Imagine the Midtown Beach Linear Park reborn with more green space and landscaping, safer crosswalks, and a new, wider sidewalk.
Palm Beach’s Town Council took a visual stroll through the conceptual redesign of the new park at its meeting Tuesday.
The narrow park is nestled between the Midtown Beach seawall and South Ocean Boulevard and extends north-to-south from Royal Palm Way to Gulfstream Road.
The park makeover is directly tied to the upcoming rebuild of the Midtown Beach seawall.
Replacement of the century-old seawall with a new structure is expected to cost $20 million or more. Construction of the 2,715-foot-long replacement will begin as early as January and require up to two years to complete, according to Town Engineer Patricia Strayer.
Council President Ted Cooney said the seawall re-do presents an opportunity to enhance the park.
“Doing the seawall is going to disrupt this area already where we’re already getting current restoration costs,” Cooney said. “The opportunistic cost improving after you’re already disrupting an area is small in the scheme of things. We ought to put things back nicer than we found them.”
The town has budgeted around $4 million for the park makeover. But the town has not obtained a professional estimate, and the cost could prove to be less, Strayer said.
Plans called for adding 15,000 square feet of open space – a 48 percent increase over the existing park.
A single, wider sidewalk would replace the park’s two existing sidewalks. New benches, additional landscaping, and a new beach access with stairs at Royal Palm Way are also part of the proposed design mix.
At the Worth Avenue Clock Tower, a terrace would be built so people can walk through the tower for a better ocean view, said Sean Twomey, landscape architect with Environmental Design Group.
To calm traffic and enhance safety, traffic islands would be built on South Ocean Boulevard along with additional pedestrian crossings where the boulevard meets Brazilian Avenue and Royal Palm Way.
Plans tentatively call for retaining the existing 42 coconut palms in the park.
Six parking spaces along South Ocean Boulevard would be lost to make room for the new design.
The conceptual design was developed with input from Garden Club of Palm Beach and from the public at a December 11, 2025, meeting in Town Hall.
Council members Bridget Moran and Lew Crampton both suggested that shade trees be added to the design.
Twomey said he would love to add shade trees “but we’re hesitant to block the views of the condos nearby. We don’t want to stir up anything.”
Moran also encouraged designers to do whatever they can to discourage people from climbing over the seawall.
Crampton said the design lacks charm and appears aimed at accommodating tourists more than residents. He said it reminded him of beach parks in Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
“I don’t think this necessarily adds to the community, from the point of view of our residents, Crampton said. “It does accommodate traffic better. It certainly looks better than what we have now. But I think it needs to be toned down.”
Mayor Danielle Moore applauded the design.
“I think this is a vast improvement over where we are today,” she said. “Any green you’ve added is a big improvement … I think it’s incredibly attractive compared to what we have and I think adding the medians in the middle of the road will definitely be an improvement to the traffic situation there.”
The new crosswalks will make the area safer for pedestrians, she added.
The plan, along with comments from Moore and the council members, goes before the Architectural Commission for review before coming back to the council next year.
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