Growing the Gardens Way

Written by Ki Ki Hobbs | Photographed by David L. Williams II

It should come as no surprise that our corner of the world has become very popular in recent years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida is now the nation’s fastest-growing state, gaining about 319,000 new residents in 2022. Palm Beach Gardens is one of Palm Beach County’s fastest growing cities, says the Bureau of Economic and Business Research. While this population surge can be a boon for our local economy, it can also bring a new array of challenges for local leaders and longtime residents.

As more people pack their bags and head to the Sunshine State, demand for housing has skyrocketed, and in areas where supply can’t meet that demand, prices have risen rapidly. According to the Palm Beach Post, home prices in Palm Beach County are now at record highs. While the City can’t control who moves here, it can prepare for the growth it sees on the horizon.

“It’s important to plan for and manage that growth in ways that are forward-thinking, best serve our residents, and maintain a quality of life that makes Palm Beach Gardens such a desirable place to live,” says Joann Skaria, Palm Beach Gardens Assistant Director of Planning & Zoning.

Skaria says the City’s Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Master Plan represents this vision of how Palm Beach Gardens can grow sustainably while keeping housing costs from ballooning. A TOD design is a walkable, mixed-use space located near a well-designed train station.

In our City, the TOD District is a half-mile radius surrounding the area of PGA Boulevard and the Florida East Coast Railway Corridor where a proposed train station would be built. The area is generally bound by Gardens Parkway to the north, Burns Road to the south, Military Trail to the west, and Campus Drive to the east.

Right now, most of the housing in Palm Beach Gardens is singlefamily homes. To accommodate our booming population, the City needs a mix of housing types, according to Skaria. That’s why under our TOD policies, more projects with multi-family housing, like townhouses and apartments, are being built, giving our City’s housing supply a much-needed boost.

If you’ve driven along PGA Boulevard in recent months, you’ve likely seen the work happening at PGA Station, where a residential apartment building is being built along Design Center Drive, just east of RCA Boulevard. The eight-story building will have nearly 400 units with 40 set aside for workforce housing.

The second stage of PGA Station, which was recently approved, would bring even more housing to the City: over 600 units including over 60 for workforce housing. In addition to the housing, there’ll be two parking garages, an eight-story office building, retail and dining.

PGA Station is just one of several projects bringing more housing to Palm Beach Gardens under the City’s TOD policies. In total, these high-density projects would add over 2,000 housing units to the City, including more than 200 for workforce housing.

Skaria says those workforce housing units are considered a critical part of an economically viable City and TOD plan. They allow Palm Beach Gardens to offer housing for a variety of incomes while also keeping and attracting well-paying jobs and companies.

“This is essential to keeping the City’s property taxes low and stable for residents,” says Skaria.

Housing isn’t the only challenge that accompanies a rising population. Many Florida drivers have noted their commutes to work have gotten longer due to a rising number of vehicles clogging up roadways like Northlake Boulevard, Beeline Highway, the Florida Turnpike, and even I-95.

While FDOT is widening some roads to ease that congestion, such as their ongoing work to widen Beeline Highway from

Northlake Boulevard to Blue Heron Boulevard, those measures are unlikely to offer long-term relief. FDOT says the project to widen Beeline Highway isn’t expected to finish until 2029. By then, Palm Beach County’s population is expected to rise by another 100,000 residents, according to State projections. “It is not feasible to continue to add unlimited cars to the roadways or to widen many of the City’s existing roadways,” Skaria says.

To alleviate traffic in the long term, Skaria says cities must provide residents with alternatives to driving that are viable, safe, and comfortable. She says Palm Beach Gardens’ TOD Master Plan puts an emphasis on mobility and offers people a variety of transportation options.

Skaria says City planners are consistently analyzing new projects for possible traffic impacts and looking for any areas that’ll require improvements such as added turn lanes, roundabouts, wider sidewalks, bike lanes, or making contributions to transit options.

“Managing growth and traffic is of the utmost importance to the City,” says Director of Planning and Zoning Natalie Crowley.

This focus on mobility can be clearly seen when looking at PGA Station’s development plans. Once completed, PGA Station will have housing, office space, dining, and retail, making it a walkable community where residents can live, learn, work, and play without needing a car to get around. Additionally, its proximity to a proposed future train station means future residents can travel as far South as Miami without driving.

When asked how the City developed such a comprehensive plan, Skaria says it was a team effort. The Federal Transit Administration and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council gave Palm Beach Gardens grant money in 2017 to develop and refine its TOD Master Plan. Residents and businesses also pitched in by attending public input meetings and workshops to help the City build its plan. Skaria says that public participation was critical for the plan’s development and continues to be critical for its success.