Experts judge Harbourside Place. Did they love it or hate it?
August 27, 2015
Harbourside Place, the $150 million entertainment center that has brought both praise and ridicule to Jupiter, was honored Wednesday night by South Florida urban planners.
The Jupiter complex won the national private project of the year in southeast Florida and the Caribbean.
Harbourside Place wins top award from Urban Land Institute
“See? I told you. Harbourside Place is a true urban project that brings substantial public benefit to the community,” said Nick Mastroianni, the president of Allied Capital & Development, the Jupiter-basedcompany that built the project on 10 acres on the northwest corner of Indiantown Road and U.S. 1
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London. Its stated mission is “to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide”.
Harbourside Place was selected over the four other finalists. They were: Frost Music Studio, University of Miami, Coral Gables; New River Yacht Club, Fort Lauderdale; Royal Caribbean Production Studio, Miami; and Vagabond Hotel, Miami.
Nick Mastroianni
Harbourside’s design as a destination set it apart from the other finalists, said George Gentile, senior partner at Gentile, Glas Holloway O’Mahoney & Associates, Inc. The company was the site planner and landscape architect on the project on the former site of the Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum.
The Woods Jupiter
“Harbourside has everything for the community to enjoy. Entertainment, food, hotel, music. Now you have Tiger Woods in there. And the Riverwalk provides public access,” said Gentile, who was one of the 650 people who attended the awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in Miami.
Critics have complained about increased traffic, noise and parking since Harbourside Place opened in December.
Proponents argue Harbourside Place provides waterfront access and brings jobs and tax revenue to the town.
Mastroianni said the award is vindication that the project is the right fit for Jupiter.
“The public and private connectivity is what makes the project work. This type of project was needed in Jupiter,” said Mastroianni.