Developer revises One Boca plan after weeks of protests; council pauses vote and developer backs referendum

Terra/Frisbie partners David Martin and Rob Frisbie presented a substantially revised plan for the downtown city hall campus on Sept. 9, saying the proposal now reduces residential density and commercial square footage, adds park and recreation facilities and preserves historic banyan trees. After several hours of public comment — much of it opposing private development on Memorial Park — the Boca Raton City Council agreed to push back any final vote and directed staff to prepare referendum language; the developers said they would support submitting the project to a citywide vote.

The changes, Martin and Frisbie told the council, include keeping six large banyan trees in place, relocating and expanding recreational uses, reopening and renovating the children's museum, a minimum of eight clay tennis courts, a shaded children’s playground adjacent to the trees and a new “mobility hub” for electric vehicles and micromobility near the new civic buildings. "We remain excited to continue to refine our proposal with the council and with the community feedback," David Martin said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The plan would use a mixture of public space, new civic buildings and privately developed residential and commercial property under a long-term public-private partnership. Supporters say the project could create a transit-oriented downtown, new community facilities and long-term revenue for city projects; opponents say the deal would privatize public parkland, harm traffic and change Boca’s character.

What the council and developers said Mayor Scott Singer opened the evening framing the presentation as part of an ongoing, iterative process and said the council would allow more public engagement on the latest revisions. Rob Frisbie stressed the plan’s reduced intensity in multiple slides and highlighted commitments to add green space and a memorial element: "This plan has already evolved based on your feedback. Building heights have been reduced, commercial space scaled back, and new commitments made to expand parks and recreation." When a council member asked if any council approval would be conditioned on a public vote, Frisbie replied, "Yes, absolutely," and later said the team would work to ensure the community supports a ballot measure.

Public reaction and council direction More than a dozen speakers urged the council to preserve Memorial Park as public land. John Perlman, founder of the Save Boca movement, said the park "is the World War II memorial" and warned the council the group planned a ballot-driven charter amendment to protect public land. Several residents referred to long-standing civic traditions and the park as an existing memorial and civic gathering place.

Council members signaled broad agreement that the October timeline originally under consideration was too soon. After extended discussion, the council directed the city attorney to draft language for ballot measures that would permit the electorate to approve any final deal. Council members also said they will extend the city’s interim schedule and continue public workshops; the developer announced two public meetings on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 and offered to schedule additional sessions.

Details, disputes and next steps - Density: The developer said it cut its residential count from earlier submissions (an earlier high of 1,100 units in a prior iteration) to roughly 740 units in the most recent plan and reduced commercial square footage to about 80,000 from earlier proposals. Those figures were presented by the developer as “program” numbers and will be subject to further refinement. - Memorial Park and veterans: Martin and Frisbie proposed a dedicated memorial area and said they would work with veterans groups; some veterans and longtime residents countered that the park itself already functions as a memorial and asked that the city not transfer parkland to private control. - Timeline and process: The developer committed to further public workshops. Council members asked the city attorney to draft ballot language so any council approval could be conditioned on voter approval. Multiple council members and staff said independent fiscal and traffic studies are ongoing or forthcoming, and that any final agreement would contain phased milestones and city checkpoints.

What’s next: The developer scheduled public workshops Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 and the council asked staff to prepare draft ballot language and to extend the project timeline so the public process can continue. The council did not take a final vote on the project on Sept. 9.