Boca Raton CRA Regular Meeting - July 27, 2026: Parking Presentation and License Agreement Guidance
Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency Regular Meeting - July 27, 2026
The Boca Raton CRA met on July 27, 2026, at 1:30 PM. The meeting included a presentation on downtown parking operations and a discussion on pending license agreement requests for valet and loading zones. Commissioners provided staff direction to evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis and to prepare agreements for two specific applicants, pending further utilization data. Public comments were heard on these items and on the downtown police facility planning.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of the regular meeting of June 9, 2026, were approved unanimously.
- Two agenda items were withdrawn: the Boca Raton Museum of Art presentation and the historic preservation design guideline presentation for the upcoming workshop.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Neil Schiller (representing Hillsborough Mile Property LLC) spoke in favor of a valet license agreement for four metered spaces at NW First Avenue and East Palmetto Park Road. He urged case-by-case review, noted that valet permits guarantee revenue, and stated his client seeks a 24- to 36-month permit, not 10 years.
- Ellen Bogdanoff (representing Tower 155) requested a loading zone (two to three spaces) to alleviate delivery congestion in the narrow alleyway that currently blocks Tower 155's driveway. She noted the zone could benefit adjacent properties and that summer is slower but winter volumes increase. She appreciated the Commission's support for a case-by-case approach.
- Earl Starkov (public request) raised questions about the proposed 9,000-square-foot downtown police facility in relation to long-term downtown campus planning. He supported a centralized police headquarters on Spanish River Boulevard but asked what functions require a downtown facility, and proposed that Memorial Park remain open space rather than become a future city hall site. He requested staff explore alternatives before the September bond issue deadline.
Discussion Items
- Downtown Parking Overview & License Agreement Follow-up (Presentation 5B): CRA staff presented a detailed overview of parking meter operations, including 118 meters, 34,000 citations issued, eight existing license agreements (three right-of-way valets, two loading zones, three bank parking lot leases), and data from Sanborn Square (112 spaces, 14,000 transactions generating $52,000 in meter revenue). Two pilot programs were described: 29-minute free parking (8-15% of transactions, 3,000 free sessions granted) and space occupancy monitors. Occupancy data showed 25,000 sessions lasting more than five minutes, with 10,000 under 30 minutes.
- Commissioner Discussion: Commissioner Sipple raised concerns about ParkMobile app error correction and a $15 fee to void a wrong-space ticket, and requested a loading zone for Tower 155. Other commissioners agreed to evaluate license agreements on a case-by-case basis rather than a blanket policy. Vice Chair Drucker noted the need for utilization rate data (requested in agenda review) and suggested considering summer free parking and ride-share/drop-off zones based on Delray Beach's model. Chair Thomson supported case-by-case review and directed staff to prepare license agreements for the two pending requests (Tower 155 loading zone and Hillsborough Mile valet) accompanied by utilization data.
Key Outcomes
- Direction to Staff: CRA directed staff to continue evaluating license agreements (valet, loading zones) on a case-by-case basis, and to prepare revocable license agreements for Tower 155 (loading zone) and Hillsborough Mile Property (valet) for Commission consideration, including utilization rate data.
- No Formal Vote: The discussion did not result in a formal resolution; guidance was given for staff to bring back proposals with supporting data.
- Future Consideration: Commissioners expressed interest in exploring ideas such as ride-share/drop-off zones and free summer parking, with Vice Chair Drucker to share Delray Beach data.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 1:50 PM, with the City Council workshop to follow.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome back, friends, to the July meeting of the community redevelopment agency. The date is July 27, 2026. First order of business is a pledge of allegiance. So I'd ask everybody, please stand. I pledge allegiance to my flag of the United States of America. I see a new face over here. Welcome. Can we do the roll call, please? Chair Thompson. I am here. Vice Chair Drucker. Here. Commissioner Grau. Here. Commissioner Perlman. Here. Commissioner Sepple. President. All present. Very good. Mr. Manager Director, do we have any amendments to our agenda today? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, for the Boca Ratone Museum of Art. They've advised staff and they wish to withdraw its presentation at this time, and that's on the CRA agenda. And then for the upcoming workshop, uh, the presentation regarding historic preservation design guideline guidelines. That's also been withdrawn, and staff and the applicant agree that it would be more productive for the Historic Resources Board to complete its review and then develop some recommendations before bringing that matter back to the City Council. Okay, very good. If not, I'll accept the motion in a second to approve those minutes as presented. Excellent. That's a first and a second. Aye. All right. Moving on. We have no presentation five A, but we do have a presentation five B, the downtown parking overview license agreement request follow-up. Mr. Director, what do you got? Yes, thank you. Uh, Mr. Chair. Mr. Stephen Timberlake will make the presentation. Uh thank you, Mr. Director. Uh, members of the CRA board. Uh, I'm going to provide a brief overview of uh our parking as well as response to the parking recent parking license agreements requests we have received. Um start with the origins of parking meters in downtown Pocahont with the growing popularity of areas within downtown in 2011. The decision was made to put meters in Meisner Park to limit um to uh ensure spaces were available during limited and peak hours.
openpublica.com