The empty bank building at 131 S. Ocean Blvd., on the corner of Plaza del Mar, now belongs to the Town of Manalapan. The town plans to build its next Town Hall there. Until construction starts, it has leased the building to the company that owns the Eau Resort & Spa across A1A, which is using it as a base for a renovation that changes how the resort looks from the road.
So the corner where Manalapan buys groceries, eats breakfast at John G's and drives across to Nobu is slowly becoming the town's civic center. The town and the resort are each spending money on that corner at the same time, and the order of the work shapes what that stretch of Ocean Boulevard will look like for at least the next year.
How a Bank Branch Became Public Property
The idea goes back to 2025. That year, architects laid out several possible locations for a new Town Hall, and the former bank outparcel came out as a leading contender, in part because building there would let the current Town Hall, across the street, keep running during construction. The current building dates from 1981 and is described as about 5,300 square feet, with drainage and air-conditioning problems and too little room for the fire department's required staffing.
The town tried to buy the parcel first. When the bank's owner did not respond, the commission moved to eminent domain.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Architects' review of possible sites treats the bank outparcel as a leading contender for Town Hall |
| March 2026 | Commission authorizes eminent-domain preparation for Town Hall and related offices, including police and fire |
| June 2026 | A circuit judge approves the taking; the town deposits $2.85 million in the court registry |
| Sept. 8, 2026 | Commissioners approve leasing the building to the Eau's owner |
| Sept. 11, 2026 | Lease takes effect |
| Sept. 28, 2026 | Currie Sowards Aguila Architects on the commission agenda to present on the new Town Hall |
The $2.85 million deposit may not be the final price. A jury could still set a different amount, and no trial date has been reported. The town now owns a corner lot whose final cost has not been settled, plus a building it does not yet need.
For Now, the Fenced Yard Belongs to the Eau
That gap in timing is why the town signed the lease. On Sept. 8, commissioners approved leasing the former bank building to MPB Property LLC, the Eau's owner, for $4,600 a month. The lease started Sept. 11, runs one year and can then continue month to month. The resort takes the building as it is. Commissioners also approved a materials storage area next to the building, enclosed by an 8-foot chain-link fence with windscreen and a rolling gate, for the resort's contractor. The town's application names that contractor as Shawmut Design and Construction.
The work it supports is on the resort's exterior. Commissioners approved new black aluminum railings and teak-look cladding for the guestroom balconies, replacing the palm tree design on the current railings.
"It's basically a modification of the railings that are outside of the hotel," Tim Nardi, the Eau's general manager, told The Coastal Star. "We're very excited about the renovation that's about to start at the hotel."
The approvals don't give a duration or completion date. None of the coverage says whether Nobu, Angle, the spa or the pools will be affected while the work is underway. The resort's website was still taking reservations for Nobu Manalapan, Angle and the spa when it was reviewed.
A Resort Recasting Itself From the Inside Out
The balcony work is the most visible change in a series that started after Larry Ellison bought the property at 100 S. Ocean Blvd. for more than $277 million in August 2024. Nobu Manalapan opened in late 2024 and has since grown into a 140-seat operation. Angle has had an interior-design update, and the spa has new décor and new treatments. By May 2026, Nobu had moved out of a temporary 65-seat space and into its permanent dining room.
In July, the 309-room resort dropped "Palm Beach" from its name and became Eau Resort & Spa. Michelle Phillips, the resort's director of marketing and brand, told The Palm Beach Daily News the new name "places the spotlight squarely on the resort." The site has changed hands before. It began as La Coquille Club, a society beach club. Melvin and Bren Simon later replaced the club with The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, which opened in the early 1990s.
All of this means both sides of A1A at Ocean Avenue are being reworked in the same season. On the east side, the resort is updating its balconies under a name with no other town in it. On the west side, the town is turning a bank into its future seat of government and renting it out in the meantime.
The Plaza Side Keeps Its Regulars
Plaza del Mar itself has changed less. The center is owned by Manalapan Plaza Del Mar LLC and managed by Garden Commercial, and Publix is still its anchor. This summer, the Town Commission approved new glass storefronts for suites 210 and 214 at the plaza owner's request. The minutes don't name the tenants.
The plaza's best-known restaurant changed owners this year, but it is staying where it is. John G's started in 1973 in the casino building on the Lake Worth pier and moved to Plaza del Mar in 2011. The Giragos family sold it in 2019 to Doris and Laurent Di Meglio, who made few changes to the menu. In May 2026, they sold the nautical-themed cafe to a Canadian businessman.
The new owners plan to expand. General manager Napoleon Barone told The Coastal Star the goal is at least nine John G's locations in South Florida within five years. "We're planning to come south from Port St. Lucie," he said, "Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Boca, maybe even into Miami." In August, the first new location was expected to open in early September. TCPalm reported on Sept. 22 that the Port St. Lucie restaurant is now expected to open in November 2026. The Manalapan restaurant at 264 S. Ocean Blvd. stays put.
Where the Town Hall Plan Stands in October
The project has changed since the spring. Earlier concepts tried to fit Town Hall, police and fire on the bank parcel together. That approach would have required a four-story building the architects considered impractical. In July, the project was estimated at $20 million. Commissioner David Knobel floated a $10 million fundraising goal from residents, and the town expected about $8 million from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue for a station inside the complex.
Town Manager Eric Marmer told commissioners on Sept. 8 that Fire Rescue no longer wants to be part of the new Town Hall. It wants to stay at the current Town Hall site and would pay to build a new facility there. If that happens, the town would end up with two civic buildings facing each other across the street: a fire station where Town Hall is now and a new Town Hall on the old bank lot. The town's 2026-27 budget includes $175,000 to design the new building.
What's settled and what isn't, as of Oct. 4:
- Settled: the town has possession of the parcel, the $175,000 design budget, and the Eau's lease through at least September 2027.
- Not settled: the final price for the land, the design shown on Sept. 28, Fire Rescue's arrangement, and how the project will be paid for.
- Earlier ideas, not current plans: a 2025 concept called for about 10,000 square feet in a contemporary style, with a public plaza and gateway at the Ocean Avenue corner. Commissioner Knobel said he preferred contemporary architecture to Key West or British West Indies styles.
Currie Sowards Aguila Architects was on the Sept. 28 commission agenda to present on the new Town Hall. As of Oct. 4, the town's archive had posted the agenda and packet for that meeting, but no minutes or recording. At the August meeting, Marmer said he expected to hold a couple of town meetings this fall to get residents' input on the design. Knobel suggested starting major fundraising in January 2027. Mayor Pro Tem Bonner asked about donations and naming rights, and Town Attorney Davis said he would bring back an updated donation policy. No dates for the resident sessions had been posted by early October. The next regular Town Commission meeting on the calendar is Oct. 27.
Until then, the bank building on the Plaza del Mar corner stays behind its fence, rented to the resort across the road at $4,600 a month.
When a single corner is changing this much, the record behind it matters to anyone who owns nearby or is thinking about timing a sale or purchase. Palm Beach Luxury Portfolio Group follows the Manalapan commission's decisions as closely as the sales, and we're glad to talk through what the Plaza del Mar plans could mean for your property. Let's Start a Conversation.
