Boca Raton on fast track for a new rail station
Brightline plans for one by the end of next year
BOCA RATON – Those itching to board a Brightline train in Boca Raton may not have to wait much longer.
Brightline plans to have the station up and running right next door to the city’s library and a few blocks west of Mizner Park by the end of next year. That’s around the same time the high-speed rail line will fully convert its brand to Virgin Trains USA.
For some, it could mean a closer place to board an express train between Miami and Orlando. Brightline has stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and will open the line to Orlando International Airport by 2022 with another stop in the Treasure Coast within five years.
It’s also planning a station near Disney World, about 20 miles west of the airport.
To fast-track the station in Boca, Brightline abandoned efforts to secure land around the proposed station that it would develop into high-rises. The company can still try to acquire the property later, and wants first right of refusal of the land.
Brightline will also pay to relocate the city’s downtown community garden to make way for the station.
Council members have identified two places where the new garden could feasibly go: east of Meadows Park or south of the Children’s Museum. Both locations are similarly sized or slightly bigger than the current garden, would be free of pesticides, and would allow for educational opportunities for Boca students.
The Junior League of Boca Raton, which runs the community garden, is on board with the spot
south of the Children’s Museum, which is bigger and already pesticide-free, according to Boca mayor Scott Singer.
Boca would be responsible for building the public parking garage and using “its best efforts” to build a pedestrian bridge over North Dixie and Federal Highway.
In a Boca Raton City Council workshop Tuesday, officials said the cost of the 400-space parking garage shouldn’t exceed $12 million.
Still up in the air is who will pay for it. Brightline said it would pay to replace any library parking spaces lost in construction, but wants the city to pay for the rest.
There’s substantial support from the business community in Boca and beyond, with support from Boca’s Chamber of Commerce and among South Floridians who like the sound of connecting to the high-end, high-speed rail line between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
Resident’s concerns about parking during construction and Brightline’s potential to erect high-rise apartments near the library have snagged some of that support. Council members suggested at Tuesday’s meeting moving the parking garage about 20 feet south.
Cyndi Bloom, who spoke on behalf of the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, said she was happy Brightline has stepped back from aggressively pursuing the land surrounding the library, for now.
“I sort of got a shocker again today by moving the garage 20 feet south,” Bloom said. “What does this mean for library parking?”
The group’s concerns remain centered around safety, security and accessibility for library patrons, especially during construction, Bloom said. They’d like a guarantee that Brightline won’t acquire all the land surrounding the library and transform it into a bustling development.
That sentiment is shared by nearby Library Commons residents, who want a development focused on the library, rather than transit.
“City councils come and go, but what guarantee do we have that won’t happen in the future?” Bloom asked. “It’s been a long four months. And it’s an interesting time.”