BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Boca Raton is pressing ahead with its City Hall Campus Redevelopment Project, extending its agreement with Terra & Frisbie Group and scheduling a new community open house as updated plans take shape ahead of a 2026 voter referendum.
At Monday’s meeting, City Council gave developers more time — and a little more breathing room — to shape the proposal for a new City Hall and civic campus. The city council voted five to zero to continue their partnership with Terra & Frisbie Group until May 1, 2026 or until they finalize a master agreement.
That’s the same partnership the city approved back in March to explore a public-private setup for rebuilding City Hall, the recreation space around it, and possibly adding new development.
The developers say they’ve been back out in the community, listening, revising. “Feedback and new ideas are being incorporated into a new proposal,” they told council members. The new draft positions recreational areas beyond NW 2nd Avenue while placing all new construction near downtown central activity.
The Spanish River Library will host an open house event on October 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. for residents to view the recent changes and to interact directly with planners.
The public will choose the winner through voting which will take place on March 10, 2026. The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections confirmed that’s the next slot available for a citywide ballot — a December 2025 state election already fills the calendar.
The public land sales rumor continues to spread about Boca. It’s not.
City documents spell it out — “The City is not selling any land. Only a small portion of the 31-acre campus would be leased,” and lease payments, plus new property-tax revenue, are expected to help pay for the public buildings themselves.
The land will remain under public ownership. The private side pays rent. The city gets a new City Hall and recreation center without taking on all the cost at once.
The company needs to handle cash flow correctly because Boca operates with restricted financial resources despite its positive financial performance. The finance brief demonstrates that $601.8 million exists across 22 funds during September 2024 while most of these funds remain restricted for particular applications. After setting aside reserves, there’s about $35 million left in the general fund. As the city put it, “Without a new revenue source, these additional large projects would most likely require taking on debt and raising taxes to cover repayment.”
The City Hall discussion overlaps with another big project — a new Police Department Headquarters north of Spanish River Boulevard. The current building is pushing forty years old and wasn’t built for today’s storm standards or staffing levels. City records say, “The current headquarters is not hurricane-rated, does not currently provide enough space for all staff and equipment, and is not built to current standards.”
The proposed site has received criticism which labels it as an “urban forest.”The city says that’s not the case. The 16.4-acre tract serves as a paved staging area for the Spanish River Athletic Complex.
The redevelopment project does not eliminate recreational activities from the downtown area. The city announced that these facilities will relocate instead of being completely eliminated. “Some recreation amenities currently on the City Hall campus would be relocated to other parks and enhanced throughout the City, not eliminated,” according to its recreation summary.
Terra & Frisbie will continue to improve their drawings during the next few months as their team performs standard environmental and financial assessments. The updated plans will become available during the first months of 2026 while the March 2026 referendum will determine the path forward.
Residents can register for the open house or keep tabs on the process at the city’s Government Campus Redevelopment page.
The current discussion about Boca Raton development exists between two opposing forces which seek to introduce modernization and preserve established success. Everyone agrees City Hall’s showing its age. Boca needs to determine the extent of its willingness to address the problem.
Key features of newly revised, proposed “One Boca” City Center
- Public Facilities & Civic Improvements
- New City Hall built to modern safety, accessibility, and sustainability standards
- New Community Center for public meetings, events, and classes
- Memorial Park expansion with the Eagle Statue as centerpiece and veterans’ commemoration
- Police Substation added for improved downtown public safety
- Mobility Hub to centralize transit, pedestrian, and bike connectivity
- Potential new Post Office incorporated into east side of site
- Recreation & Open Space
- Eight new tennis courts and a basketball court
- Multipurpose athletic field for community sports
- Children’s playground redesigned around preserved banyan trees
- 20 pocket parks woven throughout the site for shade, gathering, and green relief
- Public art installatio`ns and “playgrounds with purpose” promoting inclusive design
- Preservation of all six historic banyan trees as visual and cultural anchors
- Enhanced Children’s Museum kept on-site and integrated into the civic area
- Private Development
- Approximately 740 residential units
- 250,000 square feet of office space
- Infrastructure & Sustainability
- Upgraded roads, utilities, and stormwater systems
- Integration of “green, blue, and grey” infrastructure for environmental resilience
- Transit-oriented design to reduce car dependence and traffic
- No direct tax burden—developers say the project will fund itself through leases and taxes
Items Removed or Reduced from the Original Proposal
- Hotel eliminated entirely from the plan
- Building heights lowered across the project
- Retail space reduced significantly
- Overall residential density decreased
- Commercial footprint scaled back
- No relocation of banyan trees — all six will remain in place
- Less traffic impact through reduced density and expanded walkability
- No expansion into protected parkland or “urban forest” areas
- No direct taxpayer funding for civic construction
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