Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Reaching for the sky
Two high-rises may alter Royal Palm Place
For years, Royal Palm Place has been a popular downtown Boca Raton destination, home to shops, bars and restaurants.
Now, a developer has new plans for the property: building two 12-story buildings there to offer nearly 300 apartments and condos.
One high-rise would bring 69 condos to the block at 200 S. Federal Highway. The other high-rise would offer 220 luxury apartments, replacing a strip of shops at 101 Plaza Real. The two buildings would be the newest addition to the 14-acre mix of living and retail spaces.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s going to be a 2020 version of Royal Palm Place,” said the project’s architect, Doug Mummaw.
It’s the latest high-rise proposal for Boca Raton’s downtown — at least three buildings reaching 10 stories or higher recently went up around Royal Palm Place, and several others are proposed for downtown over the next several years.
At Royal Palm Place, there would be parking garages and an art garden with rotating exhibits. Eventually, developers want to include an entertainment district featuring shops, restaurants, clubs and bars in a row of two- to three-story buildings, according to proposal documents.
The proposal raises questions of how the shops, bars and restaurants already there would be affected. Among some of the businesses at Royal Palm Place are Boca Breakfast & Lunch Club, The Wishing Well, Hijinks Sports Grill, Giovanni’s Pizza and
Black Rose Irish Pub.
The project is the second step of a larger project by one of the largest real estate owners in town, Jim Batmasian, and his company Investments Limited.
The company couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
The area, already a big draw for those who frequent shops and restaurants, would benefit from being made more pedestrian-friendly, Mummaw said. Plans call for wider sidewalks and park space within the development.
Faye Weissblum owns Travelgroup International, which is situated in a building that would be replaced by the development.
“It’s going to be a disruption in business, and we’re going to have to move,” said Weissblum, who has been in business for 17 years.
Weissblum said she hadn’t heard about the project from her landlord but does think the area needs a redesign.
Investments Limited previously built a luxury apartment building on the site about a decade ago as the first effort to kick off redevelopment of the area.
But Mummaw said the Great Recession caused additional redevelopment plans to stagnate and ultimately permission from the city expired. The latest proposal sits just across the street from the proposed Mizner 200 luxury apartment complex. The proposal, which calls for three 12-story buildings with 389 apartments, has drawn complaints from residents who are concerned about its size.
Boca staff is currently looking over the new Royal Palm Place designs before the plans head to city boards for approval.