A major downtown Boca Raton redevelopment project goes before the city council Monday. Expect even more than the usual amount of fireworks.
Mizner Plaza, the luxury hotel proposed for just south of Mizner Park, will draw the same opposition it did at the Planning and Zoning Board hearing—by residents of the Tower 155 condo south of the hotel site. They claim that the project would lower their property values and the work would endanger their building. The owners’ association has sued the developer (Boca Raton-based Compson), architect, contractor and numerous subcontractors, alleging “construction and design deficiencies.”
New opposition, though, may come from the incoming council majority. All three won their races last week, but they won’t take office until March 31. They are part of the Save Boca slate that opposed the Terra/Frisbie project in particular and “overdevelopment” in general.
Some or all of those new council members may consider Mizner Plaza “overdevelopment.” The hotel would be 12 stories tall, with about 31,000 square feet of retail space. It would displace the one-story Mizner Plaza shopping center and the downtown post office. The incoming majority may demand that they get to vote on the new Mizner Plaza.
But as the project’s attorney, Ele Zachariades, showed at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting, Mizner Plaza probably wouldn’t be “overdevelopment” in the legal sense. And it wouldn’t be “overdevelopment” compared to Tower 155.
Zachariades noted that downtown rules allow what the developer—Investments Limited—has proposed. In fact, Zacharaides said, the developer “left 200,000 square feet [of developable space] on the table.” Those rules—which voters approved in 1993—also allow the proposed transfer of development rights from one part of downtown to another. The design “maximizes Tower 155’s views,” Zachariades said. Mizner Plaza would be farther from Tower 155 than required.
Zachariades also pointed out what an objective observer might consider hypocrisy among the opponents. Tower 155, she said, is “the tallest building” in downtown Boca Raton. She said, correctly, that the developer got the council to approve a waiver that allowed Tower 155 to be even taller.
In addition, Zachariades cited covenants that Tower 155 buyers had to sign, warning that their views were “not guaranteed.” To complaints that Mizner Plaza would cause traffic problems in the alleyway between the properties, Zachariades said the alley would be wider.
None of that assuaged Tower 155 residents, some of whom interrupted Zachariades so often that she had to ask board Chairman Arnold Sevell to impose order. Residents also harangued board members, claiming that they were “elected to listen to us.”
Board members are appointed.
One resident also criticized Mizner Plaza for not being “affordable Boca.” According to Champagne & Parisi/Compass, the median list price at Tower 155 is $1.6 million.
The point is not what one may think of Mizner Plaza. The point is that council members can’t vote down a project just because they don’t like it or neighbors don’t like it. There must be a legal justification.
Mizner Plaza does want a technical deviation to have 328 parking spaces rather than the required 557, but Zachariades has argued that the downtown code is outdated. City planners agree and recommend approval. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval.
Zachariades surely would oppose any delay. The application was filed three years ago, it was the second time before the Planning and Zoning Board, and Investments Limited resubmitted the application after making a small change.
Ironically, the new council members might be better off if the council went ahead Monday. That could save them from having to vote for a controversial project because they had no choice except to risk a lawsuit and seeming to go back on their campaign promise to stop “overdevelopment.”
I’ll have more after the meeting.
Tower 155’s past opposition to Aletto Square
Tower 155 residents previously had opposed approval of another Compson project nearby: Aletto at Sanborn Square. Construction has begun on that office complex.
Aletto will be 144,000 square feet in two buildings. In addition to the 120,000 square feet of office space, there will be restaurants. The combined parcel faces East Boca Raton Road near Tower 155 and East Palmetto Park Road.
When council members approved Aletto in 2023, they touted it as bringing the first Class A office space to downtown in a quarter-century. As I wrote at the time, “several judgment calls” from staff and the council went for Aletto.
A plan for new development near Sanborn Square
More redevelopment may be coming to that part of downtown east of Sanborn Square.
In January, the city received an application for The Sanborn. It would be a private club at 100 N.E. First Ave., between Boca Raton Road and Palmetto Park Road. It would displace a small, aging building and be eight stories tall. The second floor would have eight short-term residential units for members. A robotic system would handle parking.
“Drawing inspiration from [Sanborn Square’s] serene beauty,” the project’s narrative states, “The Sanborn is envisioned as a highly exclusive sanctuary—a destination reserved solely for its members and their invited guests. Here, elevated hospitality, complete privacy, and world-class social experiences converge to create a new pinnacle of luxury in downtown Boca Raton.”
Gone too soon?
I wrote Tuesday about City Manager Mark Sohaney’s reorganization of Boca Raton government. That reorganization resulted in the firing of two deputy managers—Jorge Camejo and Chrissy Gibson.
Sohaney made a case for being leaner at the top. And the two remaining deputies—Andy Lukasic and James Zervis—were managers before coming to Boca Raton.
Titles aside, I keep thinking that it would be a mistake to lose Camejo and Gibson entirely—especially now. Camejo’s specialty is downtown. In two years, the city must rewrite rules for downtown redevelopment. If negotiations succeed, Mizner Park soon will have a new operator. No one remaining on staff can match Camejo’s institutional knowledge in those areas. No outside consultant could.
As for Gibson, her expertise is marketing. After the debacle of the Terra/Frisbie project, the city will need lots of outreach as the new council decides how to proceed with the 30 acres around City Hall. Gibson is a Boca Raton native with her own impressive institutional knowledge.
As I understand it, Camejo and Gibson will remain employees for 30 days after getting notice last week. The last meetings of the current council are Monday and Tuesday. Council members can’t demand personnel changes, but maybe they could suggest another look. So might new members, who come with almost no knowledge of City Hall’s inner workings.
Developer reduces number of houses for Hidden Valley golf course plan
Speaking of redevelopment in Boca Raton, Toll Brothers has reduced from 74 to 67 the number of houses it wants to build on the former Hidden Valley golf course.
That change is in the company’s third submittal, which went to the city in November. The course on the 55-acre site in the city’s northeast section closed in 2006. Four years later, a fire destroyed the clubhouse.
According to the application, Toll could seek to build as many as 170 homes. The company held several meetings with homeowners around the site. From those meetings came plans for a large lake to store water and serve as an amenity. No appearance before a review board has been scheduled. A representative said Toll is “near the end” of staff review.
Judge approves monitored tech in Porten case
Delray Beach businessman and civic activist Scott Porten got most of what he wanted from the judge overseeing his case, but he also got added oversight.
Porten faces 11 counts of possessing child pornography. Under the original terms of his release on bail, Porten was banned from using electronic devices. That ban, Porten said, prevented him from conducting business.
On Tuesday, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Sherri Collins granted Porten’s request to have one new laptop computer and phone. He must install monitoring software. A monitor will provide monthly reports and notify the state attorney’s office of any “suspicious activity.” Collins also granted the prosecution’s request for an additional monitor—a Delray Beach police detective.
Among other restrictions, Porten can’t use social media or encrypted messaging applications. He can’t access image-hosting platforms or delete search histories. He can use the laptop and phone only for financial, health and legal matters. “To ensure compliance,” Collins wrote, he is subject to “random, unannounced inspections.”
