Boca Raton planning board recommends council pursue 99‑year lease for 7.8‑acre downtown campus, 7‑0

The Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board voted 7‑0 on Dec. 18 to recommend that the City Council consider conveying a 99‑year leasehold interest in roughly 7.8 acres east of Northwest 2nd Avenue as part of a downtown government campus public‑private partnership.

Deputy City Manager Andy Lukasik told the board that its role was limited to planning and land‑use considerations under city code section 13‑62 and not to evaluate lease economics or the council’s partner selection. “You’re here this evening to talk about the downtown government campus project, and specifically, to think about the recommendation to the city council related to the leases associated with the project,” Lukasik said.

Why it matters: If the council approves the master partnership agreement (MPA) and the leases in January, the city would place the project before voters in a March 10 referendum. Staff and the developer say the lease mechanism is intended to help implement a mixed‑use, transit‑oriented district adjacent to the Brightline station, but speakers on both sides told the board the stakes are substantial because the land is public and the lease term is long.

What staff told the board: Brandon Chadd, the city’s development services director, outlined the regulatory path the project would…