Boca Raton officials outline master plan and $3 billion revenue projection for government‑campus redevelopment

City staff and the Terra Frisbie Group on Monday presented a detailed master plan for redeveloping Boca Raton’s government campus and said the proposal can deliver modern civic buildings, upgraded infrastructure and new public realm amenities without raising residents’ taxes.

Deputy City Manager Andy Lukasick and Rob Frisbie, principal of the Terra Frisbie Group, described a mixed‑use plan intended to connect the campus to downtown through a tighter street grid, protected bike lanes and wider shaded sidewalks. Frisbie said work with market consultant CBRE projects the plan will generate about $3,000,000,000 in revenue for the city over a 99‑year lease term, with an estimated net present value between $330 million and $350 million.

The master plan envisions a civic heart — a wide, programmable green space between a new community center and city hall — plus relocation and upgrades of recreational facilities: a proposed 10‑court clay tennis center at Meadows Park, a consolidated softball complex, a modernized 55,000–60,000‑square‑foot skate park and new playgrounds. The plan also calls for undergrounding some power lines, on‑street parking reconfigurations, traffic calming measures (a traffic circle and protected intersections) and off‑site multimodal connections to Palmetto Park Road and Brightline.

Why it matters: Staff framed the proposal as an opportunity to update aging 1960s civic facilities and to create a walkable, mixed‑use downtown core that supports multimodal travel and civic programming. Officials said the project could generate revenue streams (property tax expansion, ground leases and shared profits) that would fund infrastructure and civic building improvements.

What council asked for: Council members pressed staff for independent vetting and financing details. Staff said CBRE completed the market evaluation and the city’s financial consultant PFM was conducting a fiscal review; PFM’s work remained in progress. Staff estimated an initial cash‑flow negative period of roughly five years during construction and said multiple financing approaches (tax increment financing, revenue bonds and layered solutions) are under consideration to avoid the city making large upfront outlays.

Tennis and green‑space tradeoffs: Several council members urged more on‑site tennis capacity as the downtown adds housing. One member asked to study adding six downtown courts in addition to the 10‑court Meadows facility; others cautioned that adding courts could reduce a multifunctional civic green space that city staff envisions hosting markets, festivals and youth sports. Frisbie said staff would return in September with scenarios showing how additional courts could be incorporated.

Public comment and concerns: Speakers at the workshop expressed mixed views. Local resident John Perlman told the council the project is a "sham," argued the city does not need a private partner to rebuild civic facilities, and alleged the developer’s litigation history tied to the Surfside collapse had not been disclosed in the original proposal. City staff and finance staff responded that cash balances are held across many restricted funds and that the city’s available general‑fund balance is much smaller than some public commentary suggested; they reiterated that restricted funds (utilities, CDBG, permit funds) cannot be repurposed for general capital projects.

Next steps: Staff said it expects a master‑plan submittal to the Planning & Zoning Board on Sept. 24, an open house in September, a council first reading on Oct. 14 and a council second reading and decision on Oct. 28, at which time a master partnership agreement may be considered. Staff also committed to community design workshops and to refining financial analyses and infrastructure bids before presenting final terms.