Boca Raton outlines conceptual recreation master plan, identifies sites for softball, pool and skate park

City staff and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District on Monday outlined a conceptual recreation master plan that would relocate several downtown athletic and recreation amenities, produce up to three planning options per site, and present final concepts to the public and advisory boards by mid to late July.

The presentation, led by Greg Stevens, recreation services director, and Brianne Harms, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, said the consultant contract with Keith and Associates began March 13 and is a 98‑day scope. "The conceptual plans will give us multiple options to look at," Stevens said, and staff has already received a draft due‑diligence report covering land use, zoning and adjacent properties.

The plan is explicitly conceptual: staff said it will develop 3 conceptual options for each evaluated site, with preliminary budget and parking analyses, then present those to the council, the Beach and Park District board and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Why it matters

Council members and staff framed the planning work as preparatory to relocating recreation uses that will be affected if the city’s downtown government campus is redeveloped. The presentation named specific amenities under consideration — downtown skate park, softball fields, a competition‑sized pool or pools, expanded tennis facilities and a field house — and identified candidate sites the plan will evaluate to accommodate those needs.

What staff proposed and evaluated

Staff said the sites under study include Meadows Park, University Woodlands Park, DeHornley Park, Sugar Sand Park, North Park and Sugar Sand’s Tract A (11 acres identified as developable). For example, the recommendation shows 3–4 softball fields at Sugar Sand Park’s Tract A to free space at other parks, and a possible pool and field house at North Park. The Boca Raton Tennis Center remains "TBD," with staff exploring interim options such as converting courts at Patch Reef.

Stevens and Harms walked the council through the project tasks and timing: task 1 (due diligence) was 14 days and is complete; task 2 (staff planning and design sessions) spans 35 days and is just starting; task 3 (final conceptual plans) is 49 days; task 4 is public presentations; and task 5 is limited follow‑up work if options require changes.

Council questions and concerns

Council members pressed staff on likely service impacts and public outreach. Council member Trucker asked whether the Meadows Park pool would be closed, rebuilt in place or relocated; Stevens said the existing pool would require extensive upgrades and cannot be made deeper or larger, so options include keeping a therapy pool at Meadows or moving a larger, competition‑sized pool to another park.

Council member Eckles questioned why the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board would be formally involved only at the public presentation stage (task 4). Stevens and staff said the initial work is intended to be staff‑driven to produce concepts for advisory boards and the public to review; if advisory boards request changes after seeing the concepts, staff will return to the consultant for revisions.

Other local considerations

The plan references longstanding collaboration between the city and the Beach and Park District and emphasizes avoiding duplication of services while maximizing field use. Issues raised by council and the public included connectivity for pedestrian and bicycle routes between parks, potential flooding and infrastructure constraints at Lake Wyman Park, and utility and parking limitations at candidate sites.

Next steps

Staff said public presentations will occur in mid to late July and the city website's government campus update page (myboca.us) will contain charrette sign‑ups and plan materials. Staff also flagged a public charrette for the government campus master plan scheduled for April 28 at Maestro Park Cultural Arts Center; attendance requires registration because of limited table seating.

Ending

Stevens and Harms called the presentation an initial step in a short, consultant‑driven conceptual phase that will produce options for council, advisory boards and public review. Council members generally commended the joint city‑district approach and asked staff to emphasize public education about potential relocations so residents understand timing and likely service impacts.