CityPlace in downtown West Palm Beach gets its name back as people refuse The Square

Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post
June 13, 2008 - The fountain at CityPlace now has an array of colors after its eco-friendly makeover.
June 13, 2008 - The fountain at CityPlace now has an array of colors after its eco-friendly makeover.

Welcome to The Dirt! I’m real estate reporter Kimberly Miller with the latest developments in the sizzling market.

Score one for the rank and file citizens of Palm Beach County who just couldn't think of CityPlace as anything other than CityPlace. Sure, sure, Related Cos. of New York tried to rebrand it as Rosemary Square, then just The Square, but folks weren't having it. So now, the future UNESCO World Heritage shopping and entertainment site is back to simply being called CityPlace.

What. A. Relief. Because every time you mentioned CityPlace you had to follow it with "or whatever it's called now."

Want to get The Dirt?

Stay up to date on South Florida's sizzling real estate market and sign up for The Dirt weekly newsletter, delivered every Tuesday! Exclusively for Palm Beach Post subscribers.

In other real estate news, there is an old-fashioned showdown brewing in The Acreage, where people just want to park their tractor trailers on the land like their ancient ancestors did. Instead, big-rig drivers are fuming that the county is trying to metro-sexualize their rural community and now there's a lawsuit.

Also, vacant land owners should be aware of a new real estate scam making the rounds, and another noteworthy billionaire moves to Manalapan, which is south of Palm Beach.

The Square rebranding effort vs. the people

The sign still says Rosemary Square, but new branding as The Square is visible at the the shopping district formerly known as Rosemary Square, formerly known as CityPlace, in downtown West Palm Beach Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.
The sign still says Rosemary Square, but new branding as The Square is visible at the the shopping district formerly known as Rosemary Square, formerly known as CityPlace, in downtown West Palm Beach Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.

The resurrection of the name CityPlace was explained in a very clear and concise statement by a spokesperson for Related Cos. of New York, who said something about the evolving community and how it reflects the brand and wah, wah wah wah, wah.

A tourism expert said The Square never resonated because it didn't reflect the location or its purpose as an area for tourism, dining and entertainment. Regardless, we can all sleep soundly tonight knowing that a great wrong in the world has been righted and CityPlace is back!

Trendy industrial district gets more new apartments to snazz things up

Two new apartment buildings approved for West Palm Beach near Mercer Avenue and Alpha Street will have a total of 245 units, including 61 dedicated as workforce housing.
Two new apartment buildings approved for West Palm Beach near Mercer Avenue and Alpha Street will have a total of 245 units, including 61 dedicated as workforce housing.

Who could have imagined that grimy industrial areas would become so trendy and chic with the Generation Y, Z, Alpha, Michael, Foxtrotters of the world? But they are and developers are swooping in with high-end apartments to meet the demand. The Warehouse District southwest of downtown West Palm Beach was approved last month for two new buildings, which will include workforce housing.

The whole area got jumpstarted by Grandview Public Market in 2018, and has since grown to include luxury apartment complex The Point at District Flats and innovative spaces, such as Pumphouse Pouratorium, a cafe and coffee hub north of Grandview on Clare Avenue.

WeatherTech founder ditches Fort Lauderdale for Manalapan

An ocean-to-lake Bermuda-style estate at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, south of Palm Beach, has just changed hands for a recorded $38.5 million.
An ocean-to-lake Bermuda-style estate at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, south of Palm Beach, has just changed hands for a recorded $38.5 million.

A buyer named Whiskey Tango 1120 scooped up a $38.5 million oceanfront home in Manalapan last month. The Illinois company has a post office address in care of a P.O. Box with the same address as the Ark of the Covenant care of the Maltese Falcon and in a trust in the name of none other than WeatherTech founder and CEO David F. MacNeil.

MacNeil set a record for residential sales in Fort Lauderdale last October when he sold a waterfront estate for $40 million. His new Manalapan home was built in 1955 but has been renovated and sits on two full acres in the wealthy community south of Palm Beach.

Buyer of vacant land beware, scammers abound

A For Sale sign is posted outside a home in Glendale, on Feb. 26, 2024.
A For Sale sign is posted outside a home in Glendale, on Feb. 26, 2024.

When Echo Fine Properties owner Jeff Lichtenstein said his company had narrowly averted a land scam where fraudsters pose as landowners to trick buyers into sending them a lot of money, it was easy to think it was a one-off. But it's not. After the story ran, several other Realtors said they also caught people trying similar scams, including one where more than $1 million was going to be the score.

Vacant land seems to be the new target as owners don't often visit the properties, may live out of state, and there's no house to take photos of or show to potential buyers. This is the world we live in people. It's not all puppies and chocolate. But at least we have CityPlace back.

Live lightly.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: CityPlace in downtown West Palm Beach gets its name back

Advertisement