Years ago a couple found a stuffed fish in their garage and brought it to Hurricane Alley. It went up on the wall with the surfboards, photos and other ocean-themed gifts that patrons gave the raw bar at 529 E. Ocean Ave. over 30 years. When owner Kim Kelly talked with The Coastal Star about the move, that fish was one of her examples of what's coming along. "Anything that anyone gave us, we want to keep," she said.
The fish is moving about one street-width. It isn't going to the new building that was promised for years. Kelly signed for the former Paloma Mexican Restaurant space at 510 E. Ocean Ave., on the south side of the street, and the reopening is aimed for around Thanksgiving. The new building, The Pierce, was designed with a spot for her. In the end, an existing storefront kept downtown's longtime raw bar on Ocean Avenue, and the new construction didn't.
The Home That Was Supposed to Be Built First
The Pierce is Affiliated Development's mixed-use project at 115 N. Federal Highway. It covers most of the west side of Federal between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard, back to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. The Boynton Beach CRA's project page lists 300 mixed-income apartments, about 17,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space, and 150 public parking spaces.
Hurricane Alley was built into the plan from early on. According to The Coastal Star, the developers agreed to build the restaurant's new space first, near the tracks on Boynton Beach Boulevard, so it could reopen on a temporary partial certificate of occupancy while the rest of the project went up around it. Kelly told The Atlantic Current she had expected to land at the corner of Northeast Fourth Street and Boynton Beach Boulevard.
On paper, that plan put the restaurant first in line. The site's history, as reported by The Coastal Star and The Atlantic Current, explains why the schedule kept stretching.
| When | What happened on the block |
|---|---|
| 2021 | The CRA approves a mixed-use development for the land |
| 2022 | Kelly's petition against an earlier $60 million plan gathers more than 4,000 signatures, and the city halts it |
| March 2023 | City commission approves The Pierce |
| 2023 into 2024 | A lawsuit from nearby property owners over public rights-of-way puts the project on hold until a judge lets it proceed |
| October, then January 2026 | Underground sewer lines are replaced, then demolition of the Miller Land Planning building next to Ace Hardware begins |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Kelly receives a 30-day notice to vacate 529 E. Ocean Ave. |
The cost estimate went up along the way. Affiliated first put the project at $73 million and later said it would likely cost at least $100 million. By late September, The Coastal Star was calling it a $105 million project that had finally been cleared for construction, with demolition of the Hurricane Alley building as the first step. Affiliated CEO Jeff Burns told the paper that the project has many moving parts and that a firm timeline for any one piece of it is hard to pin down. Construction is expected to take 21 months.
That left Kelly with a gap. Her old building had to come down first, and the new space would take months. Deputy City Manager Adam Temple wrote that the city remained "committed to continuing to assist and expedite the construction of The Pierce project to ensure that this longstanding business can open as quickly as possible." In the meantime, the raw bar faced a dark stretch that could have lasted into spring.
Five Days and a Storefront Across the Street
The gap got filled much faster than that. "It all came together within five days. I got a tip from a good source," Kelly told The Coastal Star. She announced on Sept. 3 that she would take over Paloma Mexican Restaurant and keep the Hurricane Alley name. In the Facebook post The Coastal Star quoted, she said:
"The owner of Paloma Restaurant and I came to an agreement where I would take over his existing restaurant and allow our Iconic Hurricane Alley to have a new home. Carlos Alvarez, Owner of Paloma was an angel sent from heaven, and it was the perfect timing for both of us."
The lease is what turns this from a stopgap into a permanent move. Kelly signed a five-year lease with options that can stretch it to 15 years, and she calls 510 E. Ocean Ave. her "forever home." She told The Coastal Star she has no plans to move anywhere else. The Pierce will still get its restaurant and retail space. Hurricane Alley just isn't waiting for it anymore.
What Makes the Trip to 510 E. Ocean Ave.
The space was already a restaurant, so the plan calls for minor renovations rather than a rebuild. Here's what Kelly described to The Coastal Star:
- The walls. All the memorabilia is coming along, though the bars have to be taken apart and some pieces will go into storage. "Not everything will fit," she said.
- The bars. There won't be an outside bar at the new spot. Another indoor bar is being added, and the staff is working from the same flow plan they used at the old place.
- The menu. The dishes stay the same, maybe with a few new ones. "Don't change something that ain't broke," Kelly said.
- The prices. They may go up slightly because food and beverage costs have climbed, and labor is the other major expense, though she said they're trying to hold beer and liquor prices down.
- The people. Hurricane Alley has 40 employees. Many have been there 10 years and some 20, and most have said they plan to come back.
She also had "Ride Out the Storm With Us!" T-shirts printed, and all the money from sales goes to her staff.
Why an Existing Building Was the Faster Answer
A working restaurant space needed months less than a 21-month build on a site with a history of delays. Moving into the Paloma space meant Hurricane Alley's reopening depended on a fairly small renovation instead of a large project's construction schedule. Kelly told The Atlantic Current that closing in the slow season wasn't bad timing, and she expected to be open again for the holidays. "This is just a pause. Think of it like we went on vacation," she said.
Staying on the same block matters too. Kelly credited the outpouring of support, including from the CRA, with encouraging her to stay on the avenue and keep her loyal customers. She was also looking into a city relocation grant to pay for an architect's drawings. The result is that a restaurant tied to East Ocean Avenue for three decades stays right across the street from where it started while The Pierce moves ahead.
Ocean Avenue Through the Holidays
The reopening target falls in a busy stretch of the downtown calendar. These dates come from the city's event listings and the market's own schedule:
- Nov. 14, 9 to 11 a.m.: Pilates with the Mayor, a 45-minute class at 125 E. Ocean Ave. Mats are provided.
- Nov. 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Good Day Market, free, at 129 E. Ocean Ave. It moved there from the Boynton Beach Mall and now sets up in the lot next to the Schoolhouse Children's Museum, with more than 50 vendors and free parking in nearby lots.
- Around Thanksgiving: Hurricane Alley's targeted grand reopening at 510 E. Ocean Ave.
- Dec. 5, 4 to 10 p.m.: The city's 2026 Holiday Tree Lighting at 120 E. Ocean Ave., with a Grinch and Whoville theme.
- Dec. 11, 6 to 9 p.m.: The Boynton Beach Holiday Boat Parade. Boats line up near the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana, head south at 6:30 p.m. and finish at the C-15 Canal in Delray Beach. Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Hypoluxo and Lantana are partners.
I've watched downtown Boynton Beach change since 2003, and keeping track of which longtime spots stay and where they go is part of how I serve clients here. If you're weighing a home near Ocean Avenue and want to know what The Pierce and the rest of downtown's projects could mean for your block, call or text "Roxy" at (561) 714-9673. Hablo español. Roxy Campbell
