News

By Tim Pallesen

     Boca Raton’s centerpiece for downtown redevelopment, as city leaders call it, starts construction this fall.
    Archstone won City Council approval March 11 to build 378 apartments in the heart of what city leaders hope will become a pedestrian-friendly downtown where young professionals live, work and play.
    “Young professionals want to be in the thick of the action in an urban setting,” Archstone developer Mark Guzzetta said.
    Boca Raton now has given zoning approval to build a total of 1,800 new apartments in the East Palmetto Park Road area between Mizner Park and Royal Palm Plaza.
    Opponents of the 9-story Archstone say that’s too many for the market to support. But the council wants pedestrians on downtown streets.
    “There’s a short supply downtown right now,” council member Constance Scott said. “We need 10,000 people living downtown to be vibrant. We only have 4,000 now.”
    Guzzetta said Archstone will offer high-tech luxury to attract young professionals as renters. A 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment will lease for $2,000 a month.
    The concierge will offer hot and cold storage for pizza and grocery deliveries. The pool area will have marble tile, cabanas, an outdoor kitchen and an adjacent dog park.
    “Many young professionals are not going to be homebuyers for a long time,” Guzzetta said. “They saw their parents’ home go into foreclosure and don’t want that to happen to them. They would rather be footloose and fancy free.”
    A local economist, Ann Witte, disputed that at the March 11 hearing, saying most young professionals know it is cheaper to purchase a home. She said developers are overbuilding rental units.
    “Successful professionals are smart,” Witte said. “They’re going to buy and not rent.”
    But developer attorney Charlie Siemon accused Witte of bias against renters.
    Coastal residents objected to Archstone at the hearing, saying they fear traffic congestion along Palmetto Park Road at the bridge.
    “How are we going to deal with this?” Marie Dupont Roseberg asked. “You’re putting a cork in what’s already bottleneck traffic.”
    “We’re going to have trouble getting off the island for emergencies,” Debra Kusack warned.
    But Siemon described the increased traffic because of Archstone as “almost invisible.”
    Archstone will request a building permit this month and then select up to six restaurants for young professionals to enjoy.
    “We have over 50 parties interested in locating there,” Guzzetta said.
    Councilman Anthony Majhess criticized the developer for not including more retail shops in his project to create a downtown similar to Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
    “We’ve missed a great opportunity to have a thriving retail district,” said Majhess, the lone vote against the project.
    Mayor Susan Whelchel assured Majhess that retail shopping will come next.
    “We have to do this step by step,” she said. “We can’t have a pedestrian-friendly downtown until we have more pedestrians.”
    Archstone promises the pedestrians.
    “We will bring the people to the sidewalks to shop at stores on Palmetto Park Road,” Guzzetta said.