Residents demand vote, press for details as Boca Raton council hears hours of testimony on downtown campus plan

Dozens of Boca Raton residents told City Council members on an extended agenda item that a proposed public–private redevelopment of the downtown City Hall campus would remove irreplaceable parkland and worsen traffic, and many urged a citywide referendum.

The scope of public comment at the meeting focused on a plan that would replace and relocate some municipal facilities, add private development and create a new “government campus.” Several speakers said the plan would convert or lease publicly owned parkland. "I think this is too big, and we're paving paradise to put up a parking lot," said Brett Lassen, a 42-year resident of Boca Raton. Other speakers demanded the city put the question to voters.

City officials said the project is still in a planning and due-diligence phase and that a range of technical studies and financial analyses are underway. "We're still planning," said Mr. Brown, the city manager, adding that the city is continuing traffic, geotechnical and environmental studies and will publish additional material before the council's next regular meeting. "It's coming," he said of the forthcoming financial details.

Why it matters: Residents raised common concerns — loss of recreational fields, traffic impacts, and lack of a completed cost-effectiveness analysis — that could affect daily life downtown and the city's long-term fiscal picture. Council members and staff repeatedly told attendees that more study and public outreach are planned and that any final contracts or major commitments would come only after analyses and additional public input.

What speakers told the council - Several longtime residents and organizers said the downtown property contains Memorial Park and other recreational facilities that should remain public. John Perlman, organizer of the Save Boca movement, said the proposal would transfer "31 acres of public land into the hands of a private developer" and urged protections for public land. - Parents and youth said moving playgrounds and fields farther from East Boca would make them less accessible. "I'm just a kid...instead of standing here worrying about where I will get to play softball, I should be at home playing catch with my little brother," said Ariana Caudia. - Multiple speakers asked whether required legal analyses have been completed. Lorraine Blank said she had repeatedly requested the mandated cost-effectiveness analysis and had not received it.

City response and next steps City Manager Mr. Brown and other staff said the city has been carrying out many outreach events and will post additional materials on the project website. Brown said the team is conducting required statutory analyses and broader economic-impact work, and that many technical studies are “underway.” He told the council the administration expects to provide substantially more information prior to future votes and that the project remains in a planning phase.

Council members and staff also described components the city plans separately: a new police station proposed adjacent to the Spanish River Library, a potential city service center at 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard (an administrative office building the council later approved a purchase agreement for), and a 30,000-square-foot city hall that would serve as the public-facing building downtown.

Public engagement and dispute over outreach Commenters criticized the city's outreach plan and materials; some said they discovered the project only recently and requested more neighborhood meetings, mailers and clearer briefings. Officials said the city has issued newsletters, maintains a project website with posted studies, and will continue public charrettes and outreach work.

End note The council did not take a policy vote on the downtown plan at the meeting. City staff said additional studies and documentation will be posted and that further public meetings are planned; some council members urged residents to continue to participate in the process.