There won’t be just a new Dixie Manor in Boca Raton.
There will be a new name.
The Boca Raton Housing Authority has reached agreement with Atlantic Pacific Communities to demolish the current public housing development on North Dixie Highway. Under the name Martin Manor, 95 new units will go up on the north side of the 9.3-acre site.
That’s how many units the authority can build under the current zoning. But Brian Stenberg, who serves on the authority’s board, said Martin Manor might grow to 180 units after the first phase is complete.
Dixie Manor has been the subject of discussion for nearly two years. Residents worried about the project’s future—remodel or rebuild?—have spoken at city council meetings, even though the council only appoints the board members.
Those discussions, though, led the council to expand the board from five to seven members and represent a wider range of viewpoints. Residents told the council that they hadn’t received enough information about where displaced residents would go during construction. Some will want to return. Others will want to move.
Another new aspect of Martin Manor is that the developer will pay taxes to the city. At their last meeting, council members heard that the amount would be “north of” $50,000 a year, according to Atlantic Pacific Vice President Dan Wilson. The payments will be part of the lease between Atlantic Pacific and the authority, which will continue to own the land.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development rules for projects like Dixie Manor are strict. Stenberg said the authority chose Atlantic Pacific based on an extensive rating system. Though the money will come from the federal and state governments, the city will contribute a loan. That item will be on the agenda for the council’s Dec. 12 meeting.
Atlantic Pacific plans to complete half of the new units before starting on the others. The hope is to minimize dislocation, especially for residents who have children and the disabled. Those planning to stay could go from their old to their new apartments without having to move.
Again, though, arose the issue of communication. Angela MacDonald, who is a resident and an authority board member, said she was hearing for the first time about that construction plan. The authority needs to address residents’ “anxiety.”
Council members agreed. Andrea O’Rourke said the authority needs to “take the uncertainty away,” even if that means issuing a daily newsletter. Mayor Scott Singer complained that the loan request came with no notice and without enough details.
There’s history behind Dixie Manor. Forty units were built for the families of Black military personnel who were stationed in Boca Raton during World War II. An Atlantic Pacific representative said the company hopes to preserve that history with a photo display in the new complex.
Everyone agrees on the need for a new Dixie Manor. Now the authority has to build it with minimal disruption. Stenberg said construction could begin early in 2024. It would take a year.
Little movement on Old School Square
Delray Beach held its annual holiday tree lighting ceremony Tuesday at Old School Square.
But what’s up with Old School Square itself?
The city commission has agreed to let the Downtown Development Authority take over operations. That became necessary when Mayor Shelly Petrolia and commissioners Juli Casale and Shirley Johnson ended the lease with the founding group, Old School Square Center for the Arts.
DDA representatives said the agency needs $1.4 million to begin operating the Cornell Museum. That amount will grow as the DDA operates the Crest Theater and takes on other responsibilities. Commissioners will need to approve money for the DDA in a budget amendment.
City Manager Terrence Moore told me Wednesday that he will present “recommendations” to the commission at its Dec. 13 meeting. That is the last meeting of the year. Commissioners had said they wanted the museum open for high season.
Meanwhile, Old School Square Center for the Arts’ lawsuit against the city continues. The group alleges wrongful termination.
Most recently, the city has tried to block the plaintiff’s request to examine phone records of a former Old School Square director and a former executive director of the group. Old School Square Center for the Arts alleges that those two, working in secret, were part of a conspiracy with members of the commission to end the lease. It happened with no public notice at a meeting in August 2021.
Old School Square figures to be a big issue in the March election. Casale faces a challenge from Rob Long.
Funding in upcoming Delray commission race
Speaking of that election, Long had raised nearly $18,000 through October, according to candidate reports filed with the city clerk’s office. Notable contributions include $500 from Delray Beach CDS Holdings and $500 from former Mayor Jeff Perlman, who works for CDS. Long also got $1,000 from Scott Porten, an Old School Square board member.
Casale had raised about $14,000. That total includes a $5,000 personal loan. Notable contributions include $1,000 from Kelly Barrette, a political ally of Petrolia and Casale, and $1,000 from Barrette’s husband.
Construction on Pompey Park to begin next summer
One of Delray Beach’s biggest-ever projects is the new Pompey Park. According to a recent newsletter from Moore to the commission, construction should begin next summer. The work will take about two years.
Boca P & Z Board to discuss streamlining development projects
At tonight’s meeting, the Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board will consider a key component of the city’s attempt to streamline the system for approving development projects.
Among other things, city staff could approve site plan changes once the project has a received a certificate of occupancy, rather than the council having to weigh in. The only exception would be when a change affected density.
In addition, staff could approve “minor amendments” to projects of up to 50,000 square feet and minor changes in the number of parking spaces as long as the project still had the required minimum. The staff memo calls the changes “a major step” in rewriting the zoning code.
The memo correctly notes that “streamlining the development approval process and rewriting the zoning code and related regulations to modernize them” have been council priorities for several years. “As with the other components implemented thus far, this measure will save time and cost for both applicants and for the city without sacrificing any needed review or quality of development in the city.”
