BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — The Boca Raton Planning and Zoning Board will review a proposed citywide zoning amendment Thursday night that would formally allow freestanding emergency facilities as a conditional use in several commercial and medical zoning districts.

The City Code amendment, listed as AM-25-11 / PZCO-2025-00015, is scheduled for discussion during the board’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 8 at the Police and Fire Rescue Administration building on Congress Avenue.

If approved, the ordinance would amend Chapter 28 of the City Code to define what qualifies as a freestanding emergency facility and establish where and how those facilities could operate within the city.

Under the proposal, freestanding emergency facilities would be permitted as a conditional use in the General Business (B-4), Medical Center (MC), City Commercial General (City CG), and City Commercial High Office (City CHO) zoning districts. These facilities would be required to be owned and operated by a licensed hospital and function under the hospital’s emergency department license, consistent with state law.

City staff note that there are currently no freestanding emergency facilities operating in Boca Raton, though the issue has been under review following a separate project proposal earlier this year.

In January 2025, the Planning and Zoning Board approved a site plan for an approximately 11,000-square-foot freestanding emergency facility at 1001 E. Telecom Drive, located in the Light Industrial Research Park (LIRP) zoning district. That approval was later appealed by the owner of the nearby Boca Raton Innovation Campus, raising questions about whether the use was permitted under existing zoning.

The City Council ultimately repealed that site plan approval in April 2025. City staff say the proposed ordinance would not apply to the Telecom Drive site because the LIRP district is not included in the amendment.

The new ordinance would also establish eligibility requirements for properties seeking to develop a freestanding emergency facility. Properties would need direct vehicular access to an arterial road, as identified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and could not be located in or adjacent to single-family residential zoning districts. Sites abutting existing single-family homes would also be excluded.

Additional regulations would address parking and ambulance operations. The ordinance sets a minimum parking requirement of one space per 175 square feet, along with bicycle parking equal to five percent of required vehicle spaces. Facilities would also be required to provide a dedicated ambulance loading and unloading area, physically separated from general traffic, pedestrian walkways, and bike paths.

As part of the amendment, the city would revise the definition of “outpatient surgery center” to remove references to emergency room procedures, clarifying the distinction between emergency facilities and other medical uses.

City planning staff concluded the amendment is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and recommended approval. The ordinance is city-initiated and does not authorize any specific project, but would establish a framework for future applications.

Following the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation, the ordinance would advance to the City Council for final consideration.

Source: City of Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board agenda and Freestanding Emergency Facilities staff packet