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Boca Raton schedules proposer presentations for government campus master plan as residents raise traffic, green‑space and transparency concerns
Summary
City staff said four timely proposals were received and will present to council in late January; residents at the workshop urged clearer traffic and recreation analysis and raised a conflict‑of‑interest concern about an economic development manager.
City staff told the Boca Raton City Council at its Jan. 13 workshop that four timely proposals were received for the government campus master plan and that proposers will present to the council in late January in hour‑long slots (about 30 minutes for presentation and 30 minutes for questions).
A staff member said the city received four submittals by the deadline and rejected one late submittal, and that CBRE and staff are preparing comparative materials to post online about a week before the scheduled presentations. "The 4 proposals that were submitted in a timely fashion are on the website," the staff member said, noting the project page includes full proposal documents and a public Q&A/comment form.
Why it matters: the proposals would guide reuse of the city campus, a site council members have been discussing for several years. The presentations and posted comparative data are intended to let council and the public evaluate competing concepts before the council considers any interim agreement.
Residents at the workshop urged the council to slow the process and provide clearer traffic, open‑space and program details. "It seems like it's a rush job. You're jamming it down our throats," said resident Brett Lawson, who said he is "totally against this" as currently presented and asked for clearer information on parking and green space. Daniel Vincent, another longtime resident, asked where ball fields and tennis courts would be relocated and questioned the need for a 400‑room hotel, saying the project could add "5,000 more cars" to local roads.
Staff and the mayor responded that the submissions are unsolicited proposals and that no decision has been made. The mayor said staff is already compiling data on traffic and recreational facility use and is exploring relocation options for sports fields and tennis courts. The mayor described the March target for an interim agreement as an early negotiation milestone, not a final decision: "March 18 is not high noon. It's just the next step that we're still going to have feedback," the Chair said.
Public‑process details: staff described a project website that includes a button routing public questions and comments to a dedicated inbox; staff said they will compile frequently asked questions and post an apples‑to‑apples comparison spreadsheet prepared by CBRE to help council and the public evaluate proposals. Council members asked that CBRE reconcile different valuation methods and reporting units so the data are comparable.
Conflict‑of‑interest allegation: resident Jonathan Nungian urged the council to ask Economic Development Manager Jessica Del Vecchio to resign, alleging she sits on the board of BRIC while the city's consultant (CBRE) represents BRIC and local property owners. "She is on their board of directors while also being the economic development manager for the city," Nungian said. The mayor did not announce any personnel action and reiterated that the council has not approved or accepted any proposal.
Next steps: staff said proposer presentations will be scheduled in late January (staff indicated dates around Jan. 27), with comparative data posted in advance, and the council will continue public outreach and open forums. No interim agreement or contract award was approved at the workshop.
