A Boca Raton plaza overhaul? Plan may move Publix, add more than 300 rental units

A popular Boca Raton shopping plaza near I-95 could be reconfigured to relocate a Publix and add hundreds of new rental residences — one of the latest proposals in South Florida seeking to incorporate housing into a commercial destination.

The owner of Palmetto Park Square views it as an investment, including by adding a new, larger Publix, accommodating new housing and improving road and pedestrian access. The idea, still in the early stages, already has drawn opposition: Some neighbors say they worry it could affect property values and add more traffic.

The plaza is just east of Interstate 95, off West Palmetto Park Road. The hodgepodge center features a pre-existing Publix, YouFit Gyms, a dentist, a Keke’s Breakfast Cafe and a long-defunct Kmart building.

In preliminary plans submitted to the city, Selig Enterprises is considering bringing more than 300 rental residences to the area, with some allotted as workforce housing, and relocating the current Publix to where the Kmart used to be. According to its website, Selig also wants to bring “a mix of local and national retail tenants.”

Renderings and graphics of the proposal depict the residences and shops in a classic architectural style with arched entryways, columns and light colors. The new Publix could be moved to the west of the plaza, leaving room for the residences to rise on the east side of the plaza.

Drawing concerns

The plan likely has months before it will be considered by the City Council. That has led some Boca Raton homeowners, especially those who live near the plaza, feeling worried that adding rental units would lower their property values and increase traffic.

“This area contains homes with property values around, nearing and above $1 million. It’s taken a long time to get there,” said Laurie Colbert, whose home nearly abuts the plaza, during a city workshop on July 22. “These are rentals, and tenants don’t have a vested interest in maintaining the quality of life that we’re accustomed to and rentals by nature, bring a transient element.”

“This plaza is surrounded by single-family communities who have supported the plaza businesses for years, if not decades,” Colbert said.

She also called traffic a “nightmare” and worries adding rentals will only “exacerbate the congestion and create more hazards” as drivers have to make a U-turn leaving the plaza if they want to go east on Palmetto Park Road.

Roger Kline, another Boca Raton resident, questioned how the city’s infrastructure — police, fire rescue and schools — would support the people who could move into the rental residences.

“As more people discovered our paradise, more people have wanted in to this community,” he said during the workshop, adding: “The community feel is starting to waver. Traffic seems to be getting worse. Our schools, even the new ones, seem to be overflowing.”

Nearby schools in the area include Addison Mizner School and Boca Raton Community Middle School. As of February enrollment numbers for the 2023-24 school year, including pre-Kindergarten, Addison Mizner School slightly exceeded its 1,177 capacity, but Boca Raton Community Middle School remained more than 200 students under capacity.

A plaza for decades

Selig has owned Palmetto Park Square for more than 40 years, though some of the buildings, such as the Chik-fil-A and the Denny’s, are not included in Selig’s ownership.

Cliff Hertz, the attorney representing Selig at the recent city workshop, said the proposal is “strictly a draft to provoke some conversation.”

“All we’re asking is to continue this discussion,” Hertz said to council members.

Selig declined to comment, but in an emailed statement, Hunter Lainhart, a member of the development team, said Selig is “excited about the possibility of a significant investment to improve the property.”

“We are currently in the early planning phases that would contemplate a new and larger Publix, improvements to existing shops and the addition of for-rent residences along with more thoughtful road and pedestrian access throughout.

“Our top priority is to be good stewards to the community in putting forth a vision that will benefit the area for years to come. We look forward to sharing more details about the project as soon as possible.”

Traffic will be considered

In an interview with the Sun Sentinel before the July 22 workshop, City Councilmember Marc Wigder explained that the city is still several months away from potential approval.

“We have to consider traffic, we have to consider all of those things,” he said. “This is a special center, this is the community retail center. Everyone is in favor of something nice happening there. They want the community shopping experience to be there.”

During the workshop, Wigder emphasized the need for the area to undergo a “significant traffic study” before moving forward.

The proposed plan appears to include “pedestrian circulation,” which could enhance walkability.

Bonnie Miskel, an attorney specializing in land use and zoning, said that in general, producing residential where retail already exists is successful, especially in South Florida. She is not involved in the Palmetto Park Square plaza project.

Ideally, creating a mixed-use development with homes could actually take trips off the road, Miskel said.

“You walk downstairs, you grab a cup of coffee instead of driving to Starbucks,” she said.

The current plaza is a “sleepy center,” Miskel said, so change may seem daunting to the surrounding homeowners. But she also said she’s seen mixed-use play out well, citing the Park at Broken Sound at the intersection of Clint Moore Road and Congress Avenue in Boca Raton.

The 700-acre campus combines corporations, homes, shops and dining options, leaning into the “live, work, play” approach that Boca Raton has long embraced.

Either way, city officials are moving forward carefully with Palmetto Park Square, perpetually trying to strike a balance among all interests.

“Community collaboration and working with the community is very important in this area,” Fran Nachlas, another city councilmember, said during the workshop. “I hope that’s how it will move forward.”