Bottom line
Alba and Olara offer different ways to live on West Palm Beach’s waterfront. Compare building scale, timing, outdoor space and the amenities you would use.
How to use this guidance
Use the guidance to frame questions before comparing West Palm Beach buildings. Then check project pages, current floor-plan packets, source-linked updates, and The Scott Gordon Group at Douglas Elliman for the details that can change.
A completed waterfront building and a larger future offering
For buyers comparing Alba Palm Beach and Olara in West Palm Beach, timing is a good place to start. Blue Road, one of Alba’s developers, now lists the project as completed. Olara’s March 2026 brochure schedules completion for 2028. If you want to assess a finished building rather than make your decision around plans and renderings, Alba deserves an early look.
There is also a meaningful difference in scale and location. Alba has 55 residences at 4714 North Flagler Drive, farther north than Olara at 1919 North Flagler Drive. Olara is planned with 275 condominium residences and a broad mix of wellness, dining and marina amenities. Both make the water a central part of their appeal, but the experience of coming home could feel quite different.
Start with the size of the community
Alba’s smaller residence count is one of its clearest attractions. A buyer drawn to a more intimate building may prefer knowing there are only 55 homes sharing the common spaces. That does not guarantee an empty pool or a particular social atmosphere, but it gives you a useful starting point for deciding whether the scale feels right.
Alba still offers more than 25,000 square feet of amenities. Its published offering includes fitness and spa facilities, sunrise and sunset pools, and spaces for gathering. There is plenty to consider beyond the apartment itself.
Olara’s larger planned community comes with more than 80,000 square feet of wellness and leisure space. The appeal is the breadth of things to do close to home. For someone who wants to exercise, dine and spend time on the water without planning a separate outing for each, that can be compelling.
How would you use the waterfront
At Alba, the residences place a strong emphasis on outdoor living. The official specifications include generous terraces and summer kitchens, which makes the space outside the living room worth particular attention. If you imagine quiet dinners outdoors or coffee overlooking the Intracoastal, look closely at the terrace attached to the home you are considering.
Alba also advertises a private dock with boat slips. Confirm the rights, availability and costs tied to a particular residence if keeping a boat nearby matters to you.
Olara builds more of its planned lifestyle around shared experiences, including a private marina and José Andrés Group dining. Its published plans also include a substantial indoor and outdoor fitness offering.
The useful question is how often you would participate. A waterfront restaurant may be a genuine convenience if you expect to eat there regularly. A marina deserves closer investigation if you own a boat or want to spend more time aboard one. Ask for the access arrangements, availability and costs before treating either as part of your everyday routine.
Compare Alba and Olara floor plans
The Alba floor-plan collection includes two- and three-bedroom condominium homes and four-bedroom townhomes. The townhome option is especially worth exploring if you prefer a home arranged over multiple levels. It brings a different set of practical questions, including stairs, outdoor space and how you move between rooms.
The Olara floor-plan collection offers several two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations, many with a den. A separate workspace or a better guest-bedroom arrangement may be more useful to you than extra space in a room you rarely use.
Bring a short list of furniture you want to keep. Check where a dining table fits, whether a desk has a natural place and how much privacy guests would have. These are often the details that turn an attractive floor plan into a home that works.
Make timing part of the decision
Alba’s completed status makes it the logical first stop if you want to evaluate a finished property. Ask which homes can be shown and what closing timetable applies to each available residence. Completion alone does not establish current inventory or when a particular home can be occupied.
If your move is further out and Olara’s broader lifestyle offering appeals to you, the planned 2028 completion may fit your schedule. Review the current construction update and purchase terms before coordinating a sale or move around that target.
For Alba, the strongest draw is a smaller, completed waterfront building. For Olara, it is the planned combination of a larger residential community, wellness, dining and boating. Your preferred home, location and timing should make the final decision.
If you are weighing Alba and Olara, get in touch with your target move date and the way you expect to use the home. That will help focus the comparison on residences worth considering.