It seems a long-waited decision on what will be newly developed on the 14-acre forest along the western edge of the Gardens North County District Park on Central Boulevard is closing in.

The decision on a proposed fieldhouse would end an odyssey in which the city tried twice since 2019 to bring in private partners to build indoor recreational facilities at the district park. Under its lease with the county, the city has until 2028 to complete construction.

In 2019, the city agreed to lease the park’s westernmost 14 acres to the Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation, which proposed a fieldhouse and ice-rink complex. But the city ended the deal in 2022, saying the nonprofit had failed to meet financial milestones during the COVID pandemic.

A year later, the city selected developer Mammoth Fieldhouse, a subsidiary of Mammoth Sports Construction to develop a plan that included six indoor basketball courts, six indoor pickleball courts, 14 covered outdoor pickleball courts, a miniature golf course and a restaurant. However, the city ended talks with Mammoth after just a few months.

The city is planning to build a metal-clad fieldhouse with 12 indoor courts, including six for basketball. The decision to build at the district park would eliminate other options proposed by the developers.

This move would end five years of city efforts to work with a private developer to build the facility, required under a contract the city signed in 2018 with Palm Beach County, which owns the site. It also would foreclose any chance of moving a proposed ice-rink complex from Plant Drive Park to the regional park on Central Boulevard.

Palm Beach Gardens is an exceptional city for its residents and I’m happy to talk more with you regarding this and other great areas around the city!