The Boca Raton city council approved on Mar. 24 a controversial hotel development by James and Marta Batmasian, moving forward with the Mizner Plaza Hotel project before a newly elected majority takes office.
The approval of the two-building, 12-story, 219-key hotel at 132 and 170 Northeast Second Street comes as the current developer-friendly council prepares to step down for representatives who campaigned on slowing growth. The project, designed by HdA Architects, will be built on a site currently occupied by a post office and retail plaza. It features fewer rooms than an earlier version but still drew criticism from residents of neighboring Tower 155 condominium.
The city granted the Batmasians a parking deviation that allows for two levels of underground parking with 328 spaces instead of the required 557. The developers agreed to provide additional parking within 600 feet if needed in the future. As part of its approval conditions, the city also requires monitoring of Tower 155’s structural integrity during construction using drones and seismic sensors due to concerns about potential damage; Tower 155’s condo association previously sued another developer after cracks were found in their building.
Some neighbors argued that reducing the size of the project would eliminate the need for such significant parking reductions. However, Ele Zacharadias, attorney for the Batmasians, said that under current zoning rules, an even larger residential development could be built without view columns if desired.
Political changes are underway in Boca Raton following voter rejection of another large-scale development proposal known as One Boca. Candidates supported by Save Boca—a group opposing rapid development—won recent elections including Jon Pearlman and others now set to join incumbent Andy Thomson on council. Outgoing member Marc Widger suggested delaying action until after new members are sworn in but was overruled; he cast the only dissenting vote citing concerns about underground parking and local water table issues: “A parking garage within 600 feet is a better idea,” Widger said.
Looking ahead, James and Marta Batmasian plan another similar-sized hotel less than a mile away at their Royal Palm Plaza property.
