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Planning board approves 101 East Palmetto with revised condition to allow courtyard seating
Summary
The Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board approved an individual development approval for 101 East Palmetto, allowing conversion of second‑floor retail to four studio units, a ground‑floor restaurant and a landscaped courtyard while granting a technical parking deviation from 59 required spaces to zero, subject to Transportation Demand Management conditions.
The Planning & Zoning Board voted 5–0 on Feb. 5 to approve the 101 East Palmetto individual development approval (IDA), permitting conversion of 2,555 square feet of retail to four studio apartments on the second floor, a 2,544‑square‑foot restaurant on the ground floor and a new 2,382‑square‑foot landscaped courtyard. Staff recommended approval, noting the project meets DDRI development‑order standards aside from a parking deficiency and is conditioned on Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures.
Planner Jacob Gherman, presenting for Development Services, said the proposal requests a technical deviation to reduce the required 59 off‑street spaces to zero and that the applicant will provide bicycle parking, TDM incentives for residents and employees, and an annual transit contribution of $10,014.66 to downtown transit programs. "Staff recommends approval of the application for the following reasons," Gherman said, citing consistency with land‑use policies and added open‑space amenities.
Applicant Ellie Zacharaitis described the property’s long history in the city and said the courtyard is intended to improve a currently underused back‑of‑house area. "It's a courtyard — we just want to be able to spread seating in different ways," Zacharaitis said, asking the board to revise Condition 10 so the courtyard could be used if an alternative seating plan is approved.
Resident Donna Bloomberg, who lives nearby, urged the board to require parking: "I have a big issue with you taking away parking from 59 spaces to 0 and allowing developers to waive parking for local people who use their cars," she said, arguing many downtown visitors rely on personal vehicles.
Board discussion focused on where outdoor seating would be permitted and whether courtyard seating could substitute for sidewalk seating without increasing parking demand. The board amended the staff conditions to allow the applicant to seek approval for seating in the courtyard (revising Condition 10) and authorized staff to draft the precise language. The motion to approve the IDA with that modification passed by roll call, five in favor, zero opposed.
What happens next: the approval is subject to the conditions discussed, including submission of a TDM plan, bicycle parking provisions and the transit contribution. The board recorded no public opposition votes; staff noted no formal public comments had been received in writing as of the hearing.
