Boca Council Looks Gift Horse in the Mouth.

In his 1913 essay “What Publicity can Do”, supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote that “publicity is the great disinfectant and remedy for social and industrial diseases”.¹ In our recent article “The Sky is not falling. Why is a new Government Campus being Fast Tracked?“, we brought to light a memo from the Boca Raton City Manager to the City Council that indicated a public-private partnership specialist consultant Stephanie Toothaker had been hired by the city and that an aggressive timeline in September/October was needed for the Boca City Hall “Government Campus” redevelopment. We asked “Is it a done deal?” and “Why the fast tracking?”. It was one of our most in depth articles ever and one of the most read. For some reason, it caused quite a stir in City Hall. But after many words and hand wringing over the publicity we gave the topic, it all just had a “Me thinks he doth protest too much.” vibe.

Another Shoe Drops.

On perhaps a related note, in a special meeting Monday Oct 21, the City Council will vote on Resolution 97-2024 to approve or deny the “Landlord Plan” for the privately funded Center for Arts and Innovation to be built in Mizner Park. With tens of millions raised from donors from around the world, the Center for Arts and Innovation complex would be the crowning jewel and capstone of Boca’s prized Mizner Park.

Let’s hope they don’t cancel the Center for Arts and Innovation and that the 2017 offer by Related Group to move the amphitheater to the Government Campus and replace it with a condo (read more about that here) has not been resurrected.

In previous meetings, there seemed to be resistance to the 6 year effort behind the project to complete Mizner Park. One can only wonder why the city would look this gift horse in the mouth. In this article we explore a possible reason the center may not be allowed to proceed. You may want to drop a nice note to your elected officials encouraging them to follow City Staff recommendation to move the Center for Arts and Innovation forward. There’s button at the end of this article to do that.

Speculation.

Those familiar with Boca politics won’t wonder long about the possible cancellation or slow walking of the Center for Arts and Innovation. John Gore’s 2023 A Brief History of the Battle for Downtown Boca described Boca’s developer oriented modus operandi “like a vacuum cleaner … scooping up alleys and sunshine and giving nothing back.” Right now, when it comes to the downtown, the scooping up of development rights is capped by law. But somehow, when was a tall shiny Aletto office building was proposed, development rights were moved around (more on that below). So now, when it’s for resident quality of life, let’s hope the City Council didn’t “rob Peter to pay Paul”.

It’s all speculation of course but ask yourself, why on earth would a City Council reject a free multimillion dollar Center for Arts and Innovation?

It does make one wonder if a lack of available development rights (read more here) for the Center is the source of a pull back. Last year saw the Aletto Office complex fast-tracked for approval in the central zone of Boca’s downtown even though there weren’t enough available development rights. However, through the use of a caveat in the code, the City Council transferred development rights from other downtown zones and approved the Aletto overdevelopment. As a result, those other zones can’t be improved as much as they were designed to be.

Now, with the new shiny object of redeveloping the government campus into a Transit Oriented District on everyone’s mind all of a sudden, a shortage of development and traffic rights may have come home to roost. That is, the transfer of rights for Aletto may have resulted in insufficient development and traffic rights in the Mizner and Government Campus zones to go around.

Add to this the related comments here and there about Mizner being “end of life” and the “center mass” of the city now mid-town, could the Center be on the chopping block? It’s all speculation of course, but ask yourself, why on earth would a City Council reject a free multimillion dollar Center for Arts and Innovation on public land already designated for it? Let’s hope they don’t reject it and something like the 2017 offer by Miami’s Related Group to move the amphitheater to the Government Campus and replace it with a condo (read more about that here) has not been resurrected.

What is The Arts and Innovation Center?

For insight into what might be going on, I reached out to Boca’s citizen collective Workshop 344+ organization for comment. This is a group of long time and high powered Boca Raton professionals and residents that have devoted their lives and careers in various aspects of Boca Raton’s growth and development. They responded with this Open Letter to the Members of the City Council:

Dear Members of the City Council,

As proud residents of Boca Raton, we are united in our belief that this city thrives on innovation, culture, and opportunity. Today, we write to express our overwhelming support for The Center for Arts & Innovation—a project that is not just a cultural landmark but a transformative investment in the future of our city, promising nine figures of private capital for our downtown and positioning Boca as a national and international beacon.

The Center stands as a powerful engine for economic growth, promising to spur countless benefits for our city’s residents, local businesses, and organizations. Led by the globally renowned architect Renzo Piano, whose work has inspired the development of iconic destinations worldwide:
1) The Center is poised to create a catalytic effect on place-making, fostering a sense of place centered on the pedestrian experience.
2) Piano’s designs will attract millions of visitors each year—whether young or old, students or professionals—while seamlessly blending the traditional with the innovative.
3) Residents and visitors alike will enjoy a thriving downtown that showcases our city’s creative spirit and commitment to innovation—all year long. The
4) Center will elevate our city on a global stage, attracting national and international attention, and ensuring Boca Raton becomes a premier destination for arts and culture.

While we appreciate all that Boca Raton has accomplished, this project represents what we could achieve with the right support. As the famous quote goes, we should not ask, “What can The Center do for us?” but instead, “What can we do for The Center?” This is our moment to recognize and thank those who have committed $10 million of their private investment to reclaim and complete a 35-year unfinished story, reviving the rich legacy of innovation that once defined Boca Raton. Importantly, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will not return. Let this not be the Council that let this moment slip away.

We urge our City Council to approve Resolution Resolution 97-2024. The risk has always been with The Center’s backers, while the City continues to operate as usual. Let’s acknowledge the tremendous private investment this project represents and take every step necessary to help bring this vision to life.

Thank you for your consideration, and for your vision and commitment to Boca Raton’s future. 

Sincerely,
Workshop 344
-Juan Caycedo – Former Community Redevelopment Board Member, Architect, Urban Planner
-Larry Cellon – Retired Construction Business, Former Community Redevelopment Board Member, BR Planning&Zoning Board Member
-Eric Colazzo – Retail and Commercial Real Estate Professional
-Steven Deutsch – Attorney, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
-Mark Jacobson – Former Community Redevelopment Chair, Landscape Architect
-Alex King – Financial Advisor Wealth Manager
-Andrea Levine O’Rourke – Former Downtown Advisory Board Member, Former Chair of the BR Homeowners Association, Former City Council Member /Deputy Mayor
-Bruce Retzsch – Former Downtown Advisory Board Member, Architect/Urban Planner
-Patricia Ramudo – Former Member of the BR Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Civil Engineer
-Amber Tollefson – Branding Professional/Award Winning Producer
-Andrea Virgin – Civil Engineer, Founder of BR Center of Art & Innovation
-Pam Wood – Former Office Manager RLC Architects
-Ele Zachariades – Land Use Attorney, Urban Planner

What you can do.

If you want the City council to proceed with the privately funded Center for Arts and Innovation in Mizner park, use the button below to send an email to your elected officials. Tell them to follow the City Staff recommendation to approve Resolution 97-2024 and keep the Center for Arts and Innovation IN MIZNER PARK project a priority.

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1. Harpers Weekly, 1913 from "What Publicity Can Do" by Louis D. Brandeis