The Boca Raton City Council has unanimously approved a proposal by the Boca Raton Housing Authority and Miami-based Atlantic Pacific Companies to expand affordable housing at the Residences at Martin Manor. The project will add 105 new apartments through two three-story buildings on the southern side of the 10-acre property at 1350 North Dixie Highway.
The expansion includes 54 one-bedroom, 42 two-bedroom, and nine three-bedroom units. This development will increase the total number of apartments in what was formerly known as Dixie Manor from its original 95 units to a modern complex with 200 apartments. Most of the existing buildings are being demolished as part of this redevelopment.
“Dixie Manor was developed many moons ago, between the 1940s and 1980s, and [the buildings] were in disrepair,” said Ele Zachariades, lobbyist for Atlantic Pacific Companies, during Tuesday’s council meeting.
One building from the original complex, dating back to the 1940s and measuring about 4,650 square feet, will be preserved. Half of this space will become a museum dedicated to Pearl City—a neighborhood established in 1915 for African Americans that predates Boca Raton.
According to Zachariades, Atlantic Pacific and the Housing Authority decided to increase the number of units because there is a significant waiting list for affordable housing in Boca Raton.
Ashley Whidby, executive director of the Boca Raton Housing Authority, stated that these new apartments would be available for households earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of Palm Beach County’s area median income (AMI). For reference, as of 2025, this means incomes ranging from $24,570 to $65,520 for a single-person household according to data from Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
Atlantic Pacific Communities secured the contract to redevelop Dixie Manor in 2024. The company is also pursuing other affordable housing projects across South Florida. These include a planned 600-unit apartment complex near St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Leisure City; a proposed 71-unit building near Carver Theater in Liberty City; an eight-story development with workforce and affordable housing comprising 375 apartments in Miami’s Overtown; and collaboration with Casa Familia on constructing 124 apartments for disabled adults in Kendall.
Other developments featuring affordable housing are underway in Boca Raton as well. In June, 900 Broken Sound Acquisition LLC and an affiliate of Peachtree Group received approval for a mixed-use apartment building containing both workforce and affordable units at Northwest Broken Sound Parkway. Additionally, Oak Lane Partners intends to develop Live Local Act apartments that will offer more affordable options near Park of Commerce Boulevard.
