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Board approves text amendment to allow 100-foot buildings in large R-5 planned developments
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved a zoning text amendment to raise the maximum building height in the R-5 multifamily district from 85 to 100 feet for properties within a planned development master plan of at least 100 acres, with setbacks and other compatibility rules still applying.
The Boca Raton Planning and Zoning Board voted 5-0 to amend the zoning code to increase the maximum building height in the R-5 multifamily residential zoning district from 85 feet to 100 feet for buildings located within an approved planned development master plan of at least 100 acres.
Brandon Shadd, development services director, said the height increase would be limited to properties that meet the 100-acre PUD threshold and that existing yard (setback) rules would still apply and, in many cases, require greater setbacks as height increases. "The yard requirements will continue to apply," Shadd said, explaining that once a building is taller than 25 feet, setbacks increase by a foot for every two feet in height above 25 feet, so a 100-foot building will have larger required minimum setbacks than an 85-foot building. Staff found the proposed text amendment consistent with the comprehensive plan and recommended approval.
Bonnie Miskill, speaking on behalf of the owner, provided context about the property and said the owner has invested substantially in the site and conducted community outreach. Miskill noted that only limited parcels would qualify under the 100-acre threshold and emphasized that any future use of the amendment would require separate site-plan approvals: "While you're not looking at a project this evening, you're looking at a code amendment ... our project, should we exercise this provision in the future, would need to come before you, and we would need to demonstrate that we meet all the minimum requirements of the entire code," she said. Miskill also described existing and previously approved tall buildings within the same large development area as examples of precedent on the site.
The board heard no public opposition and, after a motion and second, approved the text amendment by roll call vote, 5 to 0. The change modifies the code to allow a conditional height increase in narrowly defined circumstances; any individual project seeking to use the new allowance would still require separate review for site-plan compatibility, setbacks, and other development parameters.
