Royal Palm; Getting Better All the Time

Drive through the streets of Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club and the first thing to catch your eye will be the huge 6,000 square-foot, two-story homes with lush landscaping and all of the features a home owner could ever want.

Tucked mainly along the golf course or on interior streets such as Silver Palm or Queen Palm Roads, you will see rows of single-story homes that were among the original houses built mainly in the early 1960s.

And while some of those homes are still occupied by the original residents, more and more of them are being purchased by families moving into the community who are captivated by all that the spacious single-story homes have to offer.

“The charm of the old homes is being sought after by people who are also taken by the charm of the neighborhood,” says David Roberts of Royal Palm Properties.

Today many who would like to buy in Royal Palm are surprised to discover that original homes still make up the majority of the nearly 700 houses in the community.

In fact, a quick survey of deeds indicates that about 344 homes in Royal Palm are originals from the 1960s while 281 homes are new. In addition, there are about 75 homes that have been renovated, with the original structures still intact.

What may also surprise prospective homebuyers is that the number of home sites in Royal Palm has actually decreased from the early years when the community’s developers, Arvida Corporation, created 743 home sites. 

And while many other communities are continuing to grow, the number of homes in Royal Palm is actually continuing to decrease, many homeowners buy adjacent properties so they can expand their living space now or down the road.

As a result of the constant change, Royal Palm today includes an eclectic mix of home styles, each with its own charm. The community may be changing to meet the needs of those seeking larger homes, but there are still entire portions of the neighborhood that have the same warm look and feel that drew many of the country’s most affluent people to Boca Raton back in the early 1960s.

“There really is something for everyone in Royal Palm,” says Roberts, who lives in the community and who sells more homes in the community than any other broker.

While there are many differences – you’ll find two-story, 9,000 square-foot homes on the water sitting side by side with 2,500 square foot homes with 8 foot ceilings – there are also several common denominators.

“Regardless of whether it is a new home, one of the originals or one that’s been renovated, all of the homes show pride in ownership,” Roberts said. “All of the residents will tell you they are proud to live in Royal Palm.”

Since its beginnings, when Boca Raton had less then 10,000 residents, Royal Palm has been a community that attracted buyers in search of an exclusive and luxurious place to live. It was, after all, one of the first communities in the nation to offer underground utilities.

Back then, the residents were mostly seasonal visitors, with an estimated 80 percent of the owners having another home elsewhere. To attract buyers in the early days, Arvida brought in golfing legend Sam Snead to be the community’s golf pro and offered prospective buyers a chance to play a round with the master.

Once a home site was sold, a buyer would meet with an onsite Architect; their new Florida home would be designed right before his or her very eyes.

There were, however, a few homes designed by some of the most renowned architects of their time, including John Volk. Some of those homes have been renovated but the original structure remains.

For many years, Royal Palm maintained its common look as a haven for single-story homes with manicured lawns. But in the late 1980s the concept of tear downs began to spread and in 1992 the community introduced a builders’ program that marked the beginning of the wave of change that has swept Royal Palm.

Today, Royal Palm is one of the few communities in South Florida where the mix of old and new is so pronounced. It is that mix, hidden perhaps from those who only see the larger homes, that makes Royal Palm such a great place to live