Boca Raton council approves interim agreement with developer for downtown campus; residents press for protected recreation

Boca Raton officials on Tuesday approved an interim agreement that lets the city begin formal due diligence with the Tara Frisbie team on a multi‑block proposal to redevelop city‑owned land into a mixed‑use downtown campus, while residents pressed elected leaders to preserve existing recreational facilities.

The City Council voted 4‑1 to authorize the city manager to execute the interim agreement with Boca Raton City Center LLC (Tara Frisbie), allowing the proposer to prepare an interim master plan and begin a 150‑day due‑diligence period that staff said will include geotechnical studies, traffic and mobility analyses, infrastructure capacity reviews and community design charrettes.

The interim agreement establishes a timeline of milestones, with an interim master plan due in May and a planned council review of that document in June; staff said a final partnership agreement and master plan would be expected in the fall if due diligence and public input proceed as scheduled.

Why it matters

City leaders described the agreement as a procedural step to allow a ranked proposer to perform studies, respond to staff comments and bring forward a cohesive plan for council review. Supporters said a well‑designed campus could knit together isolated parts of downtown, create pedestrian connections and finance replacement of…