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Record of Proceedings

CRA Regular Meeting – February 23, 2026

Boca Raton Public Meetings — Monday, February 23, 2026
BodyBoca Raton, Florida
SessionBoca Raton Public Meetings
DateMonday, February 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:02

Okay, good afternoon, everybody.

0:04

Let's call this meeting to order.

0:05

It's a regular meeting of Boca Rutan's Community Redevelopment Agency.

0:09

Today is Monday, February 23rd, 2026, and the time is 130 p.m.

0:15

Please everyone rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:20

I pledge a leader to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God.

0:37

Thank you very much.

0:38

Ms.

0:39

Siddons, please call the roll.

0:40

Chair Wigder.

0:41

Here.

0:42

Vice Chair Thompson.

0:43

Thankful to be here.

0:43

Commissioner Drucker.

0:44

Here.

0:45

Commissioner Knackless.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Commissioner Singer.

0:47

Here.

0:48

All present.

0:49

Thank you very much.

0:49

Mr.

0:50

Soheny, are there any amendments to the agenda?

0:53

Thank you, Mr.

0:53

Chair.

0:53

There are no amendments to the agenda.

0:55

Thank you.

0:55

Mr.

0:56

Chair.

0:56

Yes, thank you.

0:57

May I speak about the agenda?

0:58

Please do.

0:59

Thank you.

1:00

It doesn't relate to this agenda here, but knowing that there are members of the public who might want to comment under public comment.

1:04

I didn't want to wait until the workshop to bring this up.

1:07

Tomorrow night we have uh three ordinances, the second of two public hearings for ordinances 57, 71, 74, 75, and 76, all relating to downtown land development regulations.

1:18

Um at workshop I intend to have a conversation about potentially pushing those off to March because the uh potential vote on March 10th may be outcome determinative to some of these, and there's no urgency to get it done now.

1:31

I had some conversations with our development partners too.

1:34

They seem to be in agreement that we don't have to have these heard tomorrow night.

1:37

So I think having that conversation in March makes a little more sense.

1:41

We'll have clarity one way or another and then see how to proceed.

1:44

So I wanted to mention that now in case anyone wanted to speak under public request saying that.

1:49

I thought we ought to bring it up now because we're going to have some other agenda items.

1:52

They didn't have to wait if they came to say do exactly that.

1:54

I'm suggesting that, and we can have that conversation now.

1:57

Thank you, Mr.

1:57

Chair.

1:58

So would you like to have the conversation now?

1:59

I'm happy to worry.

2:01

If um I'm happy to have you chair it and if we're all we're all the same people, so I'm happy to do it now.

2:05

We already open up the can.

2:07

That would be fine, and uh I'm happy to have that discussion.

2:10

I actually agree.

2:12

I think we should postpone those items.

2:14

I think there's an opportunity to have more public input, more public outreach.

2:18

Um there is some issues related to the Live Local Act that my understanding is that could be clarified, and we need to be very careful when it comes to the Livocal Act that our ordinances are uh compliant.

2:32

Uh and obviously, um, since this is supposed to be the readoption or the amendment to 4035, um, having an opportunity for more public input would it would have I'd absolutely appreciate it.

2:44

So I think it's good.

2:45

Anyone else?

2:46

Ms.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Downtown Planning█████████████████████████████████████37%
Parking Management███████████████████19%
Land Use Regulation████████████████16%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Real Estate Acquisition█████████9%
Procedural████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

CRA Regular Meeting – February 23, 2026

The Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) held its regular meeting on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 1:30 PM. The meeting included a quasi-judicial public hearing on an amendment to the Royal Palm Place Hotel Individual Development Approval (IDA), public requests, and a discussion on postponing downtown land development ordinances. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:40 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of February 9, 2026: Approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Nachlas, second by Commissioner Singer).

Public Comments & Testimony

During the Quasi-Judicial Hearing (Royal Palm Place Hotel IDA amendment):

  • Richard Warner (resident) expressed opposition, stating the project would destroy Boca Raton's charm and questioned the demand for additional hotels. He urged the board not to approve variances.
  • Pam Paschki (resident) requested that lobbyists state their clients when speaking. She criticized the modern design of the proposed parking garage and urged it to better match Royal Palm Place's style.
  • John Pearlman (founder of Save Boca) argued that the city should not become an urban center like West Palm Beach. He criticized the Development Services Department for not filtering proposals and claimed the process is flawed.
  • Judy Morrow (resident) suggested the city focus on attractions like an aquarium or turtle hospital rather than hotels, and referenced Delray Beach's six-story height limit as a model.
  • Joseph Pajowski (resident) praised the project's mixed-use potential but questioned the need for a parking variance. He also raised concerns about the Meisner Park lease assignment, alleging the city did not review financials of the actual assignees.

During Public Requests:

  • Andrea O'Rourke (former commissioner, resident) criticized the government campus process as flawed and misleading, noting that the P3 project is no longer just a government campus. She urged honesty in communication and questioned why Meisner Park is deteriorating while the city focuses on new development.
  • John Pearlman repeated concerns about public land use and alleged the council planned to bulldoze Memorial Park (which Chair Wigder refuted).
  • Richard Warner again criticized downtown development and supported the need for attractions.
  • Joseph Pajowski elaborated on the Meisner Park assignment, asserting the city approved an assignment to entities without equal financial standing as the original tenant, and that the CFO admitted to not reviewing financials of the actual assignees.
  • Keith Nelson (resident) thanked the council for postponing the ordinances and asked about community involvement in rewriting the downtown code.

Discussion Items

1. Postponement of Downtown Land Development Ordinances (Ordinances 57, 71, 74, 75, 76)

  • Mayor Singer proposed postponing the second public hearings on these ordinances to after the March 10th election, citing potential outcome-determinative results and the need for more public outreach. Commissioners Drucker, Nachlas, Thomson, and Wigder agreed, noting concerns about Live Local Act compliance and the lack of urgency. The council unanimously agreed to postpone.

2. Quasi-Judicial Hearing – Resolution No. CRP-00-02R7 (Royal Palm Place Hotel IDA Amendment)

  • Applicant Presentation: Ellie Zacharitis (attorney for the Batmasian family and Investments Limited) presented the amendment. Key changes include:
    • Reducing hotel rooms from 144 to 137 (removal of below-grade parking due to cost).
    • Reducing hotel square footage from ~167,360 to ~80,800 sq. ft.
    • Constructing a 7-story parking structure (501 spaces) with ground-floor retail/restaurant (10,707 sq. ft.) on the site of two existing buildings to be demolished.
    • Eliminating a 24-space public parking plaza and adding open space (increase of ~7,100 sq. ft.).
    • Requesting a technical deviation to reduce required parking from 2,099 to 1,417 spaces (shared parking analysis) and a drive-aisle reduction from 26 ft to 24 ft.
    • The applicant argued the parking deviation allows flexibility for future tenant changes and is consistent with modern urban downtown needs. They noted the project would eliminate the existing parking deficit at Royal Palm Place.
  • Staff Presentation: Senior Planner Susan Lesser explained that the project complies with Ordinance 4035, received unanimous recommendations from the Community Appearance Board (6-0) and Planning & Zoning Board (7-0), and improves parking: required parking reduced from 1,946 (2022) to 1,905, while provided spaces increase from 1,239 to 1,480. The parking deficit would be eliminated.
  • Board Discussion:
    • Commissioners questioned sequencing (garage before hotel), pedestrian connectivity, sidewalk widths, and architectural harmony.
    • Commissioner Drucker emphasized support for removing underground parking due to high water table and praised the overall improvement to Royal Palm Place.
    • Chair Wigder and Vice Chair Thomson argued that property owners have rights to develop consistent with code and that the project improves existing nonconformities.
    • Commissioner Nachlas expressed preference for Meisner-style architecture but accepted the mix.
  • Vote: Motion to adopt Resolution CRP-00-02R7 as amended (moved by Commissioner Thomson, seconded by Commissioner Nachlas). Roll call: Thomson (yes), Nachlas (yes), Singer (yes), Drucker (yes), Wigder (yes). Passed 5-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of the Royal Palm Place Hotel IDA amendment (Resolution CRP-00-02R7), authorizing the revised hotel, parking structure, and site improvements.
  • Consensus to postpone the second public hearings on downtown land development ordinances until after the March 10, 2026 election, with further public outreach planned.
  • Directives: Chair Wigder asked staff to consider making title descriptions clearer for parking deviations to avoid public confusion. Commissioner Nachlas requested follow-up on valet plan enforcement. Chair Wigder also suggested a study on parking demand timing to potentially adjust enforcement hours.

Commissioner Reports

  • Commissioner Drucker provided a report on the CRA’s history and future priorities, emphasizing walkability, traffic calming, parking reform, and the need for early planning for the CRA’s sunset.
  • Commissioner Singer reiterated that Memorial Park will be formally dedicated regardless of the March 10th vote and corrected misstatements about bulldozing the park. He also recommended periodic parking demand studies.
  • Commissioner Nachlas requested enforcement of valet parking plans.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:40 PM to be followed immediately by a City Council workshop.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, good afternoon, everybody. Let's call this meeting to order. It's a regular meeting of Boca Rutan's Community Redevelopment Agency. Today is Monday, February 23rd, 2026, and the time is 130 p.m. Please everyone rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge a leader to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God. Thank you very much. Ms. Siddons, please call the roll. Chair Wigder. Here. Vice Chair Thompson. Thankful to be here. Commissioner Drucker. Here. Commissioner Knackless. Here. Commissioner Singer. Here. All present. Thank you very much. Mr. Soheny, are there any amendments to the agenda? Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are no amendments to the agenda. Thank you. Mr. Chair. Yes, thank you. May I speak about the agenda? Please do. Thank you. It doesn't relate to this agenda here, but knowing that there are members of the public who might want to comment under public comment. I didn't want to wait until the workshop to bring this up. Tomorrow night we have uh three ordinances, the second of two public hearings for ordinances 57, 71, 74, 75, and 76, all relating to downtown land development regulations. Um at workshop I intend to have a conversation about potentially pushing those off to March because the uh potential vote on March 10th may be outcome determinative to some of these, and there's no urgency to get it done now. I had some conversations with our development partners too. They seem to be in agreement that we don't have to have these heard tomorrow night. So I think having that conversation in March makes a little more sense. We'll have clarity one way or another and then see how to proceed. So I wanted to mention that now in case anyone wanted to speak under public request saying that. I thought we ought to bring it up now because we're going to have some other agenda items. They didn't have to wait if they came to say do exactly that. I'm suggesting that, and we can have that conversation now. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So would you like to have the conversation now? I'm happy to worry. If um I'm happy to have you chair it and if we're all we're all the same people, so I'm happy to do it now.

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