Boca Raton CRA approves 9-story, 28-unit building at 280 East Palmetto Park Road

The Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency on Aug. 26 adopted Individual Development Approval CRP2302, authorizing a 9‑story, 28‑unit multifamily building at 280 East Palmetto Park Road.

The unanimous 5‑0 vote followed staff and applicant presentations and several public comments raising privacy, scale and traffic concerns. The approved project will demolish an existing 8,665‑square‑foot vacant office building to allow construction of an approximately 112,249‑square‑foot building with two levels of below‑grade parking (40,474 square feet, 61 spaces). The application includes abandonment of an approximately 10‑foot utility easement and the conversion of roughly 8,334 square feet of office equivalent development into additional residential units. Staff reported the project provides 11,346 square feet of open space, exceeding the 40% open‑space requirement (10,958 square feet).

Jacob Behrman, Planner II for the city, told the board the development "complies with the DDRI development order" and that the project had received 4‑0 recommendations from both the CAB and the Planning & Zoning Board. Applicant representative David Millidge said the sitecurrently a high‑traffic bank usewould be replaced by 28 residential units, a net reduction in traffic compared with the previous use, and confirmed the project will provide conduit for EV charging to individual garages even though state law preempts mandatory local EV requirements.

Several residents urged the board to require more street‑facing pedestrian entrances and raised privacy concerns. Joanne Scheller, a downtown resident, said she was "respectfully against this proposal," citing the buildingas "architecturally totally incompatible" with adjacent development and warning of loss of privacy for neighboring units. Mayor Scott Singer acknowledged residents' concerns but said those factors are not protected categories under the local code. "Views are not a protected category," he said, adding that the project meets the downtown plan and related development standards.

The staff record notes the proposal includes streetscape improvements along East Palmetto Park Road, Southeast 3rd Avenue and East Royal Palm Road, new sidewalks and street trees, and two pedestrian entrances on Southeast 3rd Avenue.

The board adopted the IDA by roll call; no additional conditions or amendments were read into the motion at the meeting. The action authorizes the development to proceed to subsequent public works review, at which time any new easements for water and fire service will be established as required.

Next steps: the approved IDA proceeds to required permit and public works review to finalize easement relocations and technical infrastructure details.