Mizner Park has two owners. Each one is moving on its own schedule this fall. Brookfield Properties owns the shops, restaurants, offices and apartments, and has a deal pending to sell them to the firm that built the center 35 years ago. The City of Boca Raton owns the center green, the fountains, the pavilion and the Mizner Park Amphitheater. On the private side, change in 2026 has come one storefront at a time. The busiest dates on the October through December calendar come from the City's side.
Once you know where that ownership line runs, you can see why the plaza changes the way it does.
Where the line runs
The Boca Raton Tribune spelled out the split in December 2024, when the City's downtown district approved up to $80,000 for upgrades to the public areas. The ownership looks like this:
- City-owned and city-maintained: the center green, the fountains, the pavilion and Mizner Park Amphitheater
- Owned by Brookfield Properties: the shops, restaurants, offices and apartments that line Plaza Real
The 2024 upgrade package covered fountain enhancements, new plantings and irrigation, fresh sod, added pavers, electrical work and a restored gazebo. Downtown manager Ruby Riley told the council that the black paint first used at the amphitheater would be carried onto the benches, light fixtures and planters across the public areas. The gazebo was to be repainted gold and black. That paint scheme is the easiest way to tell which parts of Mizner Park belong to the City.
The private side has been between owners all year
The sale of the buildings has been moving slowly and in public since winter. Here is the timeline:
- February 9, 2026: The City's CRA consented to transfer Mizner Park's long-term commercial ground leases to four entities led by CP Group. Brookfield still had to approve the transfer, and The Coastal Star reported that no sale had closed.
- Earlier that month: Boca Magazine reported that the prospective leaseholders still needed to close. City Manager Mark Sohaney said the group would move quickly to enhance Mizner Park.
- April 23, 2026: The Palm Beach Post reported that CP Group, formerly Crocker Partners, was negotiating to buy the 30-acre complex. Managing partner Angelo Bianco confirmed the talks but did not disclose a price.
- September 20, 2026: The Boca Raton Tribune described CP Group as the firm that built Mizner Park and said it "now is in contract to buy Mizner Park back from its latest owner."
As of today, no public report confirms the sale has closed, and no price has been disclosed. Neither the buyer nor the current owner has published specific plans for tenants or storefronts. The most detailed public statement so far is the city manager's general remark about enhancing the center. Any changes to the retail mix after the sale are still unannounced.
What opened anyway
The pending sale hasn't stopped leasing. Over the past six months, each new arrival on Plaza Real has been a single storefront rather than a large anchor or a big new dining room.
| Business | Address | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lilly Pulitzer | 417 W. Plaza Real | Opened around April 19, 2026 |
| Cotton Natural | 327 Plaza Real | Moved down the street to make room for Lilly |
| Four Sparrows Mahjong | 328 Plaza Real | Opened Wednesday, September 16, 2026 |
| Parlor Doughnuts | 9 Plaza Real South, Suite 108 | Grand opening announced for September 26, 2026 |
| Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolate | 304 Plaza Real | Listed as coming soon, no date |
Lilly Pulitzer had been open three days when Boca Daily News covered it on April 22. The store took over the former Cotton Natural space. Cotton Natural did not close. It moved a few doors away to 327 Plaza Real.
Four Sparrows Mahjong comes from four sisters who grew up playing mahjong with their mother: Andrea Reid, Michelle McGovern, Cristina Crenshaw and Danielle Catsman. The space at 328 Plaza Real hosts games, classes and private events, and has a boutique that sells game supplies.
Parlor Doughnuts is an Indiana-born franchise, and this is its first Palm Beach County shop. Its doughnuts are made with laminated dough, which gives them a flaky, croissant-like texture. The menu also includes breakfast sandwiches, matcha lattes and savory doughnuts such as a margherita and a chicken bacon ranch. Franchisee Ben Boulet gave the Sun Sentinel the September 26 opening date. The Palm Beach Post covered the same plan two days before the opening. The shop's own location page now lists daily hours and online ordering for pickup.
Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolate lists its Mizner Park boutique as "coming soon" at 304 Plaza Real. The center's own directory says the same. Neither gives an opening date.
All of these are single-storefront concepts: a clothing store, a mahjong space with classes, a doughnut counter and a chocolatier. A center whose next owner hasn't taken over yet can add tenants like these one door at a time. None of this year's arrivals is the kind of large new tenant that would set the center's evening schedule.
The City's half carries the evenings
The big evening dates this fall take place on City-owned ground. Here is what the City's calendar lists for Mizner Park Amphitheater at 590 Plaza Real between now and early December:
- Saturday, October 3: Passport to Pours. General admission runs 5 to 10 p.m., with VIP entry from 4 p.m. The event's tasting concept covers 12 countries.
- Saturday, November 7: Tequila Fest. General admission runs 5 to 8 p.m., with VIP entry from 4 p.m. The City lists more than 30 agave brands, a live culinary battle, chef tastings and live entertainment.
- Wednesday, November 11: Red, White & Boca: A Veterans Day Celebration, 4 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, November 21: Holiday Tree Lighting, 6 to 10 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 2: The 54th Annual Holiday Street Parade travels along Federal Highway and ends at the amphitheater.
- Saturday, December 5: The 3rd Annual Holiday POPS Concert & POPS Pop-Up, with the concert at 7 p.m.
The City also experiments on the plaza in smaller ways. For Park(ing) Day on Friday, September 18, it turned three parking spaces in front of Sloan's into a pop-up park from 3 to 7 p.m. It was a one-afternoon event, not a permanent change. It shows that the City can program Mizner Park's public spaces on its own schedule, whatever happens with the buildings.
That independence is why the sale matters less to this fall's calendar than you might expect. The amphitheater dates above are City events on City property. A change in who owns the storefronts doesn't move the tree lighting or the parade finish.
Putting the two halves together this fall
The two owners' schedules overlap on a few evenings worth planning around.
On Thursday, October 1, the Sanborn Square Night Market returns from 6 to 9 p.m. at 72 N. Federal Highway, just down Federal from Mizner Park. It runs again November 5 and December 10. Two days later, on Saturday, October 3, Passport to Pours is the first of the amphitheater dates listed above.
November is the busiest month. Tequila Fest, the Veterans Day celebration and the tree lighting all fall within 15 days, and the November Night Market comes just before them. The parade and the Holiday POPS concert follow in the first week of December.
On the storefront side, check the directory before you go. Bissinger's is still listed as coming soon, and the sale could reshape the retail mix once it closes. The City's half of Mizner Park, with its black-painted benches, gold-and-black gazebo and amphitheater, will host all six calendar dates through December 5.
Ownership changes like this one tend to come up again when Boca Raton homeowners start thinking about what downtown will look like in a few years. If you'd like to talk through how Mizner Park's next chapter fits your own plans, from staying put to selling or buying close to the plaza, Gina Villanell is glad to share what she's watching downtown. Let's Connect.
