The developers for Boca Raton’s government campus project have, yet again, conceded in their monthslong conflict with a group of residents over a government campus redevelopment project.
The project has spurred ballot referendum questions, fiery city meetings and a fierce debate about what Boca Raton is and should be.
Terra and Frisbie Groups, the developers for the project, revealed more changes to their proposal after gathering input from community meetings. Perhaps the most significant revision to the project is a reduction in development area.
Rather than sprawling across the 31 acres at the intersection between West Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway, the development would be consolidated to less than 8 acres, all east of NW 2nd Street near the Brightline station, according to a statement from Terra and Frisbie Groups.
The proposal for the 8 acres includes residential, retail, commercial uses and a hotel, the specifics of which have yet to be revealed. Though a hotel was part of the original proposal, it was, at one point, taken away during the revision process.
The new proposal also includes a pedestrian plaza that links Palmetto Park Road to the Brightline station.
As for the land west of NW 2nd Street, the city will retain its ownership, with the goal of of rejuvenating what exists there now. Plans include a new city hall, community center, a playground, a Banyan Village (a site to “celebrate Boca’s historic trees”) and recreational facilities, such as the tennis courts, will be constructed.
The proposal also gained more public open space, doubling from nearly 8 acres to more than 15.
Memorial Park will anchor the area west of NW 2nd Avenue. The park had become a primary fixture in the Save Boca group’s argument against the project. The movement of residents formed shortly after the project was announced and quickly gained traction, as many residents banded together to oppose what they saw as a threat to the city and voter autonomy.
Save Boca has had a significant impact on why the government campus project, in its current form, is a far cry from what city officials and the developers pictured it to be a little more than eight months ago.
When Terra and Frisbie’s “One Boca” proposal edged out the other developers competing for a chance to build in Boca Raton’s downtown — including Related Ross, a subset of the global Related Companies founded by billionaire tycoon and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross — they had a bold vision: more than 1,100 apartments, a hotel, 250,000 square feet of office space, 85,000 square feet of retail.
It was too bold, according to what would become thousands of city residents vehemently opposed to what they collectively believed could become no less than an irreparable, traffic-inducing blight in Boca Raton.
City meetings soon stretched for hours, and residents — even some children who played hooky to attend — poured out of the meeting room, waiting to tell the council members just how bad they thought the project was.
Terra and Frisbie first rolled out modifications to their proposal in May by reducing residences from 1,129 units to 912, increasing recreation area, improving pedestrian mobility and adding “enhanced public spaces.”
The project was, in the eyes of many Boca Raton residents, still too gargantuan. Throughout the summer, Save Boca members stationed themselves at the downtown library and even went door-to-door, gathering signatures for ordinance and charter amendments that propose voter control on any selling or leasing of more than half an acre of city-owned land. Each week, bright green lawn signs proclaiming “SAVE BOCA” filled an increasing number of yards.
In response, Terra and Frisbie developers altered the project again in early September: They reduced the residences from 912 to 704 units, took away the hotel, reduced the commercial space, increased green space, said they’d enhance the downtown tennis courts and create a monument commemorating Memorial Park.
Save Boca continue to fight to reduce the size of the project. By the end of September, the group had submitted the required number of signatures for both amendments, and both have since been certified. City officials also agreed to create a ballot question for the March 10 election regarding resident approval of the project as it is currently proposed in partnership with Terra and Frisbie.
Terra and Frisbie have since held three community meetings to gather input, and now are modifying the project for a third time. The developers will discuss the changes at a public city meeting on Monday afternoon.
“We are grateful to the city’s leadership and hundreds of residents who have shared their thoughts and comments, which has made this proposal stronger,” Rob Frisbie, the Frisbie group managing partner, said in a statement. “The One Boca team is proud to commemorate and honor veterans by anchoring the proposal with a true Memorial Park and building world-class amenities and cultural institutions.”
