Boca Raton council approves Dixie Manor redevelopment after preservation amendment

Deputy Mayor Yvette Drucker presided over a packed Boca Raton City Council meeting Tuesday evening in which the council voted 5‑0 to approve a package of land‑use changes, site plans and variances for the redevelopment of Dixie Manor into the Residences at Martin Manor.

The action followed a lengthy quasi‑judicial hearing that included a detailed staff presentation, a 20‑minute applicant address, and nearly two hours of public comment. Jacob Gurman, the city planner, told the council staff recommended approval after review of an application by DM Redevelopment Limited (a partnership between the Boca Raton Housing Authority and Atlantic Pacific Communities LLC) to redevelop a roughly 10.04‑acre property at North Dixie Highway and Glades Road into three 3‑story buildings totaling 95 low‑income units and a 4,265‑square‑foot clubhouse.

The ordinance and three resolutions approved by the council authorized a small‑scale future land‑use amendment (from residential medium to residential high), a rezoning from R‑3 to R‑5A, site‑plan approval for 95 units (99,926 square feet), and variances and technical deviations that reduce required parking and electric‑vehicle parking counts. Gurman said staff supports the variances and technical deviations because the redeveloped project would provide better housing quality without increasing density beyond the 95 units proposed.

Ellie Zacharitis, representing the applicant, said the developer has sought to address resident concerns and needs to move promptly to secure state funding. “We finally got the state funding that we certainly…