Boca Raton CRA hears updates on Sanborn Square, circulator and employee parking options

At its April 8 meeting, the Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency heard staff updates on downtown projects and discussed options to ease employee parking burdens.

Director Brown told the agency the new barricades and planters for Sanborn Square are already in storage and "expected to be installed by May," and previewed proposed summer budget workshop dates that will cover the CRA operating budget and the capital improvement program. He also said staff is finalizing an RFP for a consultant to prepare transit-oriented development regulations for the city campus and will issue an RFP to study east–west connectivity — not limited to a pedestrian bridge — between downtown’s east and west sides.

Council member Wachter raised concerns she said business owners had expressed about employees having to feed meters or park offsite and "shuttle" coworkers, and asked the CRA to consider employee parking permit subsidies or dedicated employee parking and later circulator shifts so workers could be taken to their cars when their shifts end. Director Brown said some employers already lease in-city parking lots and cautioned that a broad employee-permit program could reduce curb turnover that meters are intended to provide. He added that the circulator’s hours are "designed for the customers coming in and out of downtown" and are not currently planned to run until 2 a.m., though staff will explore whether an additional shift could help employees.

On Palmetto Park Road, Brown said Alta is conducting a walkability survey and will hold a public meeting; the Center for the Arts is scheduled to present design plans on April 19, with the board having until October to approve or comment. Brown also noted that staff will bring a schedule for budget workshops and asked board members to prepare calendars for potential June–August changes.

Council member Wachter asked recreation services to investigate installing flexible (nonpermanent) batting cages at the park adjacent to City Hall; Brown said staff will determine whether to include such items in a future budget.

The board did not take substantive formal action on any of the downtown proposals at the meeting. The minutes of March 25, 2024, were moved for adoption and approved by voice vote earlier in the session. The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.