By Mary Hladky
The City Council won’t stand in the way of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s efforts to develop the former Ocean Breeze golf course property.
Council members informally agreed on Nov. 7 that they like the district’s conceptual plans for the 212-acre site. Although they’d like to see a firmer proposal, they don’t want to hold up the district’s work to create one.
“I encourage moving forward and being supportive in a collaborative way,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke.
“Please, go forward,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
District Chair Erin Wright was gratified by the support. “I am so glad you guys have given us the go-ahead,” she said.
The cordial interaction between the two government bodies stood in contrast to disagreements that marred previous efforts to work together on projects.
This time around, the district wanted to give city leaders an early look at its plans so council members and city staff could voice any concerns now to head off time-consuming and costly project delays later on.
The site was slated to become the Boca National golf course two years ago. But that plan was scuttled when The Boca Raton donated the Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club to the city, eliminating the need for another golf course. The district has been considering what to do with Ocean Breeze ever since.
District officials have held public workshops, surveyed community residents and hired engineering and landscape architect Miller Legg to create the conceptual master plan.
That plan is ambitious. The site has been divided into four quadrants with different features and facilities. Multi-use trails, which Wright said are a “top priority,” run throughout the property.
One quadrant is devoted to golf, including an executive 9-hole course, short-game and putting areas, driving range and clubhouse.
The layout is intended to complement the city’s championship course at the Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club — the new name for the former country club — which is perceived as too difficult for many players.
A second quadrant has a dog park, community garden and butterfly/botanical garden and playground. The third features a racquet center, indoor and outdoor pickleball and tennis courts and playground. A fitness area, splash pad, boardwalk, swimming pools and field house are in the fourth.
The district wants a public-private partnership to operate the golf and racquet facilities, and partnerships for the aquatics center and field house.
The price tag would be about $27 million. But Wright said the actual number is about $20 million since the higher figure includes a $5 million contingency fund and $2 million already in hand to cover design costs.
The site would be developed in two phases, with most of the facilities completed by 2025 and the rest by 2028.
“I really, really like what we have come up with,” Wright said, while emphasizing that the plans are not final.
They do not address concerns from people living near the site about increased traffic and security, but Wright said both will be dealt with.
Although council members are not stopping the district from moving ahead, it isn’t clear whether that hands-off approach will last.
Deputy City Manager George Brown voiced an apparent concern at an Oct. 25 council meeting when he said the district has not identified what kind of public-private partnerships it will be seeking.
Council members Monica Mayotte and Yvette Drucker questioned whether too much emphasis had been placed on golf and related amenities, but did not ask for any changes.
They and O’Rourke wanted Brown or City Manager Leif Ahnell to specify any issues they had with the plans.
But Ahnell said city staffers could not do that because the plans are not firm yet and any alterations could affect their analysis. That analysis, he said, would come after the district submits a detailed site plan.
Singer urged staff to voice any concerns or objections as soon as possible so that the district can address them early on.
After the meeting, Wright said she was hopeful that would happen.
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