Palm Beach Midtown: South County Road's New Openings for 2026

Two buildings side by side on South County Road now belong to companies controlled by the same man, who grew up on the island. One is Palm Beach's only gas station. The other is the longtime home of C. Orrico. Both closed at the start of summer 2026, and both are scheduled to reopen in pieces over the next few months. Two doors down, a Monaco-born dining and lounge concept has cleared the Town Council for the building that once held Le Bar a Vin. By January, the stretch across from Town Hall should look much more like it did decades ago, with longer evenings.

Two addresses, one owner

The gas station at 340 S. County Road sold for $11.94 million in March 2025. The buyer was a Delaware limited liability company named after the address, managed by Armata Holdings Management Corp., a real estate investment company controlled by Alex Griswold. The Palm Beach Daily News reported that Griswold had told the Town Council the purchase began when he and a larger group of residents pooled money after hearing the station might be for sale. He has not publicly named the other investors. He has since stepped down from the town's Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Months later, a second Griswold-controlled entity, 336 S County LLC, bought the commercial building just north of the station. It paid a recorded $9.5 million for 336 S. County Road under a deed recorded June 5. The seller was 336 Partners Inc., an entity controlled by Kathie, Casey and Colleen Orrico. C. Orrico closed at the end of May for a renovation and downsizing, and it plans to reopen in the same building.

Together, the two purchases total about $21.4 million for a fuel stop and a boutique. Griswold's comments to the Daily News explain the logic. "When you grow up in a place like Palm Beach, you feel a deep sense of obligation to protect what makes it special," he said. He also said, "I grew up filling my bike tires at the station and getting candy bars after school."

The renovation runs backward to 1956

For years the station was Gray's Sunoco. It will reopen as Palm Petrol, and the design takes it back to its original look. The "S-type" Mediterranean roof tiles are coming off in favor of a flat roof like the one the building had when it opened in 1956. The exterior will be painted white, with white porcelain tile on some sections and green-and-white detailing.

Inside, one of the four garage stalls becomes retail space, which adds 1,094 square feet to the convenience store. The other three stalls get paneled-glass doors to match the store's new windows. The store will still stock the expected candy, snacks and drinks. Griswold said it will also carry a curated selection of gifts, baked goods, wines and other specialty items, with a focus on goods from long-established local purveyors.

The service bay is shrinking slightly but keeping its offerings, including tire nail removal, oil changes and diagnostic work. The fuel systems are also getting new pumps. Full service stays too, which is rare in Florida. Attendants will pump fuel alongside the self-service pumps, according to a July Daily News report.

Regular customers should see familiar faces at the pumps. Griswold said the new operators would keep paying the station's employees during the closure.

Next door, C. Orrico is also getting smaller and more focused. In a Palm Beach Post report from early June, co-owner Kathie Orrico said she expected the shop to return in November in a smaller footprint.

The calendar arrives in pieces

Most of the dates below come from Griswold's June schedule and Kathie Orrico's June estimate. As of mid-October, no later report confirms any of the reopenings, so treat each one as announced:

1. October 1: Palm Petrol's fuel pumps were scheduled to restart first. The latest status we found, from July 16, said only that the station would stay closed "until October."
2. November 1: The vehicle service shop opens.
3. November: C. Orrico is expected back at 336 S. County Road.
4. December 1: Palm Petrol's expanded convenience store opens. The same day, Town Hall across the street hosts its 115th annual election caucus, where candidates for mayor and Town Council are nominated for the 2027 municipal election.
5. January: Palm Petrol's grand opening celebration.

Griswold told the Daily News he expected the whole project to be finished by the end of the year. More details on the full-service offerings were promised for the fall.

Until the pumps are confirmed, the bridge run

While the station is closed, everyone who drives on the island has to fill up over the bridges. That includes residents, workers and household staff. Near the Flagler Memorial Bridge, the closest options the Daily News listed were the Marathon at 900 N. Dixie Highway, at 8th Street, less than a mile from the bridge entrance, and the Chevron at 1229 N. Dixie Highway, at Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. Every station in that roundup was within five minutes of a bridge back to Palm Beach. None offers full-service pumping as a standard amenity, though staff will help drivers with disabilities. Having an attendant fill the tank is part of what Palm Petrol is bringing back.

Down the block, a later evening at 380 S. County Road

The other change on the block has a different purpose. On October 7, the Palm Beach Daily News reported that the Town Council had approved site plans for "George x Avenue 31." It's a Mediterranean-themed spot with a nightclub component that would take up two floors of the Midtown building where Le Bar a Vin once operated. The Avenue 31 Palm Beach site traces the brand to Avenue Princesse Grace in Monaco and describes the Palm Beach location as a dining room, bar and lounge.

The town's staff report describes a fairly contained plan. The applicants, 380 South County LLC and General Liquor LLC, sought a special exception and site-plan review to convert 236 square feet of second-floor office space to restaurant and nightclub use without adding licensed seats. The proposed plan actually lowers licensed capacity from 108 seats to 87 and lists 20 parking spaces. The application had no operating hours when staff reviewed it. Staff pointed to a draft Declaration of Use Agreement to govern hours, valet parking, and delivery and loading. The final terms of that agreement have not been made public in anything we've reviewed.

The operator's site gives the timing as "Opening 2026" and nothing more specific. With fewer seats than before and an agreement still to set its hours, the block's evening use is likely to grow in a measured way. The daytime uses at 336 and 340 are coming back very much in their old form.

The pumps at 340 S. County Road were scheduled to restart October 1, and no report we found confirms that they have. Next on the announced schedule are the service shop and C. Orrico's return in November, then the expanded store on December 1 and Palm Petrol's grand opening in January.

When an island street changes, so does how buyers see the homes near it. If you own near Midtown and want to know how this season's changes along South County Road might affect your property's value, John Reynolds & Randi Binder can give you a discreet, specific read. Get a free home valuation.