City staff, CBRE outline interim master plan timeline and 65–75K sq ft swing‑space options; council presses for cost estimates

City staff and CBRE representatives briefed the Boca Raton City Council on May 12 about the interim master plan for the downtown government campus and options for temporary relocation of city offices while redevelopment proceeds.

City Manager Brown introduced the item and said the city expected to receive an interim master plan from Terra and Frisbee during the day for distribution to staff and council. He said staff would ask council members for individual meetings to review short‑term lease options, long‑term space needs for City Hall and the interim master plan.

Mr. Lukasik (staff member) reviewed the schedule and said the interim master plan would be presented by Terra and Frisbee at the May 27 workshop and that June 10 is a key date for policy direction if the council wishes to keep the developer team moving forward.

Will Portfolio, a tenant representative with CBRE, described the short‑term swing‑space work he has led. "I've presented to date 13 options within the city limits that range from 30,000 to 100,000 square feet," Portfolio said. He told the council staff has short‑listed four properties and is negotiating parallel lease and purchase scenarios; staff has been focusing on a target footprint of roughly 65,000 to 75,000 square feet so departments can remain together. Portfolio said sublease rights and early‑termination provisions are being sought from landlords and that some owners are also open to selling.

Council members questioned the timetable and the need for financial estimates before making policy decisions. Council member Wigdier pressed for order‑of‑magnitude costs for new City Hall construction, relocation and partial relocation options and said those cost assumptions must inform policy. Lukasik and staff said they are assembling models and expect the CBRE/consultant analysis and additional financial detail in the coming days, and they said they will not ask the council to make a policy decision without that data. Council members also discussed potential special meetings in early June; staff proposed June 3 as one option and agreed to consider starting the May 27 workshop earlier to provide more time for discussion.

Staff outlined multiple work groups that have been convened to manage the process: master plan review, mobility and traffic, infrastructure and utilities, civic buildings and facilities, financing and capital planning, regulatory framework and communications/oversight, among others. Turner Townsend, a project and program manager retained by the city, will work with those teams to identify critical‑path risks and keep the schedule on track.

City Council members repeatedly emphasized the need for cost estimates and a clearer critical path. "I am not letting a timeline inform my decisions," Council member Wigdier said. "We need these numbers before we can make the decision." Staff responded that iterative decisions will be necessary because some infrastructure cost details will take longer to compile but said a working model will be provided so council members can see cost impacts tied to different square‑footage options.

No formal votes were taken at the workshop. Staff requested and was granted permission to conduct individual briefings with each council member and to circulate the interim master plan once received.