The clubhouse on Northeast 27 Court came down in September, about sixty years after it began hosting the city's charity events, mariners, and tennis players. A mile or so west, at US 1 and Sample Road, the shopping center that has held Lighthouse Point's Publix since 1958 has plans on file to tear out about 70,000 square feet of older storefronts. Tonight, while both sites wait on construction, families will be at Frank McDonough Park for Halloween at the Point.

That pattern holds through the rest of 2026. The yacht club and Venetian Isles have been two of the city's main gathering places for decades, and both are changing at once. Until they reopen, most of the season's shared events take place in the city's own parks.

Six Decades of Clubhouse, Then About Three Weeks of Demolition

The New Pelican reported the Lighthouse Point Yacht Club clubhouse's demolition in mid-September and described the building as traditional Old Florida. Some of the tennis courts came down the week before. Its replacement is a modern two-story building with fine dining, a piano lounge, an outdoor tapas bar, banquet seating for 280, a gym, a spa, and a rooftop terrace.

For anyone who has stood on the docks, the key detail is that the marina is not slated to change. The 78 deep-water slips stay as they are. The rest of the 10-acre site is being reworked by Paterson Project Management into 21 townhomes, a new tennis center with a café, and a pool complex.

The project has been slow. Groundbreaking was first announced for 2021. Permitting, financing, and a clubhouse redesign delayed it, and the clubhouse itself has been closed since 2022. During that time, members kept using the tennis courts, the pool area, and outdoor dining, and the Pelican reports that membership grew anyway.

Under the developer's agreement, construction of the first townhome building must start within 30 days of demolition, and the company has 40 months to finish everything on the site. In the same article, Mayor Kyle Van Buskirk said he was "glad the city and the developer are now moving forward with this dream of Lighthouse Point Yacht Club members."

So the clubhouse that hosted the city's charity evenings is now a construction site, and it will stay one for much longer than a single winter.

Venetian Isles Gets Rebuilt Around a Bigger Publix

The second change is closer to everyday errands. Brixmor Property Group owns the Venetian Isles Shopping Center at US 1 and Sample Road, which opened in 1958. According to the same New Pelican report, Brixmor has submitted plans for a major redo. The city's development review committee has reviewed the site plan, and reconstruction is now set for March 2027.

The plan moves Publix to a larger store in the middle of the center. Set against the current layout, it looks like this:

For scale, Brixmor's property page lists the whole center at 185,134 square feet at 3650 North Federal Highway. The demolition would therefore remove more than a third of the center's footprint before the new space is built, with Publix's own expansion making up part of that new space.

The plan matters because of who is there now. As of mid-October 2026, Brixmor's site plan shows Red Fox Diner, Jeremiah's Italian Ice, Brooklyn Pizza, Arby's, Haute and Honey, The Queen Bee Brand, The Gold Shop, Unique Eyewear, Dental Spa, Colavito Chiropractic, Nova Medical Center Group, Fifth Third Bank, and a USPS post office, along with the larger tenants Staples, Petco, and Dollar Tree. The same plan marks 13 spaces as available, including one of 58,072 square feet and another of 17,719 square feet.

The timeline published so far leaves out the details shoppers care about most. It doesn't say whether the current Publix stays open while the new store is built, which shops are in the 70,000 square feet slated for demolition, or how the work will be phased. Brixmor's page doesn't cover any of this either. The March 2027 date also comes from a plan still moving through city review, so it may shift before anyone moves a shopping cart. For now, Red Fox Diner and Jeremiah's Italian Ice are still serving at their current spots.

The Streets Between the Two Sites Are Changing Too

The yacht club work extends past its own property line. In August, Lighthouse Point approved a 1,300-foot sidewalk on the east side of Northeast 27 Terrace, running from Northeast 39 Street to the yacht club entrance. The developer is responsible for the estimated $329,000 cost, the New Pelican reported. At that meeting, the city also announced tree trimming along Lighthouse Drive, Sample Road, Federal Highway, and Northeast 49 Street, with up to $200,000 set aside.

Sample Road links the two sites, and it has its own list of projects. City hall also has new leadership to manage them. City Administrator Ross Licata announced his retirement in late August after 24 years with the city, 20 of them as police chief. Earl Bosworth, previously an assistant city manager in Pompano Beach, is taking over the role after a planned three-month transition. "Our goal is simple," Van Buskirk told the New Pelican. "To ensure knowledge is transferred, projects move forward and nothing is missed during this important leadership transition."

The projects Bosworth inherits, as the Pelican listed them:

• Construction of the Sample Road Bridge
• Design of the Northeast 31 Court Bridge
• Dredging projects
• Seawall improvements along Northeast 39 Street
• Sample Road improvements funded by the Broward County surtax
• Conversion of the old fire station into offices for the building and zoning departments, due to be finished by the end of 2026

That work was scheduled to begin late this year. Over the next twelve months or so, the club, the shopping center, and the road between them could all be under construction at the same time.

Where the Season Takes Place Meanwhile

With the clubhouse gone and Venetian Isles waiting on its rebuild, the city's calendar for the rest of the year is anchored in two public parks. Frank McDonough Park is at 3500 Northeast 27th Avenue, and Dan Witt Park is at 4521 Northeast 22nd Avenue. Here is the city calendar, plus one event next door in Pompano Beach:

1. Halloween at the Point, Thursday, October 22, 6 to 8 p.m., Frank McDonough Park.
2. Farmer's Market, Sunday, November 8, Dan Witt Park.
3. Lighthouse A'Glow, Wednesday, December 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Frank McDonough Park.
4. Greater Pompano Beach Chamber Holiday Boat Parade, December 11, on the Intracoastal. This is the 64th annual parade, with more than 50 boats expected and an "A Party in the U.S.A." theme. The Pompano Beach event page gives both a 6 p.m. start and a 7 to 9:30 p.m. window, so check the time before you pick a spot along the water.
5. Farmer's Market, Sunday, December 13, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Dan Witt Park.
6. Santa Around the Point, Sunday, December 20, 2 to 5 p.m. The city listing doesn't give a starting address.

For out-of-town guests this winter, the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society runs boat trips to the lighthouse grounds that include a tour of the grounds and a climb up the tower.

If you're wondering how the new clubhouse, a reconfigured Venetian Isles, or the Sample Road work might affect your street or a property you own nearby, Delphi Investment Realty is glad to go over it with you, in English or Spanish, at whatever pace suits you. Let's Start a Conversation.