Boca Raton staff to adopt downtown master plan in June as council eyes CRA rules for 2028 sunsetting

City of Boca Raton managers told council on May 23 that a prepared update to the downtown master plan will be introduced and is expected to be adopted in June, while longer-term choices tied to the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) must be made well before the downtown development order expires in 2028.

Mister Brown told the workshop that "the update to the downtown master plan has been prepared and will be adopted in June," and urged council to start planning now for the CRA development order's sunset so there is time to settle rules and address challenges.

The administration outlined three broad routes for post‑2028 regulation: revert to the underlying zoning (which staff warned would be a backward move), replicate an office‑equivalency regime similar to the current development order, or craft a new district‑ or form‑based approach that sets clearer building form and parking/transportation expectations.

Development services director Brandon Shadd told the group staff does not yet have a single recommended approach and will return with options that describe the tradeoffs, including possible amendments to the existing ordinance 4035. He said staff will seek council guidance on broad concepts—building form, parking, micro‑mobility and incentives—before drafting precise code language.

Council members emphasized that they do not want downtown development to default to older suburban zoning and asked staff to explore transit‑oriented overlays and possible CRA boundary changes that could support walkability and long‑term tax base goals. Several council members asked staff to consider incentives for private parking supply, micro‑mobility connections and form‑based standards to encourage pedestrian‑oriented development.

The council set an internal target for major policy decisions to be in place by 2027 so stakeholders and the development community can adapt ahead of the 2028 expiration. Staff said the work will include coordination with consultants and iterative workshops to refine options before any ordinance drafting.

What’s next: staff will return with a menu of alternatives for the council’s consideration and and a proposed timeline for statutory and regulatory steps that would lead to a durable post‑2028 regulatory framework.