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Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boca Raton's major development plan near Brightline station may see some changes, including fewer homes
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.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mixed-use project, new hotel planned: Joint venture plan wins bid for new Boca City Center
BOCA RATON — Boca Raton selected a joint venture idea from Miami-based Terra Group and Palm Beach-based Frisbie Group to lead the redevelopment of 30 acres of publicly owned land around City Hall. Boca Raton City Center LLC, which is a partnership between the two developers, plan to build a $2.5 million-square-foot mixed use project with 1,129 residences and a 150-room hotel, along with office and retail space, as the centerpiece of Boca Raton's new city's government campus. The City Center plan, in a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, beat out three other proposals, including real estate powerhouse Related Ross, led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. The West Palm Beach-based firm was second in the bidding with its office-heavy proposal. Related Ross envisioned three office buildings totaling nearly 1 million square feet. The Frisbie-Terra Group proposal, on the other hand, proposed only 250,000 square feet of office space. The area is adjacent to the Boca Raton Brightline station and the downtown library at 201 W. Palmetto Park Road. Several city-owned buildings would be demolished as part of the redevelopment. "We are honored to have been unanimously selected by the Boca Raton City Council to lead the Government Campus Redevelopment Partnership Opportunity," the partnership group said in a statement. "Our team is committed to transforming this space into a vibrant, eco-friendly district that harmoniously blends civic, residential, and commercial uses. We look forward to collaborating closely with city officials and the community to bring our shared vision to life, creating a sustainable and connected neighborhood that will serve as a model for future urban development." The city was sold on the plan for the residential units in a 10-story building, a City Hall of up to 100,000 square feet and a 50,600 square-foot community center. The proposal also included 3,434 parking spaces. The development will feature a racquet complex, rooftop greenspaces and designs based on sustainability. Its three fundamental concepts, according to a city presentation, are a pedestrian-friendly network, a connected ground floor plan and retail. The project is projected to generate about $140 million over the lease's 99-year term, according to real estate firm CBRE, hired as the city's consultant. It hopes to create 630 construction jobs per year over a nine-year period and roughly 1,740 permanent jobs. The Terra/Frisbie group increased its annual base rent offering to $5.1 million from $4 million and added an additional sweetener of a $10 million contribution to the city. BOCA RATON NEWS: Boca Raton buildout: Last in-town parcels set for redo into apartments, stores and more 'We look forward to our continued discussions as we work on plans to create a vibrant, walkable downtown that will serve Boca Raton for the next generation,' Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said. The four development firms pitched ideas for a public-private partnership with the city at a public meeting in late January. Long Island-based Namdar Group and Atlanta-based RocaPoint Partners were the other bidding firms. Related Ross proposed 650 apartments and a 75,000 square foot combined City Hall and community center. The pitch also included a 400-room hotel and 4,100 parking spaces. BOCA RATON NEWS: Mizner Park performing arts venue plan officially dies - what went wrong? The proposal focused on a "live-work-play" model, with a commitment to public art. It also included an expansion of the city's Brightline station. Staff Writer Jasmine Fernandez contributed to this report. Sign up for our Post on Boca Raton weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@ and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton selects developer for transformation of new City Hall campus
