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 follow: small‑scale comprehensive plan amendments to expand the Central Business District designation, amendments to the Downtown Development of Regional Impact (DDRI) ordinance No. 4035, a new downtown zoning district with subdistricts and routine site‑plan public hearings. Chadd recommended the board find the private improvements proposed in the leases “are consistent with the comprehensive plan, with the downtown vision and the amended downtown plan.”

Project description (as presented to the board): staff described the leased footprint as about 7.8 acres concentrated east of NW 2nd Avenue. The presentation listed program numbers as presented by staff: approximately 947 residential units (staff noted 182 of those as condos on private property and described roughly 708 rental units on city property, including 77 workforce units); office space (transcript reads “120 square feet,” as presented by staff); about 79,100 square feet of retail/commercial; an approximately 180‑key hotel; a 30,000‑square‑foot grocery; and roughly 2,100 parking spaces (about 1,900 structured). Lukasik emphasized that no leasehold interest would transfer until the developer met financing and regulatory conditions and that the city retains fee simple ownership and reversion rights at lease termination.

Public comment: The board heard more than a dozen speakers. Supporters argued the site is underused and that carefully guided redevelopment would bolster downtown walkability, connect to Brightline and fund improvements to parks and civic buildings. David Kaye told the board, “The proposed project is not only a good project, it is a project that is essential to the future of downtown Boca Raton.” Several residents, including former advisory‑council members and volunteers, voiced support for the plan’s public‑space elements.

Opponents raised three broad concerns: (1) the length and permanence of a 99‑year lease, (2) whether the city is receiving fair value for the land, and (3) traffic and park impacts. Several speakers with accounting and auditing backgrounds presented alternative financial scenarios and said using higher, industry‑standard discount rates would materially reduce the project's present‑value benefit to the city. Martha Parker, who identified herself as a CPA, said, “The discount rate must reflect the risk of a specific project,” and urged more conservative assumptions. Richard Warner and others urged the board to postpone recommendations until after the March referendum.

Board discussion and vote: Board members repeatedly framed their decision narrowly. Commissioner Mitchell asked whether the board was voting on the lease terms or simply on whether leasing the land is advisable; staff reiterated the board’s charge is planning‑focused. After a short discussion and a motion to recommend the lease as advisable from a planning and land‑use standpoint, the board voted 7‑0. The clerk recorded affirmative votes by Seville, Dornblazer, McDermott, Matthews, Mirabely, Mitchell and Morgan.

Next steps: The board’s recommendation will go to the City Council for consideration of the MPA and the leases in January. If Council approves, the measure will be placed on the March 10 referendum. Any private development will still be subject to the additional regulatory approvals Chadd described, including rezoning and site‑plan reviews at public hearings.

The board’s transcript and staff packet show a mixture of planning approvals contemplated and outstanding financial and operational questions. Several speakers asked the city and the developer to provide additional financial analyses, milestone check‑ins during a long lease term, and clearer commitments about park design and traffic mitigation.

Ending: The board closed the public hearing, voted to transmit its recommendation to Council and adjourned at 07:22.