Boca Raton City Council ranks Boca Raton City Center LLC first, directs negotiation with top proposer

Boca Raton — The City Council on Tuesday evening voted unanimously to rank Boca Raton City Center LLC as the top proposer in the city’s public-private partnership process for redeveloping the downtown City Hall campus, directing staff to begin negotiations on a nonbinding interim agreement with the firm and leaving Related Ross in second place.

The 5-0 roll-call vote on Resolution 24-2025 followed more than four hours of public comment and extensive council discussion about scale, traffic, recreation impacts and preserving the city’s character. Mayor Scott Singer moved the resolution; the council adopted it after a period of member statements and questions.

Why it matters: The ranking selects the city’s negotiating partner but does not approve a final plan. Council members repeatedly framed the decision as choosing a “dance partner” to work with the city; they emphasized that program details — building heights, unit counts, and open-space locations — will be negotiated and subject to future public review and regulatory approvals.

Council members cited different priorities in explaining their votes. Council member Thompson said the night’s action was only the “end of the beginning” and stressed that the community will continue to shape the final development. “Tonight is not the end,” Thompson said during deliberations. Deputy Mayor Drucker and other members urged close attention to recreation, traffic and neighborhood impacts; several members said one proposer better matched neighborhood scale while the other offered more office-generation potential.

Public reaction was mixed. Dozens of residents urged the council to slow the process and preserve downtown recreational space. Romina Braun, who said she has lived in Boca Raton for 12 years, urged the council to “slow down, take the time to listen to us” and said the project would “eliminate crucial public space” and increase traffic. Supporters, including local brokers and hospitality executives, argued the proposals could bring high-quality office space and jobs to Palm Beach County.

What the resolution does: Resolution 24-2025 records the council’s ranking of proposers and directs the city manager to negotiate an interim (nonbinding) agreement with the highest-ranked proposer. City staff said an open house and additional public comment opportunities are scheduled before any binding development agreement would be brought forward.

Next steps: City staff said they will negotiate terms with the top-ranked proposer and schedule further public engagement, including open houses on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 and a March 17 meeting. The city attorney also confirmed that adoption of the ranking lifts the procurement “cone of silence,” allowing the city and proposers to speak publicly as negotiations begin.

Council vote: Resolution 24-2025 adopted 5-0.

Notable quotes: "Tonight is not the end," Council member Thompson said, urging continued community input. "Picking a partner is the first step in a much longer process."

"We will immediately proceed to work on this so that we can try to work on our timeline for an interim agreement," the mayor said after the vote.

What to watch: Future council agenda items will include staff reports on negotiated terms, potential interim agreements, and subsequent public hearings on any development or land-use approvals required to implement the final plan.