Florida’s First Purpose-Built Pickleball Complex Gains Final Approval in Boca Raton

Renderings of the future Boca Paddle pickleball facility, approved for the future North Park. (Planning Document)

A purpose-built, indoor-outdoor pickleball facility its developers have touted as the first of its kind in Florida gained final approval this week following a hearing before the Boca Raton city council.

The council voted unanimously to approve the facility, which will be located fully within the confines of the future North Park, a former golf course that was purchased out of bankruptcy by the Greater Boca Raton Beach Park and District. The two-story complex will be built by a private developer under a long-term lease agreement with the district. It received the endorsement of the city’s planning board last month.

Known as “Boca Paddle,” the 77,218 square foot complex will offer 14 indoor pickleball courts, two indoor padel courts (another racquet game gaining popularity in the United States), nine outdoor pickleball courts, locker rooms, food and beverage service and other site improvements including a new parking lot. The entrance to the Boca Paddle site will be located on Jeffrey Street, said Eoin Devlin, a senior city planner.

Devlin, delivering the city staff’s recommendation that the application be approved, told council members that a survey of more than 1,000 residents was conducted regarding what facilities they would like to see in a new park, and pickleball was the most popular item, receiving a 30 percent plurality of respondents’ support.

The future North Park in Boca Raton, a former golf course, Sept. 2024. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Boca Paddle will be constructed on a 5.23-acre parcel of land within the 74-acre North Park property, located at 5800 NW 2nd Avenue. The development is being led by a team of investors that includes Stewart Davis, Malcolm Butters, Catherine Butters, Mitch Robbins and Brian Levine. The parks district will retain ownership of the land, while the development group will fund the facility’s construction and manage it once it opens. Both memberships and day passes will be sold for access, and prices will be set at market rate.

While the project was approved by the planning board in September, the application required a final favorable vote by the council since the height of the Boca Paddle building is planned to be 46-feet, beyond the normal height limit of 25-feet in the recreational zone.

“The use itself is permissible within the zoning district, however any buildings that exceed 25-feet require a conditional use [variance],” said David Milledge, representing the developers. “With a racquet facility, we need that extra ceiling height for proper operation of pickleball and padel courts, so we’re going up to 46-feet.”

Renderings of the future Boca Paddle pickleball facility, approved for the future North Park. (Planning Document)

Boca Paddle’s interior will include a restaurant and dining area as well as a raised mezzanine that boasts a view of the courts below as well as the outdoors. There will also be locker rooms and a parking area, with the proposal also inclusive of landscaping and site improvements.

The project faced minimal objections – one from a neighboring resident who believed the park as a whole should remain a golf course, and another who feared approving the pickleball facility could lead to other parks or recreational spaces becoming open to development.

“The opinion of myself and several other residents I’ve to is that this could open Pandora’s Box in allowing other considerations for development at other properties,” said resident Robert Dukate. “The proposed fees for this facility are certainly not in the reach of many members of the public, and so it’s not consistent with the public access that we normally expect from a public facility.”

Renderings of the future North Park in Boca Raton, a former golf course, Sept. 2024. (Planning Document)

The future North Park in Boca Raton, a former golf course, Sept. 2024. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

A pair of students from St. Andrew’s School also addressed the council, saying they supported more indoor sports facilities in town, but were of the belief they should be publicly owned and operated.

Other residents joined the city staff in support of Boca Paddle’s application.

“This facility is a gem,” said Anthony Ciliberti, a resident of NW 2nd Avenue. “It’s going to be one of the best places there is, and it’s going to be great publicity for Boca Raton and for the pickleball community. We’re lucky to have them.”

Access to the site will be via a shared entry point with the North Park site located on Jeffrey Street. The pickleball facility will include 139 spaces, above the required 110 spaces, exceeding the goal of four spaces for each court and one space for each employee. There will be an additional 22 spaces for bicycle parking reserved at the facility.

Boca Paddle is expected to be busy, according to planning documents, with a traffic study indicating the business will generate 693 net trips daily by vehicle, with 97 occurring during the morning peak and 103 during the evening peak. Devlin, the city planner, said the facility was designed with future improvements to Jeffrey Street in mind.

“As of now, the city has proposals to extend Jeffrey Street through the right-of-way and bring it to Dixie,” he explained. “My understanding is that they are in the opening stages of this proposal and nothing is set in stone. They won’t affect this facility. Everything is made with the idea that, in the future, Jeffrey Street may be extended.”

Boca Paddle’s application was approved in a 5-0 vote.