By Mary Hladky
City officials are willing to consider implementing new regulations that would help CP Group attract coveted technology and life sciences tenants to its Boca Raton Innovation Campus.
City Council members directed staff on Nov. 8 to review proposed new rules that CP Group (formerly Crocker Partners) is drafting. The rules would allow the company to add amenities that high-tech companies want but are not now permitted by land use regulations and zoning at the former IBM campus.
The move is preliminary and offers no assurance that CP Group’s proposed regulations will be adopted.
But all council members said they like CP Group’s concept and a majority are strongly supportive. Boca is competing with cities across South Florida as they scramble to attract high-tech companies looking to relocate from other parts of the country.
Council member Andy Thomson echoed a comment he made at an October meeting when he said, “I do not want to see Boca miss an opportunity like this.”
“I am sure other cities are looking at our meeting and are dying for something like this,” said council member Yvette Drucker.
The council opened the door to negotiations between the city and CP Group after company attorney Bonnie Miskel updated a presentation she made in October to give council members more information on what CP Group envisions.
CP Group wants BRIC to offer what high-tech companies and their employees are demanding. That includes offices that are near housing, public transportation, restaurants, retail and child care.
The company wants to build 1,000 residential units, a 130-room hotel, grocery store and a civic center that can seat 2,100. The 1.7 million-square-foot office complex would expand to include 50,000 square feet of restaurants, 76,000 square feet of commercial and 80,000 square feet of medical offices.
Retail would be clustered along a “Main Street” with buildings of varying heights not exceeding seven stories.
Under existing regulations, the residential, hotel, grocery store and civic center are among uses that are not permitted since any development must serve only BRIC. That limits customers and makes it impossible to attract restaurants and other tenants CP Group wants.
CP Group’s traffic engineer said that the proposed redevelopment would not overburden existing roads since Spanish River Boulevard, Yamato Road and Congress Avenue have sufficient capacity to absorb traffic coming in and out of BRIC.
BRIC is now in the midst of a $100 million renovation primarily inside the original IBM buildings. CP Group’s expanded vision would cost at least an additional $205 million.
Most council members were willing to hold off on asking about more project specifics until BRIC submits proposed regulations and staff can evaluate them.But Mayor Scott Singer posed objections. He noted that CP Group estimates creating 479 new jobs and asked how that justified building 1,000 residential units.
Miskel said the jobs number is a very conservative estimate and pointed out that BRIC now has 35 tenants with 6,000 employees.
BRIC currently is upgrading its existing office space to meet tenant demands and that includes upgrading about 30% of the space that is not now Class A.
Singer questioned why CP Group is not proposing to also build new office space which would bring in additional jobs.
“I am happy to accommodate you there,” Miskel said, adding she would let CP Group know what Singer proposed.
CP Group’s draft regulations likely will be ready for city staff review within two months, Miskel said. Ú
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