Government

Boca Raton Planning Board OK’s 8-Story Tower For Private Club Downtown

by
Daniel Nee
October 6, 2026

The future Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

Boca Raton’s planning board has approved a proposal calling for an 8-story tower that will house a private social club in the center of the downtown sector.

The proposal, known as Sanborn Tower, takes its name from its future location – the northeast corner of NE 1st Avenue and E. Boca Raton Road – directly adjacent to Sanborn Square park. The building is planned as a 54,681 square foot private club development with a two-level below-grade automated parking structure. Designed by HdA Architects, the building would have a limestone base, wood detailing, glass and horizontal fins that provide shade and privacy. The application describes the design as a modern take on the work of Addison Mizner, the architect who shaped Boca Raton’s early look.

The future site of the Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The club itself will offer a slew of fun, high-end amenities, including Formula 1 racing simulators and golf simulators. The fourth floor houses a multipurpose room that will change depending on membership needs, while the fifth floor will boast a wine cellar, speakeasy, card room, an Asian fusion restaurant and a library.

The sixth floor will offer a bar, an Italian restaurant and a private room for private dining, while the eighth floor roof deck will “sink” into the seventh floor, featuring a infinity pool and another open air bar. The seventh floor will house only mechanicals.

“That fifth floor is going to be magnificent,” said attorney Ele Zachariades, who represents the project’s ownership group, while responding to a question from a board member who asked if the project’s construction will reflect its intention, or be “value-engineered.”

“We have no intention of value-engineering this,” she said. “It is going to be a very high-end club, and what you see is what you get.”

The future Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

The project calls for wider sidewalks along both streets, 14 new trees and the relocation of one on-street parking space. The city is requiring the club to close certain areas at set times, including the spa from midnight to 6 a.m. on weekdays and the game room and main restaurant on weekday mornings and afternoons, to keep parking demand in check. The club must also provide transit passes to on-site employees and pay $9,165 a year toward downtown transit programs.

“We planning significant shade trees on our side of the street,” said Zachariades. “We decided to relocate a parking space to the west side for that reason.”

The project’s southerly neighbor will be The Aletto, a 140,000-square-foot mixed-use development currently under construction. Its neighbor to the north is expected to be the Mizner Hotel, approved in March, though officials noted the developer has not yet applied for a building permit despite its approval. While most other projects in the area required the granting of variances and other forms of land use ordinance relief, the Sanborn Tower project conforms to zoning requirements.

The future site of the Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The future Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Planning Document)

The future site of the Sanborn Tower social club project in downtown Boca Raton, FL. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

“This project was designed – by design – to meet the ordinance,” said Zachariades. “We are not seeking any form of relief; there are no variance requests or technical deviations.”

The project will ultimately require another round of approval by city council members. There were no objectors to the project present at the planning board meeting, and board members advanced its approval unanimously.