Boca Raton staff to deliver interim master plan; council presses for square‑foot and cost data ahead of June decision

City staff told the Boca Raton City Council at a May 12 workshop that an interim master plan from development partner Terra and Frisbee should be delivered to the city the same day, beginning a compressed review schedule that could require policy direction by June 10.

City Manager Andy Brown and staff described a process of individual briefings for council members, analysis of short‑term “swing space” options for a temporary relocation of City Hall, and continued work on a long‑term City Hall sizing and financing model. Will Portfolio, a tenant representative with CBRE, said staff has shortlisted four relocation options and has negotiated initial landlord proposals.

The interim master plan matters because the location, size and timing of City Hall and a broader downtown campus will determine the city’s financial commitments and the scope of the Terra and Frisbee development agreement. Council members repeatedly pressed staff for order‑of‑magnitude construction and relocation costs before making policy choices, saying the timeline must be informed by those financial assumptions.

Portfolio told the council that CBRE has presented 13 space options and has narrowed them to four being negotiated in parallel; current planning favors keeping departments together in about 65,000–75,000 square feet, though some landlords would offer larger floorplates that might be leased in whole rather than subdivided. Portfolio said sublease rights and early‑termination options are being sought in all proposals.

Staff emphasized that some analyses remain incomplete. Consultant Eva Garza (CBRE Americas Consulting Group) is developing long‑term space scenarios and staffing projections that staff said will be used to translate policy direction into financial models. Deputy city staff said they expect to have models and additional details this week and that they will hold one‑on‑one briefings with each council member to refine options before the May 27 workshop; if council members need more time, staff said the June 10 meeting remains the decision deadline to keep Terra and Frisbee’s schedule on track.

Council members asked for clarity on sequencing, contingency plans and how interim space costs and build‑out estimates will feed into longer‑term options such as partial relocation, bifurcation of departments, purchase versus lease, and potential retention of City Hall during redevelopment. Several members urged staff to share CBRE and consultant documents with the full council as they arrive.

Staff described multiple project work groups that are already meeting: a master‑plan group with Terra and Frisbee, a mobility/traffic group, an infrastructure and utilities group, a civic buildings and facilities group, a financing and capital plan group, and regulatory and communications teams. Those groups will produce analyses that staff said will inform both the interim master plan review and the long‑term master partnership agreement.

The council set an early start time for the May 27 workshop (8:00 a.m.) to allow more time for the campus discussion and agreed to hold individual briefings this week. Council members also asked staff to identify possible special meeting dates between May 27 and June 10 (June 3 and June 9 were discussed as tentative options) in case additional public deliberation is required.

Staff repeated that they will not ask the council to approve policy direction without providing the requested cost and sizing data, but they cautioned that not all infrastructure cost estimates will be complete in the two‑week window and that iterative decisions may be necessary.

Questions and next steps: staff said the interim master plan, once received, will be distributed to council and staff for review; CBRE will update financial models when the final landlord proposals are returned; and Terra and Frisbee will be asked to present the interim master plan and rationale at the May 27 workshop.