrey Street. The City is now handling it, and the District's September update doesn't give a schedule for it.
The tunnel is what will connect the two sides of the park, which Jeffrey Street now separates. Until it is built, North Park works more like a few separate sites along one road than like one connected park.
The Club Comes First, and It Has Two Ways In for Non-Members
Boca Paddle by CityPickle is at 50 W. Jeffrey St., near West Jeffrey Street and North Dixie Highway, north of Yamato Road. The Palm Beach Post reports it as Florida's largest indoor pickleball and padel facility, at 100,000 square feet with 25 courts and a 1,000-seat stadium court. Of those courts, 19 are pickleball and six are padel. Sixteen are indoors and climate-controlled. The nine outdoor courts include five under a canopy and four uncovered.
Under the partnership, the District will own the facility and the property, and Boca Paddle will operate the club. The club runs on memberships, but non-members have two real ways to use it.
The restaurant and bar. Farmer's Kitchen by Farmer's Table is led by Chef Michael Schenk and run by Mitchell Robbins, the owner of Farmer's Table. It is open to the public without a membership or a day pass. The club's own website calls it Farmer's Table Restaurant & Bar, so the name may change before opening. Either way, this is the first part of North Park where an adult can sit down without paying an entry fee.
The day pass. The 2026 rate is $35 for Boca Raton residents with proof of residence and $40 for non-residents. A day pass lets you book pickleball and padel courts at member rates during all open hours and join Intro Clinics. It does not include other programming. You can also visit free as a member's guest once every 60 days.
Many people assume a membership covers playing time. It does not. Boca Paddle calls itself "pay-to-play at member rates," which means court rentals, open play, clinics and leagues all cost extra. The one exception is the Plus tier, which includes 12 open-play passes a month. These are the announced 2026 rates, published before opening:
- Monthly memberships: $49 Community, $149 Standard or $299 Plus, with no initiation fee. Paying annually gets you a free month, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice.
- Pickleball court time: from $30 an hour off-peak outdoors for Standard and Plus members up to $80 an hour peak indoors for Community members and non-members.
- Padel court time: from $60 an hour off-peak on covered outdoor courts for Standard and Plus members up to $120 an hour peak indoors for Community members and non-members.
Taken together, a resident who plays a few times a month and doesn't join a league may pay less with day passes than with a membership. Someone who plays every week will probably find a tier pays off. The $5 resident discount on day passes is small, but it is the one price on the sheet that applies only to people who live in Boca Raton.
There's more in the building than courts. It has locker rooms with showers, saunas, cold plunge pools, a recovery zone, a pro shop, coworking space and private event space. It will also be the official home of Major League Pickleball's Palm Beach Royals. The club says the building is designed to FEMA standards and can serve as a public shelter. It has hired 80 employees. The District's September update lists the facility at $17 million, and the Post reports $20 million. Brian Levine, a Boca Paddle co-founder and Boca Raton resident, told the Post the city is "the pickleball capital of the world."
Boca Paddle's programming page says schedules are still to come, so check it before planning a first visit.
The Free Corner That Is Already Open
The one free part of North Park you can use today is the Traffic Garden. It sits on old tennis-court pavement on Jeffrey Street, west of NW 2nd Avenue. The pavement is painted with miniature streets and has small stop, yield and one-way signs so children can practice riding a bike safely without cars. The District lists parent seating, restrooms and nearby parking.
Bring your own bike, because the District hasn't announced a loaner program. At the Kids Safety Fair in February, the first big event held there, children ages 5 to 10 came with an adult and brought their own bicycles or push scooters. Electric vehicles weren't allowed, and the fair offered free helmet fittings. Check mybocaparks.org for current hours before a weekend trip.
The Traffic Garden started as a low-cost pilot. Resurfacing the courts avoided the expense of sodding the corner while the larger park was planned. It has turned out to be the clearest example yet of the park Diane King described, a place nearby where children can ride.
What Is Still Behind the Fence
The east side of the park is what most families nearby will use most. It is under construction now and will add walking and riding trails, a dog park and a playground. Before that work could start, part of the site needed soil remediation. Butters Construction is containing that soil under the Boca Paddle building using an FDEP-approved method, which made room for the pavilions, trails and playground next to it. The District expects substantial completion by June 2027 and hasn't given a public opening date.
The skatepark and pump track came from public requests. Skaters asked for one at an April 2025 District meeting, and the Board unanimously directed staff to look into it. The design includes a multi-use street course, pump tracks, transition and bowl areas, shaded green space, landscape buffering and lighting mitigation. The City's Community Appearance Board approved it on September 1, 2026, and the Planning and Zoning Board approved it on September 3, both unanimously. American Ramp Company holds the construction agreement, and building can begin only after permits are issued.
The City is also handling a separate railroad crossing project on Jeffrey Street, and construction is expected this fall. This is a street crossing at the tracks, not the park's pedestrian tunnel. It does mean the same short stretch of Jeffrey Street will have several construction projects going on while the club opens.
The west side of the park doesn't have a firm plan yet. The District's September report says none of the 2025 proposals for the undeveloped western land are still being considered.
Dates for This Fall
- October 7: Boca Paddle hard-hat tours begin. You can book through the club's website.
- November 18: Boca Paddle by CityPickle opens, along with Farmer's Kitchen by Farmer's Table for walk-ins.
- Now through June 2027: The east side is under construction. The Traffic Garden stays open on the northwest corner.
If you live near Jeffrey Street or Yamato Road and want to know how a new club, a future dog park and five-minute access to trails might affect your home's value, Isaias Franco can walk you through it in English or Spanish. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll look at your property alongside the changes happening at North Park.
