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Boca Raton staff to study request to add 400 CIMD units for Town Center Mall redevelopment
Summary
Development services director Brandon Shadd told council the Town Center Mall has asked that additional units be added to the city's CIMD unit bank to enable redevelopment of the former Sears parcel; staff reported 2,187 CIMD units already approved and said adding 400 would require an updated level-of-service analysis and council direction.
Brandon Shadd, Boca Raton's development services director, told the City Council on Feb. 9 that the Town Center Mall has asked the city to add units to the commercial/industrial/multifamily development (CIMD) unit bank to facilitate redevelopment of the former Sears parcel at St. Andrews Boulevard.
Shadd said the CIMD ordinance includes a 2,500-unit citywide cap and explained current balance and pipeline: "You can see the total number of units that's been approved are 2,187," he said, noting 664 units remained in the bank and that three pending CIMD applications add another 517 units to the pipeline. The mall's preliminary discussions indicated roughly 400 units would be needed for the Sears parcel, he said. "So the Town Center Mall has requested that additional units be added to the unit bank," Shadd said.
Why it matters: CIMD approvals change how density, affordable and workforce units, and infrastructure needs are managed across the city. Under the current rules Shadd reviewed, a project that provides 10% of units as affordable (set at up to 120% of area median income) can increase allowable density; an additional 5% workforce allocation raises maximum density further. The ordinance caps density at 20 units per acre (25 as a bonus in limited circumstances) and limits building height to 85 feet; it also requires nonresidential proximity or on-site nonresidential space to promote walkability.
Council members pressed staff on several points. Deputy Mayor Nacklis and others asked whether the original level-of-service analysis supporting the 2,500 cap would need updating if 400 units were added; Shadd said staff would update that analysis. Councilmember Wigder and others discussed state preemption via the Live Local Act and the potential for developers to pursue denser build-outs under that statute without local approvals. Councilmembers also asked whether any additional units should be reserved exclusively for the mall site or remain available citywide; Shadd said staff would evaluate that request.
No formal vote was taken. Council directed staff to return with analysis and recommendations, including updated level-of-service information and options for whether any additional units should be dedicated to the mall site, and to place appropriate materials on a future agenda for further direction.
The next step: Shadd said staff would prepare more detailed analyses and return to council with options; he highlighted that the question was whether to process an amendment to add units and, if so, how many and whether they should be designated for Town Center Mall.
