Boca Raton Planning Board Approves Expansion of 12-Story ‘Mr. C’ Building Downtown

An aerial view of the future location of the ‘Mr. C’ residences in Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Boca Raton’s planning board voted 7-0 on Thursday to approve an expansion plan for the “Mr. C” Residences, a 12-story condominium tower that would lose 57 units from its 2023 approval but gain a ground-floor restaurant, a taller roofline and a parking garage that relies on valet-operated mechanical lifts.

The changes still need approval from the Community Redevelopment Agency, whose board is made up of city council members. The agency approved the original project in April 2023.

Formally called The Residences of Boca, the project is planned on about 2.1 acres west of South Federal Highway, between SE 3rd and 5th streets. The acreage controversially includes 0.45 acre of city streets and alleys that were approved for abandonment in 2023, which some residents have characterized as a giveaway to the project’s developer. Those abandonments carry forward under the new application and will take effect once construction is complete. Though the project was first approved in 2023, nothing has been built, and city documents state that the original approval remains active until February 2031 because of state tolling extensions. Four one-story buildings, constructed between 1962 and 1969, would be demolished.

The biggest change between the 2023 approval and revision advanced by the board Thursday night is the unit count, which drops from 190 to 133. The remaining units range from 1,674 to 2,319 square feet. The building itself will get larger, growing from 338,131 square feet to 357,585 square feet – an increase of 19,454 square feet. The internal parking structure will grow by 7,223 square feet, from 131,089 to 138,312.

A rendering of the future ‘Mr. C’ Residences building in downtown Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Credit: Mr. C)

The building remains 12 stories, but will be taller. Its maximum height will rise from 133 feet to 139 feet and, with decorative rooftop features, would reach 152 feet, 3 inches. City staff said both figures fall under the 140-foot and 160-foot limits allowed for downtown buildings that follow the city’s design guidelines. During the course of the meeting, several residents lambasted the plan, holding that the building was too large and would change the character of the city, however board members held their hands were largely tied since the building complied with city zoning ordinances passed by previous council members. Staff also said the revised design uses 20 percent of the extra building volume downtown rules allow for architectural variety, where up to 35 percent is permitted. The city’s urban design consultant likewise found the plan complies.

The new plan adds a 5,977-square-foot restaurant along SE 3rd Street, in place of two ground-floor residences with patios. Under the conditions recommended by staff, the restaurant, tentatively named “Bellini,” could have no more than 2,950 square feet of indoor customer space, 1,183 square feet of outdoor seating and a bar 14.3 linear feet long. The applicant’s materials describe 128 indoor seats, 30 outdoor seats, and service seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

A ground view of the streets and alleyways to be vacated for the ‘Mr. C’ residences in Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

A ground view of the streets and alleyways to be vacated for the ‘Mr. C’ residences in Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The parking plan for the building is one of the most substantial changes included in the application considered Thursday night. The 2023 approval outright prohibited valet service, stating openly tha the site was not designed for it. But the new plan allows valet parking, and staff said the change is central to how the garage works. The applicant’s narrative listed 326 spaces, down from 336 in 2023, both of which are more than the minimum 318 required. Of those, 169 are valet-operated: 124 on mechanical lifts that hold tandem cars, 42 in vertical stackers and three compact spaces. The other 157 are self-park.

Some residents at the meeting likened the vertical lift mechanism to the high-profile “Carvana” lifts that characterized the digital automotive retailer’s sites, often placed along highways in mini-skyscraper structures. Those lifts have infamously proven problematic for the company, however, prompting questions about the reliability in downtown Boca, however the mechanicals were considered beyond the purview of the board.

Restaurant guests would use a separate western garage reached from an adjacent alley, with 43 valet spaces, and walk about 200 feet to the entrance. Residents and restaurant employees would use a horizontal mechanical system in the main garage to forge their pathway inside. Staff conditioned approval on limiting valet operations to those two areas.

A rendering of the future ‘Mr. C’ Residences building in downtown Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Credit: Mr. C)

A rendering of the future ‘Mr. C’ Residences building in downtown Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Credit: Mr. C)

A rendering of the future ‘Mr. C’ Residences building in downtown Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Credit: Mr. C)

Eight metered public spaces now on SE 4th Street would still be relocated. Under the 2023 plan, they would have stayed on the street east of the building’s entrance. Now, four would move to SE 3rd Street, north of the restaurant, and four would go inside the garage’s ground floor.

Open space under the revised plan will fall from 38,219 square feet to 36,921, a reduction of 1,298 square feet, to make room for the changes on the ground floor. The new figure is 40 percent of the site, which sits just above the required minimum of 36,780 square feet. The amount of open space that is predominantly visible from the public realm, however, fell sharply, from 34,121 square feet to 18,627, according to the applicant’s narrative. New amenities include a 1,653-square-foot pickleball court along the west alley and a 523-square-foot dog park. Elevations were also modified to accommodate the restaurant.

A traffic study by engineering firm Kimley-Horn estimated the revised plan would generate 815 daily trips, compared with 847 under the 2023 approval.

The 2023 approval required converting commercial space and hotel rooms in the downtown subarea to residential use to make room for the condos, including 105 hotel rooms. Because the new plan uses less development capacity, staff said no conversion is needed. Staff estimated the project would generate $725,000 a year in net tax increment revenue, down from $766,094 estimated in 2023.

An aerial view of the future location of the ‘Mr. C’ residences in Boca Raton, FL, Feb. 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The new application came with several conditions, however. The developer must pay $10,432 a year toward the city’s downtown transit programs, a requirement that did not exist in 2023. It must also conduct a parking and queuing study after the building opens, post signs and GPS guidance for the restaurant valet entrance, and avoid loading and trash hauling in the west alley from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays. A voluntary $36,288 school contribution from 2023 remains.

The Community Appearance Board voted 5-0 on Sept. 16 to recommend the landscape plan.

Mike Liebelson, a candidate for city council in 2027, was one of the prime critics of the plan at Thursday’s hearing, urging the board to deny the application.

“Back in 2023, residents and business owners called this a ‘land grab,'” he said. “Under the Save Boca laws which are up for approval in March, you would have to go to the whole of the citizenry of Boca Raton to get this approved.”

The “Save Boca” law refers to a pair of measures – an ordinance and a pending referendum question – that was spearheaded by now-City Councilman Jon Pearlam. The law requires a public vote on an election ballot when more than a half-acre of city-owned land is either sold or otherwise transferred to a private entity for any purpose, with a few minor exceptions.

“This is already going to be a blight on the downtown,” said Liebelson. “You cannot be giving away public land in the form of all of these rights-of-way to allow this monstrosity to be built. That’s why the previous council was voted out. That’s why we have the Save Boca ordinance and that’s why we have the Save Boca charter [referendum]. Let’s have a vote of the people to see if they want this to be raised by another 12 feet.”

“Don’t change the square footage, don’t change the height,” Liebelson implored board members. “It’s already bad enough.”

Bonnie Miskel, an attorney representing the developer, responded by reiterating that the project is to be built within the confines of the city’s zoning ordinance.

“We are not asking for any height beyond what the law would allow us,” Miskel said. “We have not even maxed out this building.”

Miskel said the developer could have raised the height of the building by an additional 8-feet if they preferred.

“We don’t want the traffic,” another resident said during a public comment session. “We don’t want the parking problems. We want the old Boca.”

“I am in awe,” said Alexandra Avelo, one of the co-founders of the Save Boca campaign, addressing the board. “I don’t understand what is happening with you guys. Every time I come here, every single vote for any project is yes, yes, yes – six to zero. The only thing I can tell you is that people are tired. You have no idea what the people are saying out there. ”

“The old council is responsible for the destruction of our quaint, little Boca Raton,” she continued. “And now there is this monster in front of me.”

Jorge Camejo, one of the board members, said he sympathized with the arguments brought forth by residents, but stated the board must follow the law as written.

“I really do wish it was different, but it’s not,” he said.

The board approved the application in a 6-0 vote following the public comment period.