City looks to centralize downtown Boca Raton

Plan includes rebuilding police station and community center

Boca Raton’s downtown government center, with lots of buildings spread over 30 acres north of Palmetto Park Road, could be transformed into a central destination for community gathering and government business over the next 10 years.

The city is looking at several proposals to rebuild aging government buildings, including City Hall, the police station and the downtown community center, and connect them with tree-lined pathways, roundabouts and massive grassy spaces. Two public garages, with room for 1,200 cars, would be built to allow easy access to government services and public events.

At least one road would have to be closed: Northwest Boca Raton Boulevard, a major

north-south street that bisects the government complex. The plans also call for the construction of a walkway over the railroad tracks on the east side of the project to connect the government complex to the Mizner Park entertainment and shopping center.

“This is not a cheap project,” Mayor Scott Singer said. Neither a price tag nor a timeline for completion has been released, although a consultant is working up some options.

The city’s buildings are aging and no longer meet residents’ needs, officials said.

The police department dates to 1987. Officials say the community center across the street from the police station is inadequate at 13,000 square feet. The community center in Sunrise in Broward County, with a similar population to Boca Raton, measures 80,000 square feet, they said.

They said municipal staff is growing and no longer have room in the 74,000-square-foot City Hall, which was built in the 1960s and renovated in the 1980s.

There were 1,298 fulltime employees in 2008; now there are 1,550, according to the city’s website. Plans call for City Hall’s expansion to 109,000 square feet.

Besides an update and possible moving of city buildings, the goal is to make downtown more walkable, Councilwoman Andrea Levine O’Rourke said.

Many downtown destinations, such as Mizner Park or Palmetto Park Road restaurants, are difficult to access because of lack of parking spaces and streets that are four or six lanes wide and hard for pedestrians to cross.

“Our downtown is disjointed,” Councilwoman Andrea Levine O’Rourke said. “An overpass over the railroad tracks would make it more connected.”

Boca Raton resident Trudi Stevens said she likes the plan because the city needs more open spaces downtown.

“This is the way to go instead of doing things piecemeal,” said Stevens, who serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation board. “I’m hoping for lots of green areas, like a Central Park in New York, where everyone goes. That would be the concept in my mind.”

Councilwoman Monica Mayotte said the grassy areas were a key element emphasized by residents who were interviewed for their ideas on the project.

“We want people to enjoy the outdoor space,” she said. “It would become a real welcoming place.”