On Monday, May 10, 2021, City Council and representatives from Brightline and the Junior League of Boca Raton, broke ground on the new community garden located at Meadows Park (1300 NW 8th St, Boca Raton, FL 33486). As part of the agreement to build the Brightline station on a 1.8-acre site near the City’s Downtown Library, Brightline made a major contribution to help fund the construction of the garden.

“Boca Raton can look forward to our new, expanded community garden in a more central location adjacent to Meadows Park and Boca Raton Community Middle School,” said Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer.

“We are grateful to the Junior League and the dedicated gardeners and volunteers who will make this new location another Boca treasure, and to Brightline for their substantial support for this project.”

The garden is approximately 1.4 acres and will contain about 100 plots. Leasing of plots will open in July. Those who are interested in leasing a plot once garden construction is finalized can email garden@jlbr.org.

Additional features of the community garden include a pergola, an enlarged composting area, and special fencing around the garden and trees to keep iguanas from climbing or digging in to the area.

“We’re excited to be partnering with the City and Brightline on this new location for the community garden. We believe it will be a real asset to the community,” said Cristy Stewart-Harfmann, president of the Junior League of Boca Raton.

In addition to the community garden, construction of the temporary parking lot has also begun. Located directly south of the Downtown Library, the lot will serve patrons and staff of the library while construction of the station and parking garage is underway. Construction of the lot and community garden is expected to be completed in August 2021.

“The community garden is an important investment to creating more sustainable and resilient communities. This is the first phase of construction activity as we work to bring Brightline to Boca Raton,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “We are excited to kick off the construction of the community garden with the Mayor, Council and Junior League representatives.”