The Wall Along Clint Moore Road Was Approved on the Promise of a Hedge

"Effectively obscure the wall from public view." That phrase comes from the City of Boca Raton staff report on Woodfield Country Club's new wall along Clint Moore Road. It describes a layered buffer of canopy trees, understory trees, palms, and shrubs that would sit between the wall and the road.

This fall, the stretch between Florida's Turnpike and Jog Road looks nothing like that. Eastbound traffic has been squeezed into one lane, crews have been taking out trees, and precast panels are going up where a chain-link fence used to stand. The hedge in the city's description hasn't been planted yet. The wall the city approved is supposed to disappear behind it, and the step that settles how it will look is still open.

What the City Actually Signed Off On

The application came to the Planning and Zoning Board on February 19, 2026. The agenda listed it as a final action by that board, so it never went to the City Council for a vote. The board approved it 7 to 0, according to the meeting minutes.

Here is what the hearing packet describes:

The board's decision was narrow: a two-foot height variance with two conditions attached. The wall's length, route, and material were all described in the application. What the board ruled on was whether Woodfield could build two feet higher than the code allows along a road, and on what terms.

Why the Extra Two Feet Came With a Planting Requirement

Staff answered the height question with one argument above the others: nobody would see the wall. The report says the wall sits inside "an expansive buffer" and "will be completely screened by existing and proposed" plantings along Clint Moore Road. It concludes that the extra height "will not be visually prominent or detrimental to the character of the corridor." The same report says the variance would not change how the established streetscape looks, because the plantings would screen the wall from view.

The approval puts that argument in writing as a condition. Attachment A to the resolution sets two terms:

(1) The plans submitted with the building permit application shall be the same as Exhibit "B." (2) The wall shall be screened ... from Clint Moore Road, which [screening] (and any proposed future changes to such [screening]) shall be subject to review and approval by the Community Appearance Board.

The second condition matters most for how Clint Moore will look. The case for the taller wall rested on the hedge in front of it, and the Community Appearance Board keeps oversight of that hedge for good. Any later change to the planting has to go back to the same board, not just the first install.

The applicant described a softer finish too. Woodfield's project narrative says the wall will be painted bronze and planted with native plants "to improve aesthetics, and blend with the theme of the development." Staff described a mix of existing vegetation kept in place and new plantings added within the established easement areas.

What Drivers See This Fall Is the Middle of the Job

The plan describes the finished project. Clint Moore Road right now is still a work site.

BocaNewsNow reported on September 7 that the work had narrowed eastbound Clint Moore to one lane along much of the stretch from the Turnpike to Jog Road. It also reported that some of the vegetation along the road appeared to be coming out. By October 17, the outlet said crews had been cutting down trees and installing the wall "for weeks." It also said a construction permit it had obtained appears to require work that interferes with traffic to stop by 3 p.m. In its October 18 countywide traffic roundup, BocaNewsNow listed another week of Clint Moore Road delays tied to the project.

None of those reports gives a completion date or a date when the lane reopens. Before heading out, check the City of Boca Raton's road closures page and Palm Beach County's weekly road reports. Note that the county's report for October 19 through 25 separately lists an FPL pole-removal closure on Clint Moore Road near E. Rogers Circle, so not every cone on that road belongs to the wall.

The tree removal points back to the central issue. The public record doesn't show which trees the approved plan keeps and which it replaces. The staff report spoke of preserving existing vegetation, and news reports describe trees coming down. Both can be true at once in a plan that removes some trees and adds others. How close the finished buffer comes to the "completely screened" result staff described depends on the planting that goes in after the panels.

The Step That Decides the Finished Look

The Community Appearance Board has already seen the plan once. Woodfield brought a preliminary planting design to the board on December 2, 2025. Staff wrote that the board "expressed support for the landscape design and the proposed eight (8) foot wall, provided it is properly screened."

That was a preliminary review. The variance condition calls for review and approval of the screen itself, and the public record so far shows no final board action on a Woodfield buffer item. The board's October 6, 2026 agenda listed several other projects and nothing from Woodfield.

For anyone who drives Clint Moore every day or looks out at it, these are the milestones that will set what the road looks like next season:

1. A Woodfield buffer item on a Community Appearance Board agenda. Agendas are posted on myboca.us before each meeting. The approved plant list there will name the canopy trees, palms, and shrubs that are meant to cover the bronze panels.
2. The lane reopening on eastbound Clint Moore. That marks the end of work in the roadside zone. It doesn't mean the buffer is planted.
3. Planting after the wall is up. Staff described a "continuous, layered buffer," and young plantings take time to fill in, so the first season after installation will show more wall than later years.
4. Any future change to that buffer. Because of the second condition, removing or swapping out the screening later is a Community Appearance Board matter.

The View From the North Side of the Road

Woodfield's own narrative points out that St. Andrews Country Club sits directly across Clint Moore Road, and that St. Andrews is in unincorporated Palm Beach County, not the City of Boca Raton. So the wall stands inside the city, and the homes facing it from the north are outside it. The city's planting condition is the only part of the approval aimed at how the frontage looks from the road. Drivers from both clubs see that frontage, whichever side of the jurisdiction line they live on.

The condition protects the same view for Woodfield owners heading home and for St. Andrews owners turning out of their gate. The road looks unsettled this fall, and the record says the finished frontage is supposed to read as a planted buffer. Both clubs can follow the remaining approval on the same public agendas.

Frontage like Clint Moore's becomes part of how a home and its community come across to buyers. If you own in Woodfield or St. Andrews and want to know how the changing streetscape fits into your home's value this season, The Entel Group can walk you through it with resident-level perspective and a designer's eye. Get a Free Home Valuation.