Downtown Campus Redevelopment Project: What’s Proposed, What’s Approved, and What Voters Decide

What is the Downtown Campus Redevelopment Project?

Boca Raton’s “Downtown Campus Redevelopment Project” is a long-term plan to modernize the City’s roughly 30-acre downtown campus near Palmetto Park Road and NW 2nd Avenue, with a mix of private development on one portion of City-owned land and future City-led civic improvements on the rest.

On Jan. 20, 2026, Boca Raton City Council approved Ordinance No. 5769, which conditionally authorizes a public-private partnership framework tied to a voter referendum. The agreements do not take effect unless voters approve the project at a citywide referendum on March 10, 2026.

Under the approved framework, the City would enter a 99-year ground lease for about 7.8 acres east of NW 2nd Avenue for a transit-oriented mixed-use district. The City would retain ownership of all land, and no sale of City land is proposed.

The larger portion of the Downtown Campus — about 17.5 acres west of NW 2nd Avenue, including Memorial Park — remains dedicated to civic and community purposes. Any future public facilities and improvements on the west side would still require separate City approvals, budgeting decisions, and additional public input.

The months leading up to March 10 include additional regulatory steps connected to the adopted master plan and downtown development regulations, including proposed ordinances related to downtown zoning and comprehensive planning that City Council is scheduled to consider for adoption on Feb. 24.

Project At A Glance

• Official name: Downtown Campus Redevelopment Project
• General area: Approximately 30 acres, generally north of Palmetto Park Road on both sides of NW 2nd Avenue
• East side (potential private development): ~7.8 acres on City-owned land, proposed for 99-year ground lease
• West side (civic/community): ~17.5 acres City-owned land west of NW 2nd Avenue, including Memorial Park (civic and community use)
• Land ownership: City retains ownership of all land; no sale proposed
• Private partner: Boca Raton City Center, LLC (Terra / Frisbie)
• Key Council action: Ordinance No. 5769 adopted Jan. 20, 2026 (contingent)
• Voter referendum: March 10, 2026 (project does not move forward without voter approval)

What Would Be Built on the Leased Site (East of NW 2nd Avenue), If Approved by Voters

The leased portion of the site (approximately 7.8 acres east of NW 2nd Avenue) is proposed to include a mixed-use development featuring:

• Multifamily rentals: up to 765 rental units, including 77 workforce units, on City-owned property
• Condominiums (adjacent private parcel): up to 182 condo units on an adjacent privately owned parcel that is not part of the City lease
• Office: 120,000 square feet
• Retail/restaurant: 79,100 square feet
• Hotel: 180 rooms
• Grocery: 30,000 square feet
• Public spaces/plazas: new public spaces and plazas maintained by Boca Raton City Center, LLC
• Mobility/pedestrian improvements

What Stays Public (West of NW 2nd Avenue)

City-owned land west of NW 2nd Avenue — about 17.5 acres — remains dedicated to civic and community purposes, including Memorial Park.

Separately from the private development concept on the east side, the City has described a set of potential City-funded public improvements that would be planned and designed through a community engagement process and would be subject to separate approvals. Those possible public facilities and improvements include:

• City Hall
• Community Center
• Tennis Center
• Police/Fire Rescue substation
• Memorial Park enhancements and civic green spaces
• Utility, infrastructure, and mobility improvements
• Pedestrian and transit-oriented design elements

How the Partnership Works (Plain-English Overview)

This proposal is structured as a public-private partnership using a long-term ground lease. The City retains ownership of the land.

If voters approve the referendum, Boca Raton City Center, LLC would finance, develop, operate, and maintain the mixed-use project on the leased portion of City-owned land east of NW 2nd Avenue, subject to the terms of the approved agreements and applicable approvals.

The City would receive rent based on agreed-upon terms, including a base rent (a minimum “floor”) and additional revenue-based rent tied to gross project revenue. The City has also referenced independent financial analyses prepared for the City that estimate potential revenues over the lease term using long-term assumptions and present-value methodologies, with different assumptions described in each report.

Important point for readers: approval of the referendum does not collapse all future decisions into a single vote. The City’s materials describe additional regulatory steps, later approvals, and later processes — including rezoning, site plan review, and a City-led community engagement and planning track for public facilities on the west side.

Timeline and Key Milestones

Use this page as the running timeline. The City’s materials describe the project as a multi-step process that spans planning, regulatory changes, voter authorization, and later reviews.

Background

• Around 2016: Discussions began about modernizing the Downtown Campus; designs were presented at the time but the project did not move forward.

Procurement and early process

• 2024: The City’s public-private partnership process included unsolicited proposals and procurement steps tied to the government campus concept and public discussion.

Partner selection and interim work

• 2025: City Council selected Terra & Frisbie as the City’s official partner and approved interim steps while public meetings, due diligence, appraisals, traffic analysis, and financial review continued, along with plan revisions and community outreach.

Conditional approval of the framework

• Jan. 20, 2026: City Council approved Ordinance No. 5769 (4–1), authorizing the framework for a 99-year ground lease and related agreements, expressly contingent on voter approval.

Clarification on the deciding vote

• Jan. 27, 2026: City Council held a special meeting to reaffirm that the project cannot move forward unless voters approve it at the March 10 referendum, and addressed the idea of a duplicative second referendum effort.

Regulatory steps tied to the adopted master plan

• Feb. 10, 2026: City Council introduced multiple land use and zoning items described as part of the regulatory steps needed to implement the adopted master plan and modernize downtown development regulations. These items were scheduled for adoption consideration at the Feb. 24 meeting, including:
  • Ordinance 5771: New Downtown Zoning District (including a “Government Center Subdistrict,” with campus-specific provisions repealed if the referendum fails)
  • Ordinance 5774: Future Land Use Map amendment (designating ~9.8 acres within the Downtown Campus area as Central Business District)
  • Ordinance 5775: Comprehensive Plan text amendment (policy direction for transitioning away from the existing DDRI framework before March 2028)
  • Ordinance 5776: DDRI amendment (expands DDRI subarea and reallocates existing development capacity without increasing overall capacity; campus-related provisions tied to referendum outcome)

Upcoming decision point

• Feb. 24, 2026: City Council scheduled to consider the introduced ordinances for adoption.
• March 10, 2026: Citywide referendum on whether to proceed with the proposed Downtown Campus public-private partnership transaction.

Planned after March 10 (if approved by voters)

• Rezoning and related land-use actions, subject to applicable review and approvals
• Site plan review through the City’s standard regulatory processes
• City-led community engagement and planning for public facilities on the west side, including items such as City Hall, Community Center, and Memorial Park

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