Boca Raton Council Gives Final OK to Eight Story, 222 Unit Complex Near Golf Course

Boca Raton city council members this week voted unanimously to approve a proposed eight story, 222-unit mixed use residential and retail complex that was advanced by the planning board last month.

The final hearing on the application Atrium Residential for the property at 1700 Clint Moore Road was originally scheduled to be heard two weeks ago, but was postponed after a council meeting lasted until 1 a.m. after an hours-long debate over language for a future ballot referendum question. The developers returned this week, winning approval in a matter of minutes after clarifying the rezoning of a small, 0.9-acre parcel of land from from “Recreational” to “Planned Mobility.” The parcel will not be developed, however, and will remain open.

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

The development is bordered to the south by an existing office building – which will remain at the site – and to the northwest by a sliver of the Old Golf Course at Broken Sound.

“The portion that is currently zoned as recreational is owned by the applicant,” said Jim Bell, long range project manager for the city. “There is an easement that allowed the golf course to use it, but it is not being used as such.”

Atrium Residential, the developer of the property, said the complex will consist of an eight-story, 80 foot-tall building with 222 residential units and a four-level integrated parking structure. It also includes 2,015 square feet of restaurant and retail use on the first level. An office building is located to the south of the proposed mixed use complex, with the new building filling out the top 2.43-acre portion of the overall 8.02-acre property. A traffic study indicated the new building would add 965 vehicular trips per day to the site.

The residential development will include 23 units of designated affordable housing and 12 units of “workforce” housing, which will be priced on a sliding scale based on the income of tenants.

At this week’s meeting, Councilman Andy Thomson raised the concern over shagged golf balls that could end up on the small portion of the site that was to be rezoned, with representatives from the developer stating that course personnel will maintain an easement to access the property for such matters.

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

Atrium has said it will provide public infrastructure improvements along with the new building, including the construction of a new 8-foot wide shared use pathway and a new transit shelter along Northwest Broken Sound Parkway that will be used as a school bus and shuttle stop. The residential building will also include a clubhouse, resident lounge, lobby, mailboxes, gym for the exclusive use by residents and their guests, and restrooms. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool above the parking structure with a 12,945 square-foot pool deck area and potentially a dog gathering area in the northwestern portion of the property.

The future site of a new eight-story, 222-unit mixed use development at 1600 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

The project was proposed under the Commercial-Industrial Multifamily Development program, which seeks to allow housing in areas once planned for office space that is no longer in demand given the current market.

The project was endorsed by neighbors and some adjacent property owners, who hoped the development would add businesses and more activity to the quiet, office-oriented area of town.