How Douglas Elliman Development Marketing Helped to Spark the Rebirth of West Palm Beach
by David Hay
May 2026
Jay Phillip Parker is itching to talk about West Palm Beach. With good reason. As Douglas Elliman’s CEO of Brokerage for Florida’s Region and President of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing (DEDM), Florida, Parker has played a leading role in transforming this once looked-over town of 125,000 into a hotbed of new development. As Parker and DEDM clearly understand, it turns out West Palm Beach is in a league of its own.
For outsiders and even some long-term Floridians, this may come as a surprise. Once, West Palm was a neglected, mostly industrial area, between I-95 and the water. That you could always walk over one of three adjoining bridges to Palm Beach itself (what Parker called “one of the most famous, high-net-worth communities in the world”) made it seem all the more overshadowed. Now, West Palm is home to new residential towers going up along South Flagler Drive, most of which are either sold out or almost there, years before any move-in dates. Not only are they luxurious, but they also present very different models for living than the old-line condo buildings to the South, offering a resort-style experience with exercise facilities, high-end restaurants and retail, if not onsite then within strolling distance.
The prototype for this new breed of development was The Bristol, which is fully occupied. Others now under construction include The Ritz-Carlton Residences, West Palm Beach and Mr. C Residences, West Palm Beach, while Banyan Tree Residences West Palm Beach, The Berkeley and Nora House are in pre-construction sales, bringing nearly 1,000 new residential units in all. According to Parker, they are selling faster and well prior to occupancy than almost anything he’s witnessed in his last 15 years in Florida real estate.
He points to two factors that combined to make Florida, in general, and West Palm, in particular, such attractive housing locations: changes to the tax laws during the first Trump Administration followed soon after by the Covid pandemic.
“Both made people who previously hadn’t considered moving here to start coming, and those people were younger, still working and often with kids in tow,” said Parker, stressing a key distinction from the once-stereotypical Florida transplant. “They are not coming to retire.”
Steven Menezes, the sales director at the Mr. C Residences, readily characterizes the forthcoming 26-story tower as a “lifestyle building.” Beyond the 146 lavishly appointed homes it will contain (87% of which are sold), buyers are looking for a building with “presence,” a destination in its own right, with places to eat, sophisticated exercise facilities and desirable retail. Of course, this established city location is only three blocks from the ocean, and Worth Avenue is just a 15-minute walk away.
Meanwhile, Banyan Tree, true to its origins as a pioneering resort in Thailand, promotes itself as a private sanctuary offering magnificent views and “quiet sophistication.” Once finished, in 2029 the 26-story building will feature 88 corner residences positioned above three stories of state-of-the-art spa facilities at ground level. It will be the only luxury new development project centrally located in downtown WPB, offering true walkability throughout the neighborhood with easy access to City Place and the water.
Also downtown is The Berkeley, now being built on the banks of Clear Lake. Its residences feature direct unobstructed water views, with bigger residences affording sweeping vistas extending to the Atlantic Ocean. According to Kelsey Martin, the Senior Sales Executive, these views will be enjoyed from some of the largest balconies to be found in West Palm Beach.
Even more indicative of these high-concept developments is Nora House. The 11-story tower containing 117 luxury residences has been designed for those who like to walk out their doors and immerse themselves in a buzzing neighborhood. In this case, it’s the brand-new Nora District (the Sohoesque acronym for North of Railroad Avenue). When finished, the Nora District will be a strollable mix of restored historic structures, high-end retail and dining, commercial buildings, fitness locations and public gathering space. Its first phase centers on 13 historic railway warehouses that are now being restored and repurposed.
At The Bristol, where West Palm’s rebirth began, residents are enjoying the benefits of an enriched life in this eye-catching 25-story waterfront tower. According to Christopher Leavitt, who served as the first sales director there, many of these were pioneers who previously lived in Palm Beach.
“When the developer began the project, we surveyed numerous long-term Palm Beach residents, many of whom owned large homes there,” he recalled. “They were very clear that they wanted an easier lifestyle, high ceilings and ultra-high luxury.”
Leavitt remembers being surprised at how ready they were to move in. Little did they know that they would blaze the trail for all the luxury new development buyers to follow.
This extraordinary growth is not an isolated phenomenon, however. Parker notes that many companies are relocating to the area, as are well-known eateries from New York and elsewhere in the Northeast. When I interviewed him, I could not help but notice the array of shiny groundbreaking shovels hanging on the wall of his office. When I asked about them, Parker shared that they were only part of his collection.
“There were getting to be so many, I had to move the rest to an office next door,” he said.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more apt illustration of DEDM’s contribution to this extraordinary story of growth.
David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.
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