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Boca Raton council reviews interim master plan for downtown government campus; staff seeks policy direction
Summary
City staff and Terra Frisbie presented a revised interim master plan that trims residential units, increases public green space and retools streets for walkability; council provided high‑level policy guidance and asked staff for more financial and regulatory detail before formal action on June 10 and an October master partnership agreement.
City officials and private consultants presented a pared‑down interim master plan for Boca Raton’s planned downtown government campus at a May 27 council workshop, and council members gave staff interim policy direction while reserving final decisions for future meetings.
Deputy City Manager Lukasik opened the presentation, saying the interim master plan submitted May 12 would guide work toward a master partnership agreement and an October approval of the final plan. Consultant Rob Frisbie said the revised design removes 217 residential units — "We've removed 217 residential units. We've gone from just over 1,100 units, down to 912 units," — and increases active recreational and green space by roughly 23% compared with the prior draft.
Frisbie described three design options for the civic campus: a maximum‑green plan, a tennis‑emphasis plan and a balanced option. He highlighted pedestrian improvements, protected bike lanes with a new three‑foot buffer, angled curb parking instead of perpendicular stalls, and ground‑floor retail to activate West Palmetto. "We want more green space," Frisbie said, arguing it would support walkability and flexible civic uses.
Staff and CBRE representatives detailed civic programming and phasing. Brandon Shadd, development services director, said narrow travel lanes and wider bike lanes were intentional to slow traffic and improve safety. A CBRE presenter described short‑ and long‑term city hall scenarios and recommended a "governance" city hall of roughly 30,000–36,000 square feet that would house council chambers and front‑facing services while leaving some administrative functions elsewhere.
Legal counsel told the council the master partnership agreement and related ground‑lease structures remain drafts but are on track for fall consideration. Staff stressed the current workshop was for policy direction only; formal council action on the interim master plan is expected June 10, with the MPA targeted for October.
Council members broadly signaled support for the governance city hall size and for keeping the community center program civic and flexible rather than hosting large locker‑room/fitness complexes downtown. They asked for more financial analysis, specific phasing cash‑flow projections and clearer details about how ground‑lease proceeds and CRA contributions would be deployed to fund public improvements.
The council did not take any final votes at the workshop. Staff will return with more detailed cost estimates, refined programming and follow‑up on mobility and regulatory items before the June 10 meeting.
