Boca Raton CRA hears amendment to Royal Palm Place hotel approval; board moves to adopt resolution as amended

The Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency on Feb. 23 held a quasi‑judicial hearing on Resolution CRP0002R7, an amendment to the Royal Palm Place Hotel Individual Development Approval that would eliminate below‑grade parking, reduce the hotel from 144 rooms to 137 and add a seven‑story parking structure and additional retail and restaurant space.

Staff and the applicant told the board the changes reflect construction‑cost realities and an effort to reduce a long‑standing parking deficiency on the 15.4‑acre site. Senior planner Susan Lesser told the board staff supports the applicant’s requested technical deviation to use a shared‑parking analysis because, she said, “as the previous approval improved the overall existing parking deficit, the proposed hotel redevelopment, including the new parking structure, will now eliminate that parking deficit.”

The applicant, represented by attorney Ellie Zacharias, said underground parking became “economically infeasible” after COVID cost increases and that the standalone garage was proposed to replace the removed below‑grade stalls. Zacharias said the project would provide 706 parking spaces combined (501 in the new garage and 205 for the hotel property) before accounting for the removal of some existing surface spaces, and that the alternative parking plan would eliminate the existing deficit and create a surplus under the applicant’s calculations.

Zacharias described sequencing meant to limit business disruption: “Phase 1 is demolition of the hotel and the triangle lot reconfiguration with drainage underneath. Phase 2 is going to be the parking structure … this should take about 12 to 18 months to construct the parking garage, where the hotel will take approximately 18 months.” She said the applicant also agreed to landscaping and tree‑height conditions recommended by the Community Appearance Board.

The hearing included prolonged public comment. Several residents urged the board to preserve downtown character and questioned the demand for additional hotel rooms and the visual impact of a seven‑story garage. Richard Warner told the board the proposal would “continue the pattern of destroying what charm Boca used to have,” while others suggested alternative investments such as attractions and stricter height limits.

In response, commissioners and staff emphasized legal limits on denying a properly submitted and code‑compliant private proposal and noted the application nevertheless improves a pre‑existing parking deficiency. Vice Chair Thompson and other board members highlighted that the applicant’s changes reduce the site’s long‑standing deficit and that property owners retain rights to develop consistent with zoning.

After public testimony and discussion, the chair asked for a motion to adopt Resolution CRP0002R7 as amended; a motion and second were recorded on the public record. The transcript provided to this article records the motion and second but does not include a recorded vote tally or the explicit roll‑call outcome in the supplied segments. The board adjourned at 3:40 p.m., with a workshop to follow.

Why this matters: The amendment would change the scale and circulation of a central downtown block, trade underground parking for an above‑ground structure and modify retail and open‑space arrangements. Staff said the revised IDA conforms to ordinance 40‑35 and the project team agreed to design and landscaping conditions noted in the hearing.

What’s next: The resolution was moved and seconded on the record during this meeting; the transcript does not include a recorded vote tally. The CRA workshop that followed may include related follow‑up items and staff will continue implementation and permit coordination if the action is finalized in official minutes.