Just north of downtown West Palm Beach, a $1 billion redevelopment project called the Nora District is transforming a formerly industrial warehouse corridor into a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood to meet the demands of a growing population.
For long-time local favorites like Celis Juice Bar & Café — known for its smoothies, weekly run club and community events — moving into the district represents a major opportunity, with much to gain as they aim to help maintain the city's character.
“ People do want to create, have an experience when they are going shopping,” said Alex Celis, founder and West Palm Beach native. Celis said the city’s demand for recreation is growing as fast as its population.
“They want a little bit of everything from food to retail, to coffee shops, to ice cream shops, whatever the case may be.”
West Palm Beach is the fastest-growing large city in Palm Beach County, with nearly 9% growth since 2020, outpacing nearby Palm Beach Gardens (7%), Royal Palm Beach (6%) and Riviera Beach (5%). And West Palm has a growing number of major corporate relocations that are reshaping how locals see the city's future.
Celis Juice Bar, now open in the Nora District, is a true hometown story rooted in family tradition.
Launched as a produce delivery co‑op inspired by founder Alex Celis’s father’s wholesale business, it grew through green markets and opened its first brick‑and‑mortar in 2015 on Dixie Highway, just south of CityPlace. The Nora will be its fourth location, following its outlets on Dixie, Royal Poinciana, and Delray Beach.
Now, Celis sees Nora’s potential but amid so much change, he hopes the city can hold onto its diverse character: things like cross-cultural pop-up gatherings and the small-town feel of local businesses.
“It basically boils down to everything we do outside the juice bar — from our run club to community collaborations with local spots like Tropical Smokehouse and Zipitios,” Celis said, referencing two family-owned, community-centered businesses located outside of Nora.
Live music of various genres, food tasting collaborations, day-parties and outdoor run clubs all feed into this desire to preserve the city’s “soul,” reflecting a push to maintain its cultural diversity, local flavor and grassroots community spaces, and not just make way for polished, high-end brands.
It’s a common tension in large redevelopment projects, the tug-and-pull of balancing economic growth with community identity.
“ 'Cause if you hyper-focus on, like, money, money, money, next thing you know, it’s like — what? Where’s the soul of this city?” Celis added. “And I just don’t wanna lose a soul.”
City's biggest redevelopment since CityPlace
Nora, short for North Railroad Avenue, spans 40 acres in an area west of Dixie Highway and south of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard — it’s the city’s biggest redevelopment since CityPlace, the renowned mixed-use shopping district originally opened in 2000.
Phase I of the Nora District broke ground in June 2023, with a soft opening for many tenants expected this year. Confirmed tenants include IGK Salon, ZenHippo, H&H Bagels, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, Juliana’s Pizza, Le Labo fragrances, boutique fitness Solidacore, and others.
A 201‑room boutique hotel is slated for completion in late 2026, and future phases will add residential units — such as rentals, condos and townhomes — alongside more retail and office space.
Celis said Nora blends walkable lifestyle, commerce and potential for community, and that’s “very promising.”
“The restaurants that are coming in have a huge draw as well for people,” he said.
“ So just to be rubbing shoulders with some of these companies, some of these owner-operators, is truly just a blessing because it also shows where our brand has gone from very, very humble beginnings.”
