Boca Raton council approves Dixie Manor redevelopment after preservation amendment

Deputy Mayor Yvette Drucker presided over a packed Boca Raton City Council meeting Tuesday evening in which the council voted 5‑0 to approve a package of land‑use changes, site plans and variances for the redevelopment of Dixie Manor into the Residences at Martin Manor.

The action followed a lengthy quasi‑judicial hearing that included a detailed staff presentation, a 20‑minute applicant address, and nearly two hours of public comment. Jacob Gurman, the city planner, told the council staff recommended approval after review of an application by DM Redevelopment Limited (a partnership between the Boca Raton Housing Authority and Atlantic Pacific Communities LLC) to redevelop a roughly 10.04‑acre property at North Dixie Highway and Glades Road into three 3‑story buildings totaling 95 low‑income units and a 4,265‑square‑foot clubhouse.

The ordinance and three resolutions approved by the council authorized a small‑scale future land‑use amendment (from residential medium to residential high), a rezoning from R‑3 to R‑5A, site‑plan approval for 95 units (99,926 square feet), and variances and technical deviations that reduce required parking and electric‑vehicle parking counts. Gurman said staff supports the variances and technical deviations because the redeveloped project would provide better housing quality without increasing density beyond the 95 units proposed.

Ellie Zacharitis, representing the applicant, said the developer has sought to address resident concerns and needs to move promptly to secure state funding. “We finally got the state funding that we certainly need to provide quality affordable housings,” Zacharitis said, emphasizing milestone deadlines tied to state grant timetables. She also described design changes made after community meetings: relocation of a large trash compactor, addition of two smaller dumpsters, flattening of a dual‑use play/detention area to allow usable playground space, and provision of 20 EV‑ready parking stalls rather than EV chargers installed at construction.

Residents who live at Dixie Manor offered mixed testimony. Several current tenants urged the council to approve the redevelopment so families can move into safer, modern housing with central air and new appliances. “We want better housing conditions for us,” said Erica White, who identified herself as a 12‑year resident at Dixie Manor. Other commenters, including historians and neighborhood advocates, pressed the council to preserve the property’s World War II‑era buildings that members of the Pearl City community say document Black history in Boca Raton. “These structures are a vital part of national and local history,” said Jeffrey Katz, who urged saving at least one building.

Council members pressed the applicant and staff on practical issues: parking, whether elevators would be provided, how affordable‑unit requirements would be preserved, and the timing for demolition of the southern portion of the property. Staff noted that the site plan as approved includes 109 proposed resident parking spaces plus 23 spaces retained on the south side (which staff intends to make a required element of the site plan) and that the applicant’s on‑site parking counts reflected observed peak demand. On elevators, council members and the applicant agreed elevators are not required under code for the proposed garden‑style, three‑story buildings; the applicant said the plan includes 32 ground‑floor units to increase accessible housing.

To address preservation concerns raised by residents and the historic preservation board, council adopted an amendment to the demolition condition in the site‑plan resolution that requires the applicant to preserve at least one of the 1940s buildings if the applicant secures third‑party funding (not housing authority funds) to restore and maintain that building for historical purposes; such a preserved building would not be used for residential occupancy. If funding is not secured, the applicant must consult the Boca Raton Historical Society and pursue alternative mitigation measures, such as interactive exhibits and oral histories.

Mayor Scott Singer said the amendment was intended to ensure the community’s history is respected without blocking the project’s progress. Several council members emphasized the tradeoffs involved: more on‑site parking would reduce green space and playground area; adding elevators to every building would require a fundamentally different building design and higher cost that could threaten the project’s financial viability.

After debate the council voted to transmit and adopt the future land‑use amendment and to approve the rezoning, site plan and related resolutions and variances. The roll calls recorded each motion passing 5‑0.

What happens next: the approved site plan becomes an exhibit to the comprehensive plan amendment and the applicant may proceed to building permit and construction milestones subject to the conditions set by council, including the preservation/mitigation requirement and the city’s standard plat and site‑plan compliance reviews.

Votes at a glance:
• Ordinance 56‑93 (future land‑use map amendment): adopted/transmitted, motion passed 5‑0.
• Ordinance 56‑94 (rezoning / site plan enabling the 95‑unit project): adopted, motion passed 5‑0.
• Resolution 36‑2024 (conditional use for nursery/after‑school program): adopted, 5‑0.
• Resolution 37‑2024 (site plan approval, variances/tracking of parking/EV deviations): adopted, 5‑0.
• Resolution 38‑2024 (variances for setbacks and sidewalk configuration): adopted, 5‑0.

Clarifying details: the proposal calls for 95 low‑income units totaling 99,926 sq ft, a 4,265 sq ft clubhouse, and retention of an existing 4,929 sq ft community center; code‑required parking would have been 197 spaces but the project proposes 124 (a reduction of 73) with 20 EV‑ready spaces proposed and zero EV installed spaces at build‑out; maximum nursery enrollment is capped at 60 students per the conditional use; staff indicated 23 existing south‑side spaces will be retained as part of the approved site plan.

Council members invited continued resident engagement on any future phase 2 proposals and directed staff to ensure the preservation amendment’s implementation steps are clear in the site‑plan conditions.

— Reported from the Boca Raton City Council meeting on the Residences at Martin Manor.