A real estate venture has purchased a portion of the 93-year-old Palm Beach Kennel Club property near West Palm Beach for $20.9 million with plans to develop an expansive retail and residential project.

The 16-acre purchase is the first phase of a plan to acquire a total of 42 acres for the development to be built by the Coconut Grove-based group Terra and Palm Beach-based Frisbie Group, according to a June 30 statement from the two companies.

A deed recorded June 27 reflects the sale to Westgate Gardens LLC by the Investment Corp. of Palm Beach, which is managed by Palm Beach resident Patrick Rooney, Jr. The track has been owned by the Rooney family since 1970 when it was sold to Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney Sr.

The sale is no surprise. The Palm Beach Post wrote in 2023 that the Frisbie Group had won a bid to buy the former greyhound racing property. At the time, Frisbie Group managing director Robert Frisbie Jr. said the plans for development could include homes, shops and possibly a hotel.

Rendering of the new Palm Beach Kennel Club casino

The statement describes bringing “thoughtfully planned, high-quality workforce housing and community-centered retail to the area, with a strong focus on walkability, wellness, and long-term neighborhood benefit.”

Pari-mutuel wagering will remain operating at a casino that will be relocated to the north side of the property. The iconic Palm Beach Kennel Club sign will be moved to the new casino site on the southwest corner of Cherry Road and Congress Avenue.

In December, Palm Beach County commissioners approved zoning changes to the property that allow for a new 60,285-square-foot indoor entertainment complex and a four-story garage with 900 parking spaces.

Palm Beach Kennel Club stopped live greyhound racing in 2020

Palm Beach Kennel Club stopped hosting live greyhound racing in late 2020 after a 2018 statewide voter referendum banned the practice. It still has clubhouse poker tables, as well as simulcasts of horse racing, greyhound racing and jai-alai from venues nationwide.

"PBKC (Palm Beach Kennel Club) has been offering entertainment and gaming since 1932, and we plan to continue well into the future,” the club said in a December statement regarding the county commission vote.

The new casino could open by 2027, will operate 24 hours a day and is expected to cost more than $20 million.

The elimination of dog racing meant the property, which is north of Belvedere Road on North Congress Avenue, was largely unused. In 2022, the club sold 12 acres for $12 million for the development of a storage facility.

County officials said in an application for rezoning the property that moving the casino and opening the 42 acres for development would “serve as a significant catalyst for the redevelopment along the Congress Avenue corridor.”

The Kennel Club property is in an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County called Westgate.

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Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected]. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Kennel Club makeover: Workforce housing, retail planned for West Palm property