Boca Raton Expects Agreement for New City Hall Complex Development by May 2025

The site of a proposed city government and redevelopment project near the Brightline station in Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Officials in Boca Raton are expected to vote Tuesday night to appoint real estate management and brokerage firm CBRE to begin accepting proposals to develop a new city government complex that will “leverage” the downtown Brightline station to create a new seat of local government, residential and mixed uses that could total $1.9 billion in development.

The city council, at a work session meeting Monday, set aside the idea of forming a committee to investigate public-private partnership options in favor of appointing a professional firm to solicit proposals. A committee, all council members agreed, would likely duplicate the work that CBRE is expected to perform and add another complicating measure to the long-discussed project.

The city has received two unsolicited proposals to develop an area of about 30 acres surrounding the Brightline high-speed rail station as part of a public-private partnership, which would see a development firm design a new city government campus that would be nestled within a vibrant residential neighborhood. The neighborhood, in turn, would also include walkable commercial space and likely be intrinsically linked with transit – a major factor in the city’s appeal for young professionals and tech sector businesses. The development would include a government complex, thousands of apartments, hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial space and, potentially, a hotel or conference center.

The site of a proposed city government and redevelopment project near the Brightline station in Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The proposals – one detailed, and one more conceptual in nature – arrived at city hall (the current one) effectively made “from scratch.” CBRE will be tasked with developing an overall concept plan that officials will rely upon to guide their decisions on how to best develop the site for the benefit of residents, ease of access to city government, and a surrounding community that will be self-sustaining and a benefit to the city’s ratable base.

Councilwoman Yvette Drucker compared choosing a company to manage proposals to “choosing a dance partner” who will help lead the project along.

“I don’t think we need a separate committee to do the job we’re hiring CBRE to do,” she said. “I think we should let them do their job and move forward.”

The likely boundaries for the development would be Dixie Highway – along which the Brightline station is located – West Palmetto Park Road, NW 4th Street and Crawford Boulevard.

CBRE will be paid a flat fee for its services, which was still subject to last-minute changes before Tuesday’s council meeting. A previous iteration of the fee schedule which incorporates potential levels of investment showed, however, that a prospective deal could lead to $1.9 billion worth of development at its maximum.

Officials expressed a desire to move forward with the project on a steady schedule, with CBRE’s evaluation focusing on the substantive aspects of the development itself rather than arbitrary scores or ratings given to meet rigid specifications.

“They’re going to give us the facts – not opine, ‘Well, this proposal gets 8 points out of this, and 10 out of that,’ – because we’re picking a partner,” said Mayor Scott Singer. “And this is not something you can fit into a cozy little matrix.”

City Manager George S. Brown agreed, saying CBRE’s role would be “analyzing, not rating” proposals that are submitted.

“They’ll provide the council, and us, a complete analysis of what the proposal entails, what it’s proposing in various categories, and giving a comparison,” said Brown.

CBRE will look deeply at what is expected to be a limited number of firms that will present proposals. Council members said a developer will need to be familiar with Boca Raton and have a demonstrated track record in major efforts.

“Our process has been to make sure we know who the team is, who’s on the team, what their experience is and what their skillsets are, and their financial capabilities,” said Deputy City Manager Andrew Lukasik.

CBRE will set forth a “master plan” and evaluate the responses, Lukasik said. The proposals that have already been submitted, one from Terra Group in Miami and one from Frisbie Group in Palm Beach – will be judged based on the merits.

An agreement will come sooner rather than later if all goes to plan, since the city staff will have much of the winter and spring seasons to mull over ideas and allow CBRE’s analysts to make their recommendations.

“Based upon that schedule, I do think you’ll be able to take a look at an interim agreement by May of 2025,” Lukasik told council members. “There are lots of moving parts with a project of this scope and scale, and that period of time will give us a chance to iron those opportunities out.”

Councilman Marc Wigder said he was particularly interested in hearing phasing schedules for development, since construction on a potential project will likely last in upwards of four years.

“I would like to see how it is going to impact how buildings come into service, and how quickly they affect the tax base,” he said.

The council will vote on the CBRE contract Tuesday night.