Boca Raton's major development plan near Brightline station may see some changes, including fewer homes

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Boca Raton officials are advancing a high-priority plan to revitalize the downtown area near the Brightline station, transforming it into a transit-oriented community with new homes, city facilities, dining options, shops and more.
The 30 acres set for an overhaul are located at the government campus, which is at the intersection between West Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway and contains city buildings, the tennis center, the skate park and shuffleboard courts, one of the city's libraries, a tire shop, a 7-Eleven and the Brightline station.
The plan to redevelop it has been met with some opposition, and in response to residents' concerns, the developers recently presented potential revisions to the city.
'This has been really an amazing process for us. The amount of feedback that we've received to date has been tremendous, and most of that feedback has been constructive,' Rob Frisbie, with the Frisbie Group real estate firm, said to City Council members during a public workshop on Tuesday. The Frisbie Group is representing the government campus redevelopment plan along with the Terra Group, another real estate firm.
'We've worked really hard to incorporate the vast majority of the feedback we've received, and I'm really proud of where we are. I think that we now have a plan that is truly exceptional, that if we can execute on this, it will create a legacy for generations to come and, and I'll go as far to say I think communities from around the world will want to travel here to learn about the process that we've gone through and to learn about the plan,' Frisbie said.
The primary concerns involved too much density, increased congestion around the area, pedestrian safety concerns and ensuring adequate green space. According to a presentation by the Frisbie Group, an updated plan could include:
— Reducing the proposed residential units from 1,129 to 912 with the removal of three residential buildings.
— Improving pedestrian mobility with a crosswalk and protected bike path.
— Options for 'enhanced public spaces,' including outdoor tennis courts, outdoor and indoor basketball, and indoor pickleball.
— A 20% increase in 'active recreational area.'
— An 'enhanced community center' with a fitness room, indoor courts, meeting rooms and locker rooms.
— Enhanced parking options.
'We're working really hard to incorporate things that people are going to want to use on a daily basis there so that it really feels like an active park,' Frisbie said. 'We've taken some inspiration of this from some of those really great European plazas where you do have vehicular traffic that comes through, but it comes through very slowly.'
According to the Frisbie Group's presentation about the updated plan, it 'aims not to maximize density, but rather to create a sense of place that is authentically Boca Raton by right-sizing the scale and massing and prioritizing the pedestrian experience.'
A primary topic of discussion among the City Council members about the new plan pertained to the future of the current sports facilities at the government campus — the tennis center, softball field and skate park.
'I want to really advocate for keeping recreation, keeping the 'play' part of 'work, live, play' in the downtown,' Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas said during Tuesday's workshop.
In April, city parks and recreation officials discussed the Boca Raton parks being evaluated for the sport facility relocations, including Meadows Park next to Boca Raton Community Middle School, University Woodlands Park along St. Andrews Boulevard, Countess de Hoernle Park near the Boca Raton Airport, Sugar Sand Park along South Military Trail and North Park, the site of the former Ocean Breeze Golf Club.
Council member Andy Thomson said he believes city officials should be doing more to 'minimize the recreational displacement.'
When the conversation touched on the new number of residences, the council members had conflicting views about how to proceed.
Thomson said he believes the density is 'still too much.' Meanwhile, council member Yvette Drucker said if the project is supposed to work the way it's intended, then there could actually be more intensity and density.
'If you have less cars and you have more pedestrianism, bicycle, multimodal options, you are not going to cause traffic,' she said. 'I'm OK with the mixed use and the reduction in intensity, but a true project of this nature, in my opinion, if we're trying to get to where we want to be with pedestrianism and walkability, you would have more intensity, more variety of usage because we have to get away from thinking about the parking.'
Ultimately, the conversation between the Frisbie Group and the City Council on Tuesday was one of many that will be had before groundbreaking as the project continues to progress forward while undergoing modifications.
'We're continuing to evolve. We'll see more things. We are understanding of the needs of many people and trying to respond to different types of recreation, different types of uses, different places for them,' Mayor Scott Singer said during the workshop. 'This will continue to congeal and form and take on evolving statuses.'