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Council advances first hearing on new Downtown zoning code and government‑campus rules as referendum looms
Summary
Council held the required first hearing on a proposed form‑based Downtown Zoning District (Ordinance 57‑71) and aired intensive public comment about building heights, parking, and transparency; council also adopted Ordinance 57‑72 clarifying that the downtown campus ordinance would be conditionally repealed if voters reject the March 10 referendum (vote 5‑0). Full adoption of the new downtown code is scheduled for a later hearing.
The City Council held a lengthy Feb. 10 hearing on a proposed Downtown Zoning District (Ordinance 57‑71) that would replace portions of the existing DDRI development order and set form‑based standards for downtown redevelopment, including regulating plans, architectural standards, ground‑floor activation, open‑space requirements and revised parking rates.
Development Services Deputy Director Ms. Sita (speaker 27) told the council the code introduces form‑based elements and a regulating plan that ties specific lot‑by‑lot standards to a table of requirements. She said the general height framework would set a 100‑foot (about nine stories) baseline with a possible maximum of 140 feet on some lots consistent with previous DDRI allowances, and that massing limits above 100 feet would be restricted to half the building footprint. "We want pedestrian‑friendly development," she said, describing reduced parking minima and micro‑mobility standards for mixed‑use corridors.
Public comment was extensive. Residents and neighborhood advocates criticized perceived lack of transparency, asked for more seasonal traffic analysis, and objected to 140‑foot maximums that some called out of scale. Several speakers (Pam Paschke, Meredith Madsen, Richard Warner, Jonathan Unjin and others) urged lower heights, better parking provisions for residents, and stronger commitments to preserve the city's character. Others, including downtown stakeholders and some commenters with workplace ties to Boca, supported clearer downtown rules to facilitate walkability and redevelopment.
Council also considered Ordinance 57‑72, presented by City Attorney Koehler, to make explicit the legal consequence of a negative vote on the March 10 referendum concerning the downtown campus transaction. Koehler explained that if voters reject the referendum, then Ordinance 57‑69 (related to the transaction) would be conditionally repealed immediately without further council action. The council adopted Ordinance 57‑72 on a recorded roll call vote of 5‑0.
Several council members clarified procedural matters: the downtown zoning item was the first of two required public hearings and final action is scheduled for Feb. 24; if the referendum on the government campus fails, the government‑center subdistrict portions tied to that project would be automatically repealed while the broader downtown framework (division 1) would remain.
Why it matters: The proposed downtown code and related map/DDR I changes establish the regulatory framework that will guide downtown redevelopment for years. The package is entangled with a high‑profile government campus public‑private partnership (P3) and a voter referendum; residents raised concerns that major land‑use changes are moving forward while the public debate and an election remain unresolved.
Next steps: Staff will return with a second public hearing and possible adoption on Feb. 24; the March 10 referendum remains pending and staff said some provisions tied to the referendum would be contingent on voter approval.
