News

By Sallie James

    Height is hot. At least talking about it is in Boca Raton.
    That’s why council members plan to discuss later this month an ordinance that would limit building heights in areas zoned local business and multifamily residential.
    Council members scrapped plans to review the height-related ordinance on April 26 and voted to continue the matter until May 24 because so few residents were in attendance.
    The proposed ordinance would limit building heights in the B-1 business-zoning district to 30 feet and accessory buildings in the R-2 multifamily zoning district to 25 feet.
    Both zoning categories currently allow building heights up to 50 feet with City Council approval.
    The issue rose to new heights in May 2015 when City Council members approved Chabad of East Boca’s plans to build an 18,000-square-foot synagogue and high-tech Israel museum at 770 E. Palmetto Park Road in a B-1 zoning district.
    The city gave Chabad permission to exceed the permitted 30-foot height limit by about 10 feet, touching off a furor among local home and business owners.
    Opponents of the project protested loudly, claiming the increased height would be intrusive.
    Many homeowners said the city’s approval of the project’s increased height would set a precedent for even taller developments, which could ruin the ambiance of the area.
    Two residents also sued the city in federal court, claiming their rights to equal protection and due process were violated when the city created a special zoning classification that paved the way for the controversial synagogue.
    A trial date was recently set for April 17, 2017, in the case.
    Deputy Mayor Mike Mullaugh said the city wants to proceed sensibly, so waiting until more residents were in attendance seemed logical.
    “The basic idea was: Let’s just figure out how we can make as formal rules as we can about height so we don’t get into so much of this controversy,” Mullaugh said. “Everyone who is planning [to build] will know exactly what the rules are and what height they are allowed to build to.”
    On the other hand, he acknowledged, such height restrictions could be limiting.
    “You take away the flexibility if something different were to come along,” Mullaugh said. “Because of that, we obviously need a lot of public comment.”
    City Council member Scott Singer said the proposed ordinance wasn’t the result of neighbors’ concerns but rather an acknowledgement by the council that existing height standards might not be appropriate.