The Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board has approved recommendations that would allow developers James and Marta Batmasian to move forward with a mixed-use hotel project near the Mizner Park shopping and entertainment district. The board voted 5 to 1 on Thursday in favor of granting parking waivers and other zoning changes for the proposed Mizner Plaza, which would be built at 132 and 170 Northeast Second Street.
Mizner Plaza is planned as a pair of 12-story towers featuring 242 hotel rooms, nearly 19,000 square feet of retail space, and 16,000 square feet dedicated to restaurants. The development would replace an existing U.S. Post Office branch and a retail plaza.
The board also recommended by the same margin that the city transfer its 0.3-acre parking lot at 190 Northeast Second Street to the Batmasians. This would enable construction of underground parking for the new development.
Dorothy MacDiarmid was the only board member to vote against both measures. Final decisions will rest with Boca Raton’s mayor and city council at an upcoming meeting.
According to Ele Zachariades, land use attorney for the Batmasians, the parking waiver allows just 372 spaces instead of the currently required 569 on the nearly two-acre site. The plan includes two levels of underground parking beneath what is now a city-owned lot with 17 spaces.
Zachariades explained that “the waiver will allow the developer to incorporate a stepped-style crafted by Boca Raton-architecture firm HdA that would place the retail, restaurant spaces and amenities on the first, second, fourth and 12th floors of the hotel.” Hotel rooms are expected to range from 380 to 1,100 square feet each.
To address concerns about public parking loss, the Batmasians have offered to replace all existing surface spaces and create a mini public park above ground. However, most board members agreed with city staff’s recommendation that developers pay $2.4 million—the appraised value—for the land: almost $900,000 in cash with remaining value covered through public improvements and maintenance credits related to new spaces and future park upkeep.
Zachariades noted that without these approvals “the developers would pursue a design that would end up blocking most condo dwellers’ views and consist almost entirely of hotel rooms.”
Some residents from Tower 155—a neighboring condominium complex completed in 2020—opposed or sought delays for further analysis. Jeff Costello, planning consultant for Tower 155’s association, warned that over 2,400 additional daily trips could funnel through a narrow alley between Tower 155 and Mizner Plaza once built.
Attorney Richard De Witt argued procedures were not properly followed regarding both project review and sale of public land: “Once the developers saw [the original appraisal] they balked at the price and demanded a new appraisal,” De Witt told board members. He added that “the Batmasians want ‘to pay zero’ for the land.” A previous appraisal valued it at $3.3 million; Zachariades countered this included properties outside her clients’ plans.
Despite objections from some residents, several board members said they believe Mizner Plaza could help revitalize downtown Boca Raton near Mizner Park. Board member Timothy Dornblaser commented: “I do think it is a beautiful building. Mizner needs something. Mizner has a lot of problems.”
This proposal marks James and Marta Batmasian’s second attempt since summer 2023 to build hotels near Mizner Park; their earlier plan called for slightly smaller buildings but more total hotel rooms plus additional retail space.
James Batmasian is co-founder—with Marta—of Investments Limited, one of Boca Raton’s largest real estate firms since its start in the early 1980s. In December 2020 he received a presidential pardon after serving eight months in prison following his guilty plea in a payroll tax evasion case from 2008.
