Boca Raton Planning Board OKs conditional use amendment to raise Boca Christian enrollment, grants technical driveway deviations

The Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Boca Raton on Monday approved a conditional use amendment that will allow Boca Raton Christian School, at 470 Northwest Fourth Avenue, to increase its approved student enrollment and authorized five technical deviations from driveway design standards.

The action passed in two separate but related votes, each 5-0. The board approved (1) an amended and restated conditional use consolidating prior city council resolutions governing the site and (2) a conditional use amendment to increase permitted enrollment from 800 to 950 students along with five technical deviations from Section 23-190(d) of the city code to retain existing driveway configurations.

Board staff presentation and why it matters City planner Jacob German, Planner II, told the board staff had reviewed the school’s master plan and determined that most improvements authorized under a previously approved Phase 1 site plan were not completed. Because those improvements were not completed, staff concluded the Phase 1 site plan was not vested and that the school’s maximum enrollment reverted to the prior conditional use approval, which staff said set the maximum at 800 students. The applicant sought to restore and expand enrollment rights up to 950 students under a consolidated conditional use.

German said the approximately 19.84-acre property sits partly in single-family R-1D and partly in multifamily R-3 and R-4 zoning districts, and has a future land-use designation of Institutional and Residential Low. Staff found the proposal consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan, recommended approval, and noted that no new permanent buildings are proposed in this application.

What the amendment and deviations allow The conditional use amendment would increase the permitted enrollment cap from 800 to 950 students. The applicant also requested five technical deviations from the city’s driveway standards in Section 23-190(d) so the school may retain three existing driveways without constructing current major-driveway elements. Staff summarized the differences between the code requirements for a major driveway and what is currently in place: - Required driveway reservoir distance for a major driveway: 100 feet; existing Northwest Fourth Avenue driveway: 25 feet; Crawford Boulevard driveway: 15–25 feet (described as 25 feet in staff analysis); Northwest Seventh Street: 40 feet. - Required egress lanes for a major driveway: two 12-foot egress lanes; Crawford Boulevard currently provides one egress lane. - Required median separator: 4-foot-wide median required for a major driveway; Crawford Boulevard currently has no median separator.

German described the school’s queuing and circulation plan: the city requires 52 stacking spaces for pickup and drop-off, equal to 1,040 feet of queuing length; the applicant’s traffic study reports 17 stacking spaces but a total of approximately 2,350 feet of queuing length with two separate stacking lanes to contain spillover on site. The traffic study also states that pavement markings, traffic-control devices, and staffing are in place during pickup and drop-off times and that the applicant will continue those operational controls as a condition of approval.

Applicant and site details Applicant representatives said no new permanent buildings are part of the application. Bonnie Misco, speaking on behalf of Boca Raton Christian School, noted the applicant recently obtained an administrative minor site plan amendment (SPA 2408a) approved Dec. 13, 2024, to install two modular buildings; that administrative approval, the applicant said, increases the school’s physical capacity to about 895 students from a reported capacity of 788. Staff, however, recorded the current maximum enrollment as 800 because of the unvested Phase 1 improvements and the withdrawn Phase 2 site plan from 2011.

Board action and public input No members of the public spoke on the item during the public-hearing period. After staff and applicant remarks, a board member moved to approve the consolidated conditional use item and the related conditional use amendment with the technical deviations; another member seconded. The clerk conducted roll-call votes on both items. The five board members present—Mr. Salon; Mr. Morgan; Mr. Dornblazer; Ms. McDermott; and Ms. Ritchie—voted yes on each item, and both motions passed 5-0.

Clarifications and limits noted in the hearing Staff emphasized the approval does not authorize new permanent structures; any subsequent phases or new buildings would require separate site-plan approvals and, where applicable, concurrency review by Palm Beach County. The board also requested staff consider the relationship between the school’s plans and any downtown campus plans abutting the site during future reviews.

Next steps The board’s approval consolidates prior city council resolutions controlling site development and authorizes the specified enrollment increase and driveway deviations as reflected in the conditional-use resolution. Any future site improvements beyond those approved administratively (for example, permanent buildings or additional parking) will require separate review and approval under city code and applicable county concurrency procedures.