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Town Center Mall asks council to add 400 CIMD units; officials press for affordability and concurrency analysis
Summary
Development staff told the council the Town Center Mall has requested roughly 400 additional units be added to Boca Raton’s 2,500 CIMD unit bank for redevelopment of the former Sears parcel; councilmembers asked staff to consider higher affordability targets, level‑of‑service analysis updates and whether units should be dedicated to the mall.
City staff on Feb. 9 outlined a request from Town Center Mall to add units to Boca Raton’s Commercial, Industrial, Multifamily Development (CIMD) unit bank to support redevelopment of the former Sears parcel on St. Andrews Boulevard.
Brandon Chadd, the city’s development services director, said the CIMD ordinance originally established a 2,500‑unit bank and that seven CIMD approvals so far total 2,187 approved units, producing 220 affordable units and 87 workforce units. Chadd said 664 units remain in the bank and that three pending applications account for roughly 517 proposed units (including 53 affordable and 7 workforce units); if all pending applications are approved, 147 units would remain. The Town Center Mall has requested designation of additional units—Chadd said preliminary discussions indicated about 400 units—to facilitate a mixed‑use redevelopment that would not be solely residential.
“Are we going to process an amendment to add these units? If so, how many and should they be designated again for the Town Center Mall?” Chadd asked the council as he sought direction.
Councilmembers said the request should be considered in the context of a broader housing and mobility vision. Deputy Mayor Nacklis and Councilmember Drucker pressed staff to evaluate raising the affordable/workforce percentage (Drucker referenced wanting 15% or combined targets) and to ensure sidewalk, bike and transit connections accompany any additional units. Councilmember Wigder noted the state “Live Local” act could allow property owners to pursue denser development without local discretionary approvals and urged considering concurrency and level‑of‑service impacts.
Chadd said the city would update its prior level‑of‑service analysis if the council chose to add units and suggested staff would bring more detailed options for the council to consider. Councilmembers also asked staff to examine whether the requested units should be reserved only for the Town Center Mall or made available citywide, and to place the request in the context of other eligible parcels shown on staff’s map.
Next steps: staff will verify the 2‑year history of prior recommendations, update the level‑of‑service and concurrency analyses as needed, and return with options and draft language for council direction.
