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Commission recommends approval for 89‑unit Boca Raton Commerce Center multifamily proposal after reductions
Summary
Zoning commissioners recommended approval of a development‑order amendment and class‑A conditional use to add 89 multifamily units (with 22 workforce units) to the Boca Raton Commerce Center, after the applicant reduced height and unit counts in response to neighbor concerns about compatibility and traffic.
The Palm Beach County Zoning Commission recommended approval of a development‑order amendment and class‑A conditional use to add 89 multifamily units at the Boca Raton Commerce Center site, subject to staff conditions. The recommendation followed multiple design iterations in which the applicant reduced unit counts and building heights to address concerns from adjacent Meissner Point residents.
Applicant Cameron Nannes (Schmidt Nichols) said the site is a 4.79‑acre property south of Glades Road, west of the Turnpike, with an existing 15,000‑square‑foot office. The applicant originally proposed up to 110 units with a 6‑story component. After neighbor feedback on compatibility, drainage and traffic, the design was revised: the final proposal reduced the unit count to 89, lowered portions of the building to four stories adjacent to Meissner Point, and limited the taller section to a five‑story central mass farther from the townhouses.
Why it matters: The proposal seeks to transition the site from industrial/office uses to multifamily housing, including a workforce set‑aside (22 units required as workforce housing under the bonus program). Neighbors raised concerns about local drainage and emergency access along Boca Rio Road and 210th Street South — narrow two‑lane arterials with high rush‑hour congestion — and asked whether the site’s access easement can safely accommodate additional residential traffic.
Traffic, drainage and mitigation: The applicant noted that the property’s current CLO (commercial low office) land‑use entitlement already carries a much larger theoretical trip allocation (nearly 4,000 daily trips for a potential 100,000 sq ft medical office). Under the proposed multifamily plan, the applicant estimated 566 daily trips — a substantial reduction compared with the maximum nonresidential entitlement. The applicant said the design includes an 8‑foot compatibility buffer adjacent to Meissner Point, clerestory windows on bedroom/bath units that limit sightlines into neighboring homes, and significant landscape buffers. The applicant also proposed a condition to limit future intensification so the site’s traffic allocation is tied to the current proposal.
Public comment and staff review: Meissner Point HOA President Joan Teitelbaum and other residents testified about recurring flooding on Via Eden and safety concerns on Boca Rio Road; they asked the commission to reject the proposal or require stronger guarantees on drainage and emergency access. Staff and the applicant told the commission that development will improve on‑site stormwater controls and that fire rescue review raised no objections to circulation or access for the zoning application. County traffic staff said Boca Raton Road is slated for widening in a 2027 county project, which will add capacity.
Outcome: After the applicant revised the plans through neighborhood meetings and staff review, the commission recommended approval of both the development order amendment and the class‑A conditional use by recorded vote. Staff and the applicant will finalize engineering and sidewalk connectivity (including a sidewalk tying the new development to Boca Rio and nearby bus stops) before the item proceeds to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.
Sources: Applicant presentation by Cameron Nannes (Schmidt Nichols); Meissner Point HOA testimony; county traffic division and fire rescue reviewers; zoning staff report and commission vote during the hearing.
