Board approves Boca Raton Commerce Center 3 with multifamily units after debate over school‑bus pickup access

The Board approved a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment (SCA) and development‑order amendment (DOACA) for Boca Raton Commerce Center 3 authorizing multifamily development: 89 units on about 4.79 acres. The project uses transfer‑of‑development‑rights (TDRs) and a workforce‑housing bonus to increase the permitted density from the base 57 units to the proposed 89 units; the applicant committed to 25% workforce housing provided on site.

Josh Nichols, the applicant’s agent, said the proposal replaces industrial land with a multifamily component and noted significant outreach with the adjacent Meissner Point neighborhood. The project was revised repeatedly through community meetings, reducing unit counts and building heights; the final proposal features 4‑ and 5‑story buildings set back about 100 feet from adjacent homes.

A central and unresolved operational issue before the board was student safety: whether the Palm Beach County School District will permit its school buses to enter private property for pickup and drop‑off. The staff conditions required either a school‑bus shelter on the subject site (if the district permits buses on site) or pedestrian connectivity to Boca Rio Road leading to a bus stop. The applicant told the board it does not control the adjacent property where a continuous sidewalk would be required; the school district’s transportation staff said the district has a policy that generally discourages bringing buses into private developments.

Commissioners and staff discussed options: (1) build the on‑site bus shelter and seek district permission for buses to enter; (2) secure a sidewalk or other pedestrian connection to Boca Rio Road (which requires consent from the adjacent property owner); or (3) seek a written commitment from the school district. Commissioners asked the mayor’s office to send a letter to the Palm Beach County School Board urging a policy exception or a change because of pedestrian‑safety concerns. School‑district staff present said they would engage on the issue through their risk management/transportation staff.

Other conditions address setbacks, recreational open space, and circulation. The comprehensive plan amendment (item 7) passed (recorded vote 4-0 in the transcript for that item); the development order items (item 8 a/b) were approved by the board (recorded 5-0). Commissioners instructed staff to pursue coordination with the school board and to track any subsequent traffic/sidewalk/shelter actions.

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in the transcript include agent Josh Nichols, school transportation staff Joanne Keller, and several commissioners and neighborhood representatives.