Boca Raton CRA brings Jeff Speck onboard to advise Palmetto Park Road walkability study

The Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency on April 7 introduced consultant Jeff Speck to the ongoing downtown multimodal mobility study and confirmed using a contract with Alta Planning and Design to advance design work on East Palmetto Park Road.

The presentation, led by Zachary Behr, the city’s public works and engineering director, outlined that staff will use work order No. 3 with Alta to integrate Speck’s firm into a study focused on Palmetto Park Road and broader downtown connectivity. Behr said initial check-ins are expected in summer and that the Alta contract will be used to evaluate the entire downtown network, not only Palmetto Park Road.

Why it matters: Palmetto Park Road runs through the city’s downtown and connects to the planned government campus. Agency and community speakers emphasized safety, place-making and connectivity across the rail corridor as priorities for future designs.

Speck, an urban planner and author brought in as a design consultant, described his role as refining alternatives and optimizing street sections. “To be walkable, the walk has to be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting,” Speck said, summarizing the design principles his team will apply.

Staff described a two-track approach: near-term “quick-build” or demonstration projects and a longer-term set of alternatives. Alta and city staff identified Meisner Boulevard and several downtown intersections — including Second Street and Meisner and Southeast First — as candidates for quick demonstrations. City staff said these demonstration installations could be implemented within weeks or months after final approvals, depending on materials and permitting.

Speakers and community groups urged an emphasis on place-making as well as safety. Andrea Levine O’Rourke, representing Workshop 344+, told the agency the project should produce a “memorable main street” and called fast traffic through downtown “not safe. It’s unpleasant, and frankly, it’s scary.” Several residents and volunteer groups present said they want Speck to lead design thinking and for the city to use the charrette to involve community stakeholders directly.

Timing and next steps: Staff said the scope includes a short design charrette tentatively scheduled for June, but asked the commission to wait until the city formalizes the work order before confirming dates. Behr said additional scoping and coordination — including integration with the government campus master plan and an FDOT corridor review — are expected through the summer.

Staff emphasized coordination across ongoing projects so the Palmetto Park Road work is not treated as an isolated change but as part of a network-level plan linking the downtown, Brightline station area and the government campus. The team expects public charrettes and on-site reviews with Speck and Alta to produce design options for future decision making.

Ending: The CRA’s consultant team and community supporters signaled broad interest in moving quickly on demonstrable safety improvements while using a charrette process to test more significant, long-term design options for Palmetto Park Road and downtown connectivity.