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Boca Raton council schedules design charrettes as downtown government campus plan advances amid public concern
Summary
City officials and the development team laid out a schedule for public design charrettes and described options for replacing downtown recreation facilities while residents urged preservation of tennis courts, fields and a skate park.
Mayor Scott Singer and city staff told residents April 8 that the city will hold two design charrettes and continue outreach on a proposed public-private redevelopment of the downtown government campus, including City Hall, police facilities and adjacent recreation areas.
City Manager George Brown said the sessions will include one weeknight and one weekend event limited to roughly 100 participants each, with material and recordings posted on the project website. Staff said input gathered at those events will inform an interim master plan to be delivered to council in mid-May and then refined toward a master partnership agreement.
The project has prompted sustained public comment at council meetings. Dozens of residents urged the council not to eliminate downtown recreational resources. Stuart Thorn, a downtown resident and licensed real estate agent, warned the 9–10 acre footprint could require acquiring dozens of single-family homes and said a proposed 99-year lease felt like a de facto sale of public land. "A 99-year lease is really a sale," Thorn said.
Speakers pressed specifically to retain the downtown tennis complex, softball fields, the children’s museum, skate park and open fields. Michael Manko asked the council to keep the tennis center, ball field, community center and other facilities in their present location. Judy Morrow and other residents urged replacement of the 10 clay courts downtown and asked the city to preserve clay courts in its replacement plans.
Brown described several ongoing discussions. He said two existing softball fields will be replaced with three improved fields at Sugar Sand Park under an interlocal agreement with the Beach and Park District. The city is working with the Beach and Park District on potential clay court replacements both east and west within the city and is exploring relocating two small museum buildings to Meadows Park. The Beach and Park District has expressed interest in siting a skate park on the east side of North Park north of Yamato Road, Brown said.
Council members and staff emphasized traffic and design work remain ongoing. Mayor Singer and project staff described the concept as transit-oriented, citing the planned Tri-Rail/Brightline area as a gateway and a reason the city is studying a mixed civic and private redevelopment in the corridor. Staff said the preferred redevelopment alternative discussed earlier was less dense than some other proposals and that affordable or workforce housing was included in developer proposals as a recruitment tool for city employees.
Several residents asked for broader online participation options beyond the limited charrette attendance; staff said they would explore additional virtual input and post photos, sketches and recordings on the project page so people who cannot attend can review proposed concepts.
The council did not vote on a project agreement April 8; staff characterized the meeting as a status update and kickoff for a near-term public engagement sequence. Materials, an interim master plan and links to the public comment archives are posted to the city project page (myboca.us).
