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Hundreds turn out as city staff and developer outline downtown 'government campus'; no vote taken
Summary
City staff and the project's developer presented a plan to redevelop roughly 30 acres downtown with a new city hall, community center and mixed-use development funded by a 99‑year lease; hundreds of residents urged preserving Memorial Park and submitted 5,200 petition signatures; council deferred any vote.
Mayor Scott Singer convened the Boca Raton City Council meeting on Aug. 26 for a presentation and public hearing on a proposed downtown government campus that would replace or reconfigure large portions of Memorial Park and adjacent public land.
Deputy City Manager Andy Lukasic said the plan centers on about 30 city-owned acres and would deliver a new city hall and community center (each about 30,000 square feet), extensive green space and upgraded underground utilities and roadways. He described off-site relocations of some recreational uses — including a proposed new tennis complex at Meadows Park, additional softball fields at Sugar Sand Park and a new skate facility — as part of the master plan.
Rob Frisbie, a principal for the developer team, told the council the proposal pairs a right‑sized, pedestrian-scale first phase with long-term revenue to the city. "Working with CBRE, we have projected that the new campus plan will generate over $3,000,000,000 in revenue for the city over the course of the 99‑year lease term," Frisbie said, adding that the plan's net present value to the city was estimated at about $330 million to $350 million. He said the civic buildings and infrastructure upgrades could be funded by those revenue streams without raising property taxes.
After presentations, the council opened an extended public-comment period. Dozens of residents spoke for nearly three hours. Many urged the council to preserve Memorial Park — a site designated by the city in 1947 and described repeatedly during public remarks as a World War II memorial — and to place any sale or long-term lease of public land before voters. John Perlman, founder of the group Save Boca, submitted what he said were 5,200 petition signatures and told the council, "Nothing can stop the will of the people. We will prevail."
Opponents raised multiple concerns: loss of open parkland, increased traffic and parking pressure, the logic of a 99‑year lease, the reliability of century‑long revenue forecasts, and whether the city should monetize public land at all. Speakers cited examples where projected revenue failed to materialize and asked for independent financial validation before any binding action.
Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized that no vote would be taken that night. Mayor Singer and multiple councilmembers said the project remains in a public engagement and due-diligence phase, with more charrettes, follow-up studies and a potential independent financial review scheduled. "There is no decision tonight," Singer told the audience. "This plan is still being perfected, improved with feedback."
What's next: the council signaled it would continue public outreach and additional reviews; formal decisions — including any final agreement or ordinance — remain pending. The petition submitted by Save Boca and the volume of public comment are likely to shape the timing and character of future council action.
