The Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday, Oct. 14, postponed action on an Individual Development Approval amendment for Camino Square Phase 2 after extended presentations, public comment and questions about reduced retail, traffic and neighborhood impacts.

The amendment would replace previously approved Phase 2 retail with 394 residential units, add a 7-level structured parking facility and provide 8,632 square feet of retail on the Ground Floor, while requesting a one-foot technical deviation to reduce an internal driveway throat from 34 to 33 feet. Staff and the applicant said the site is roughly 9.13 acres and the Phase 2 portion under review is about 4.54 acres at 171 West Camino Real. The board voted to postpone the item and asked the applicant to meet with staff within 30 days and return with a status update to the CRA.

Why it matters: The amendment would move a large portion of the project from street-facing commercial to residential, change the mix of uses in Downtown Sub Area G and rely on a transfer of office-equivalent development rights (60,255 square feet) from Downtown Sub Area D to Downtown Sub Area G. Commissioners and many residents said the change could reduce the long-promised walkable retail that nearby neighborhoods expected and increase neighborhood traffic; the applicant and staff argued the revised design better meets the city’s downtown urban design objectives and would generate fewer daily vehicle trips than the previously approved Phase 2 retail plan.

What staff presented

Susan Lesser, senior planner in Development Services, reviewed the amendment to IDA CRP16O2R2 and related approvals under Ordinance 4035 and implementing DDRI standards. Lesser said the request replaces an earlier approval for about 37,399 square feet of retail with 394 residential units in two eight-story buildings (approximately 80 feet, 8 inches to the main roof and up to 96 feet, 8 inches including architectural features), and includes a 7-level parking structure totaling about 291,304 square feet. Lesser said the proposed retail would total 8,632 square feet (2,048 sq ft fast food; 2,179 sq ft casual restaurant; 4,405 sq ft general retail), that the project provides 40.37% open space where 40% is required, and that required parking (731 spaces) would be exceeded by the proposal (793 spaces provided). She noted staff’s technical review found the requested one-foot driveway reduction acceptable to the city traffic engineer and that staff recommends approval of the IDA amendment as consistent with the DDRI development order.

Brandon Shadd, Development Services director, reviewed site history and planning context. He said the property was a 1960s shopping center (Winn-Dixie) that was difficult to make visible from Camino Real and that staff historically pushed the developer to create a block structure and a more walkable urban form. Shadd said phase 1 (the Fitzgerald apartments) was built to that block structure and that the current proposal continues the same urban design approach by orienting retail and active uses toward an internal east-west street and Third Avenue.

What the applicant said

Ellie Zacheritis, attorney for the applicant (Florida Crystals FCI and Kimco were named in the presentation), said the western portion of the property has been hard to lease to large anchors since Winn-Dixie left in 2010 and that phase 1 has proven marketable and catalyzed nearby investment. Zacheritis said the amended plan meets or exceeds code requirements, that the applicant is not asking for height variances and that the project would reduce daily vehicle trips compared with the previously approved Phase 2 retail plan. She additionally offered during the hearing to convert eight Ground-Floor residential units into roughly 8,300 square feet of additional retail (bringing total commercial to roughly 16,900–20,000 sq ft depending on how the leasing office and business center are counted) if the council desired more street-facing commercial.

Traffic, parking and internal capture

Traffic consultant John Donaldson testified the combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 vehicle-trip estimate for the revised plan would be roughly 4,532 daily driveway trips (the previously approved combination was about 5,320 daily trips). Donaldson told commissioners the proposed mix of uses yields an estimated internal capture of about 618 trips (residents patronizing on-site retail) and approximately 749 pass-by trips, figures the applicant used to support the argument that the amended plan would generate fewer net new vehicle trips than the prior retail-heavy approval.

Donaldson said the team performed counts and multiple submittals beginning October 2024 and that peak-hour counts were collected (morning and evening peaks). He said the applicant’s traffic study was reviewed by city traffic staff, that multiple submittals occurred and that the traffic engineer did not object to the one-foot driveway reduction.

Resident concerns during public comment

More than two dozen members of the public spoke during the hearing. Common concerns included the loss of the previously approved neighborhood-serving retail, safety and congestion on the narrow local street (Southwest Third Avenue), the height of two eight‑story buildings adjacent to a low-rise neighborhood, and the adequacy of pedestrian and bicycle connections across Camino Real to the Fresh Market area. Speakers asked for more visible, street-fronting commercial uses and said pocket parks and small open spaces proposed on the site would not substitute for full-service neighborhood retail. Several speakers also pressed the council about cumulative downtown density and the pace of approvals west of the FEC tracks.

Commissioner discussion and outcome

Commissioners posed detailed questions about the scale and location of retail, parking allocations, traffic modeling assumptions, and whether some Ground-Floor residential units could be converted to live/work or retail to strengthen the street edge. Multiple commissioners — including Vice Chair Thompson and Commissioners Drucker and Nacklis — said they wanted more time for staff and the applicant to negotiate a plan with more visible, street-facing commercial and to verify traffic and pedestrian improvements. The board voted to postpone the IDA amendment, with a motion that the applicant meet with city staff and provide options within 30 days; the CRA requested a status report at the next CRA meeting.

Formal action taken

The CRA postponed consideration of IDA CRP16O2R2. The motion approved by the board asked the applicant to meet with staff and present plan revisions/options within 30 days; the board asked staff to place a status update on the CRA agenda when the applicant reports back (the CRA indicated that date would align with the next regular CRA meeting schedule).

What’s next

The applicant had indicated it was willing to return quickly and that staff and the applicant would coordinate revisions, including the possibility of converting Ground-Floor units to additional retail or live/work to improve street activation. The CRA asked for a status update to be provided to the board at its next scheduled meeting following those staff-applicant discussions.

Votes at a glance

Action: Motion to postpone consideration of IDA CRP16O2R2 with the proviso that the applicant meet with city staff and present options within 30 days — outcome: postponed (motion carried). Commissioners present at roll call recorded “aye” on the postponement.

Ending

The CRA hearing was recessed and the agency continued with its agenda; the board directed staff and the applicant to return with updated materials and a status report to the CRA within the requested timeline.