Boca Raton Submits Urban Renewal Proposal for Public Vote
Boca Raton city officials have approved ballot language for a proposed downtown redevelopment project, which residents will decide during the March 10 municipal election. The City Council voted 4-1 last week to place the measure before voters, after revising wording during extended discussions about neutrality.
The question asks whether to approve a 99-year lease of 7.8 acres near Brightline Station to Boca Raton City Center, LLC. The agreement would create a mixed-use neighborhood with residential, retail, office, and hotel spaces, while preserving Memorial Park and funding city improvements such as new green areas, a community center, City Hall, and a police substation. State law restricts ballot summaries to 75 words, with full project details remaining publicly accessible.
Council member Andy Thomson, the sole dissenter, argued the approved language was insufficiently impartial and proposed an alternative version. Other members defended the final wording as balanced, while local advocacy group Save Boca criticized it as favoring developers. The March ballot also includes contests for mayor and three council seats, plus a proposed $175 million bond for a new police station. A previously scheduled January special election was canceled after a court ruled its questions unconstitutional.