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Boca Raton residents urge council to revise ballot question, caution on downtown ordinances
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Summary
At a Feb. 23 workshop, residents told the Boca Raton City Council the ballot question is misleading, praised the postponement of three downtown ordinances and warned that proposed tall buildings could cast long shadows over Memorial Park.
At a Feb. 23 Boca Raton City Council workshop, residents pressed the council to revise a ballot question they said is misleading and supported the council's decision to postpone three downtown ordinances.
Andrea Levine O'Rourke of 100 Southeast 5th Avenue told the council she disagrees that the ballot question is "fair and unbiased," saying, "It's simply not. It's just not," and urged clearer, more truthful wording. O'Rourke also praised the decision to set aside three ordinances for further work and urged the city to update and follow through on the downtown master plan last revised in 2007.
"We should embrace the university students," O'Rourke said, noting she and Florida Atlantic University urban‑planning graduate students were denied space at the community center for public outreach; she said the students later secured a room through a private arrangement and offered to share their presentation with the council.
Judy Morrow, who identified her address as 1305 Northeast 5th Avenue, thanked the council for postponing the ordinances and raised broader zoning and coastal concerns, asking rhetorically, "Who owns the sky?" She urged residents to vote "no" on the ballot question to help "save our public land."
Pam Paschke, who presented slides on sunlight and shadows for the east side of Northwest 2nd Avenue, warned that a hypothetical 135-foot building across from Memorial Park could cast shadows that keep the park soggy into the morning. "So the point that I'm making here is we've saved the park, I hope, but we haven't saved the sunlight for the park," Paschke said, and asked the council to commit to park betterments regardless of the Boca1 outcome.
Jonathan Unge of 6501 Congress Avenue criticized activist group messaging, saying opponents had pushed an absolute "terminate" approach rather than seeking compromises. Unge said he would consider legal action under SB102 concerning downtown density if the council's membership changes.
The council closed public comment and said it will revisit the postponed ordinances at a future meeting. The workshop adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
