The right track for development in Palm Beach
Writer: Pablo Marquez
November 2025 — Transit-oriented development (TOD) is rapidly reshaping Palm Beach County’s urban landscape, fostering vibrant, walkable communities around transit hubs. Defined by the integration of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces within close proximity to public transit, TOD aims to reduce reliance on cars, while enhancing quality of life. TOD supports sustainable growth, highlighted by the recent approval of a 300,000-square-foot office building near a Tri-Rail station — a project demonstrating the potential for business and residential expansion in these areas.
Palm Beach County is embracing TOD as a solution to its growing mobility and sustainability needs. The Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), has been instrumental in promoting these developments — aligning projects with the goals of the 561 Plan and advancing compact, transit-connected communities. With projects such as the upcoming Tri-Rail station in Boca Raton, TOD is expected to catalyze “15-minute city” initiatives across South Florida — where residents can reach essential services within a short walk or bike ride from home. These efforts position the region as a leader in smart, sustainable urban planning.
Below, industry leaders from across Palm Beach County share their insights with Invest: on the evolving landscape of transit-oriented development and key initiatives their organizations are leading.
Join us at caa’s upcoming leadership summits! These premier events bring together hundreds of public and private sector leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Find the next summit in a city near you!
Valerie Neilson, Executive Director, Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
We are focusing on transit-oriented development (TOD). With housing affordability as a pressing issue — approximately 60% of the average household income of residents in Palm Beach County is spent on housing and transportation — we’re advocating for solutions that reduce these costs. TOD supports the redevelopment of underutilized areas into vibrant, transit-accessible communities with workforce housing, reducing reliance on cars while enhancing affordability and sustainability. Stations like Brightline’s in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach have already spurred redevelopment, demonstrating the appeal of TOD. These projects alleviate transportation costs and enhance quality of life by fostering walkable, transit-oriented environments.
David Dech, Executive Director, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority/Tri-Rail
We’re very pro-transit-oriented development (TOD), especially on some of the properties we own. We can develop those properties and ensure that rents going forward don’t involve fare increases. We did a tremendous amount of work on the infrastructure of the railroad and the rolling stock of the equipment over the last three years. We want to look at productivity where we can. Our plan was to re-procure our contracts next year and have a bundled procurement where all of our services are in one contract. The idea there is to be able to bring in some efficiencies in that contract.
Ivan Maldonado, Executive Director, Palm Tran
Transit-oriented development is critical to the success and vibrancy of any community. As the population grows and space becomes more limited, building more roads is not necessarily the answer. We must find ways to accommodate people in different communities, and that happens through transit-oriented development. We believe in working closely with grassroots efforts, planning agencies, and developers to help plan transportation options for their constituents. This is key. In Europe, for example, transit-oriented development is part of everyday practice. It’s not about massive parking lots, but about creating places where people live, work, and play. It’s important to integrate transportation options with all the necessary amenities to build a vibrant community.
Natalie Crowley, Director of Planning & Zoning, Palm Beach Gardens – Planning Zoning Department
The strategy has been to get ahead of growth and plan for it accordingly with balance in mind. We’ve taken on some big projects, such as our Transit Oriented District, our city-wide mobility plan, and our affordable/workforce housing programs. The city has had the incredible opportunity at coming up with a strategy and vision while engaging the public and the business community, and has established a forward-thinking plan for how we want the community to grow.
Our vision for the Transit Oriented District is to have a vibrant mixture of uses that is walkable, safe, beautiful, and offers multiple transportation choices — including a potential future train station. Our policies have allowed for higher density development, with a menu-based incentive system that lets developers add this density by including affordable housing, sustainable building practices, engaging the public at ground levels with shops and amenities providing public art, which the city really values.
Top image via Brightline
Want more? Read the Invest: Palm Beach report.
[UPDATE: Nov. 14, 2025 — this article has been edited to reflect that the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency has reverted to using its official name, Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)]
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
"*" indicates required fields
