“It was ‘the hood’ last year, but like the flip of a switch, every Palm Beach Island New Yorker is over here now to Instagram their breakfast,” commented someone in the subreddit r/WestPalmBeach.
They’re riffing about the new Nora District — short for North Railroad Avenue — the city’s largest redevelopment project in 25 years. The warehouse graveyard where you didn’t want to wander after dark just a decade ago is still a far cry from New York City’s Dumbo neighborhood. But the district is as up-and-coming as they come.
“Nora’s design features open spaces, pedestrian-friendly streets, and thoughtfully restored historic railway buildings,” Joe Furst, founder and managing principal of Place Projects, told The Post.
Place Projects, NDT Development, and Wheelock Street Capital are the developers behind the ambitious endeavor. Anchored by 100,000 square feet of retail space, the 40-acre district will also boast a hotel and hundreds of residential units. Culture will be key, too.
North Railroad Avenue started deteriorating in the 1970s as trucking replaced freight. But, unlike Miami’s Wynwood district, it never attracted starving artists. However, Furst promises outdoor life-size interactive installations: “These artworks will help define Nora’s character and foster moments of community connection.”
Currently, Nora’s character embodies the Big Apple as much as it does South Florida. It’s not so much an if-you-build-it-they-will-come situation as it is meeting them where they’re at. Angelo Abbenante, owner of Lynora’s Italian Restaurant, said he runs into transplants from Manhattan and Brooklyn all the time: “The migration has been very noticeable, especially since the pandemic.”
Brooklyn’s beloved Juliana’s Pizza opened its first outpost in the Nora District in November.
Unlike the original location, Nora’s Juliana’s accepts reservations. It also has a full bar, happy hour specials and a spacious outdoor seating area — complete with a fire pit.
Throw a meatball east of Juliana’s and it will hit H&H Bagels, located on a coveted corner lot across the street. A Manhattan mainstay since 1972, H&H Bagels opened its first Florida franchise in Boca Raton in 2024. Recent reviews suggest the Nora location’s service is slow, but serving sizes are generous. One New Yorker says she’s happy she doesn’t have to freeze bagels and pack them to West Palm Beach anymore.
That said, Nora is serving up some of NYC’s favorite frozen treats. Mister Softee has yet to bring a brick-and-mortar location to West Palm Beach, but that’s what Van Leeuwen Ice Cream recently did.
In a past life, 870 N Railroad Ave. was most likely a railway-related warehouse covered in dust. Today, it’s where you can enjoy a vegan banana bread pudding cone or pick up a $14 pint of peanut butter brownie honeycomb.
Other Nora tenants open for business include Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, straight out of Boston, where it was founded, and Sunday Motor Co., an all-day café that got its start in a converted New Jersey gas station.
Retailers and services include the children’s store ZenHippo, Le Labo, IGK Salons, Sana Skin Studios, SWEAT440, Warby Parker and two women’s boutiques: Pompanos and Mint.
Come October, the Nora Hotel is hoping to have heads in beds for overnight visitors.
The 201-key boutique property — the first hotel in the ‘hood — is being developed in partnership with BD Hotels and Sean MacPherson. They’re the masterminds behind the Mercer, Hotel Chelsea, the Bowery Hotel and other notable New York City properties.
Full-time housing is in the works, too. “Later this year, we will break ground on our Phase 3 multifamily project,” said Furst.
The 11-story building will feature 350 units. Another 11-story luxury condominium will offer 117 residences. Still, Nora is no CityPlace, West Palm’s last major redevelopment, which skews more modern.
“We are preserving and restoring the historic railway warehouses that define the site,” Ned Grace, co-founder of NDT Development, said. “It allows us to maintain a connection to West Palm Beach’s past.”
Local business owners like Abbenante are also optimistic: “West Palm Beach is in the middle of a major evolution. Developments like Nora show how the city is becoming a true lifestyle destination rather than just a seasonal market.”
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