Residents press council to protect Memorial Park as downtown campus plan moves forward

The Boca Raton City Council heard a detailed presentation on Sept. 22 from the city’s proposed development partner about a revised downtown campus plan that reduces building heights on the west side of the site, expands public green space and keeps a children’s museum and extensive recreation features in the design. The developer representative, Mr. Frisbie, told the council the plan was “listening” to resident feedback and that open houses are scheduled for Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

The presentation mattered because the plan would change how much of Memorial Park and adjacent public land is used for civic facilities versus private development. The revised design, the developer said, cuts residential units from earlier proposals to about 740, reduces office and retail square footage and removes a hotel, while preserving five banyan trees, adding a veterans memorial and increasing on‑site usable recreation area compared with current counts.

Residents who spoke during the workshop’s public comment period pushed back sharply. John Perlman said Save Boca submitted more than 5,000 signatures Aug. 26 seeking a citywide ordinance and accused the council of continuing to discuss the developer plan rather than certifying and acting on the petition. "That 20 days elapsed last Monday… and the city still has not certified the ordinance and is in violation of the city charter," Perlman said. Other speakers—including Mike Liebelson, Ellie Gascoigne and Judy Morrow—described Memorial Park as the community’s historic recreational heart and urged the council not to lease or otherwise transfer control of parkland to a private developer.

City staff responded to process questions from the dais. City Clerk Koehler explained that the clerk transmitted the petition to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, who must verify signatures against voter rolls before the clerk can certify sufficiency. CFO and deputy city manager Jim Zervis said independent fiscal analyses are under way — the city has engaged PFM to provide economic and fiscal impact reports — and staff said those reports will be completed before any final development agreement is approved.

Council members pressed the developer on technical details. Council member Ackerless asked whether the plan’s “usable green space” calculation excluded rooftop vegetation; the developer confirmed green roofs were not counted and that the plan’s usable recreation space (playground, tennis courts, multipurpose field, skate & shuffleboard areas) would amount to more than what exists today. Members also discussed whether City Hall could remain in its current location and whether the city could own or co‑own workforce housing units to preserve affordability for public employees.

A central point of contention was the future of onsite historic facilities. The developer proposed relocating the Singing Pines building to a more central setting adjacent to preserved banyan trees and programming it as a children’s museum or civic attraction. Council members said they wanted financial details and programming plans for any reused historic structures before making relocation decisions.

The council and staff asked the developer to prepare alternative site plans for public review — including options that keep more tennis courts on the downtown campus or move them to Meadows Park — and to reflect the public feedback gathered in upcoming charrettes. The city emphasized that designated public spaces and parks would remain under city control unless the council explicitly included them in a negotiated ground lease.

What happens next: the developer will hold public charrettes and post materials to 1boca.com for public comment; staff will complete the independent fiscal and economic analyses and continue the petition certification process with the Supervisor of Elections. The council indicated it will consider those inputs before any final development agreement is approved and confirmed the city intends to put the ultimate disposition question to voters if legally required by petition certification.

Key quotes

“We are listening and slowing down this process,” the developer told the council as he outlined the revised plan and upcoming community meetings. — Mr. Frisbie

“The city clerk transmitted an initiative petition on August 26 and then on August 28 transmitted that to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections,” the city clerk said, explaining the verification step the charter requires. — Mr. Koehler

“We — Save Boca submitted over 5,000 signatures … the city still has not certified the ordinance and is in violation of the city charter,” said a petition organizer urging a pause. — John Perlman

The immediate next steps are additional developer charrettes (Sept. 29 and Oct. 6), continued staff reviews and the completion of independent fiscal and economic analyses before any final agreement is considered.