In Boca, a chance to roll back height rules
Talk heats up in mayor’s absence
With Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie facing criminal charges and absent from city proceedings, there’s a new movement afoot to reverse pro-development policies that thrived under her tenure.
City Council member Andrea O’Rourke on Thursday said she wants to roll back rules that allowed taller buildings downtown. Those rules had been hotly contested through the years.
Haynie’s potential departure could tip the scales in favor of O’Rourke, giving her a shot at securing a majority vote on her side. It could mark a shift from an era of
Those who opposed pro-development policies see a chance to undo rules allowing buildings to rise higher.
go-go growth, when those who opposed higher-rising buildings were consistently outvoted.
Those who opposed pro-development policies see an opening, particularly to undo rules that allowed 10-story buildings to rise 40 feet, or up to four stories higher.
Those guidelines led to the 2015 opening of The Mark at Cityscape, which rose to 12 stories. The rules “haven’t brought much to the beauty of our downtown,” O’Rourke said.
In particular, The Mark “brought people to the downtown, which is great,” O’Rourke said. But as far how it has enhanced the city’s look, walkability and small-town, yet cosmopolitan appeal, “it’s been a failure.”
Charles Siemon, who represented many of the developers who went before the council, said the benefits of taller buildings in Boca are apparent. He thinks the greater heights have allowed for a more interesting skyline than what had been built before.
On rolling back the heights, Siemon said: “I’m sure the people I represent will be concerned about that.”
The Mark, near the intersection of Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway, was the first building that went higher than what’s been permitted since height regulations were instituted. And it was followed in quick succession by three other 12-story buildings.
They were approved, kicking off a three-year boom that saw a doubling in the number of permitted downtown residences. They are:
■ Hyatt Place Hotel Boca Raton, a 200-room hotel at Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway that opened for guests in 2016.
■ Via Mizner, a 366-unit apartment complex on the corner of Camino Real and Federal Highway that opened the first of its three buildings on that block last August.
■ Tower 155, a 170-unit condominium building in the 100 block of East Boca Raton Road, now under construction.
Charles Helton, an IBM retiree, said he’s looking forward to seeing a change in attitude about downtown growth with Haynie’s departure, particularly in these rules that allowed the increased heights.
“That’s going to be a key thing to watch, no question,” he said.
O’Rourke campaigned for Monica Mayotte, who won in the March election. Some saw it as a first in many years, where the council had more than one consistent vote on the council for limiting development. Before then, Haynie was part of the majority of council members who supported allowing taller buildings and exceptions that allowed developers special privileges.
Tuesday, Haynie was booked into jail on seven criminal counts, including three counts of official misconduct, as well as counts of misuse of public office and failure to disclose a voting conflict. The charges stem in part from voting favorably on issues that would benefit real estate investor James Batmasian while not disclosing that she had done business with him through Community Reliance, a property management company she founded with her husband.
Though she was freed on bond, Haynie hasn’t yet publicly resurfaced.
Jonathan Kolbe, an urban planning and design consultant, said the heights backed by Haynie allowed more space for the public on the ground. As the reasoning goes, if developers build higher, they can get the same square footage without the sprawl.
“The higher you go, the less area you need at the ground level to achieve the same results,” Kolbe said.
But O’Rourke sees allowing taller buildings as a threat to the character that has made Boca Raton a desirable destination with a well-known brand. O’Rourke says Boca’s lowrise look should be preserved. The downtown will be improved in other ways, by getting new lighting and other amenities to boost pedestrians’ experience.
“You get the feeling you are in a special place, a special community that cares how it looks and focuses on people,” she said.