Town Square to boost Boynton

Project to help downtown grow

After more than a decade, plans for Boynton Beach’s Town Square are taking shape.

The $250 million project will reinvigorate 16.5 acres just east of Interstate 95 at Boynton Beach Boulevard exit. The project is expected to jumpstart the downtown area, attracting developers, private businesses and foot traffic.

The project, which is both a public and private undertaking, will replace aging public buildings such as city hall, the city’s library and the police and fire stations with brand-new structures.

In recent months, residents have weighed in on what they’d like the public portions of the project to look like, what the public playground should provide and what they envision for their downtown experience.

Residents expressed their preferences for an architectural

style, open spaces and public art in the Town Square area.

There are three architectural options: neo-classical style, which reflects municipal buildings throughout the country; Mediterranean style like those in downtown Boca Raton; and coastal style, which would represent Boynton’s beach town vibe.

Some said they preferred the welcoming nature of the Mediterranean-style structures, or the historical-feel of the neo-classical buildings.

Others preferred the “onbrand for Boynton” aspect of the coastal design.

“For years, we’ve been branding ourselves as being a coastal city and focusing on the marina,” said resident Barbara Ready, referencing the city’s slogan: Breeze into Boynton Beach. “I think we can push the boundaries and come forward with this coastal feel.”

The first phase of the project, already underway, involves reviving the city’s historic high school building into a cultural center. City commissioners decided last year to save the dilapidated high school building and incorporate it into Town Square.

Modern, sustainable buildings will replace razed public buildings and usher the city into the future, officials say. Residents said they wanted buildings that use solar power and other forms of green energy, as well as preserving existing kapok trees to provide shade in public spaces.

The city will present residents with findings from the previous meetings at a meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Boynton Beach City Library, 208 Seacrest Blvd.

Then those plans will start to go before the City Commission for approval.