BOYNTON BEACH — The Boynton Village Park and Dog Park is a place where age barriers disappear while millennials and seniors converse about their furry pets, where residents can sit in a shaded spot in a gazebo and where the stresses of the world can seem distant if only for a short time, its developers say.
On Renaissance Commons Boulevard, just east of Congress Avenue, the three-acre park is expected to open in October.
The city allows leashed dogs at four city parks — Intracoastal, Jaycee, Dewey and Boynton Lakes — but this is Boynton Beach’s first dog park.
The fenced dog area is just less than a half acre of land. One portion of that is for dogs more than 35 pounds and another area is for dogs under that weight. The park is decorated with benches and water fountains for both man — and man’s best friend.
The city owns the park, which will be open from dawn to dusk. Johnson and his team created it. The park was proposed as part of the Cortina project, at Boynton Village and Town Center on the east side of Congress at Old Boynton Road. Commissioners in 2015 approved the plan for the park, and more than 1,000 residential units to include apartments, condos and single-family homes. The plan also includes a 24,000-square-foot treatment center on land previously approved for 16 town homes.
Construction on the park started in April. Johnson’s development company spent more than $500,000 in park landscaping, creating an entry road and a walking path. Also, the group installed heavy lighting on the new entry road, the walking path and the park’s parking lot.
“Renaissance Commons has seen a great deal of growth over the last decade, and this park is a nice addition of green space,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, construction on the first phase of the residential portion of Cortina — the apartments — started about the same time. The 350 units in seven four-story buildings are expected to be completed starting in August 2017, said Hugo Pacanins, managing director for multifamily with Ram Realty Services. Ram bought the apartment property for about $15.7 million, Pacanins said. The units will be a mix of one, two and three bedrooms, and will be available to rent between $1,500 and $2,200 monthly.
Rendering of the apartments at Cortina. Photo handout: Ram Real Estate
Site plan of apartments at Cortina. Photo handout: Ram Real Estate
Rendering of the apartments at Cortina. Photo handout: Ram Real Estate