A 12-story, 219-room hotel proposed for Boca Raton’s “pink plaza” recently received a city panel’s support, further advancing in the process.
The city’s Community Appearance Board, which reviews building exterior alteration plans, reviewed the hotel’s landscaping plans and has recommended approval. Other city boards still have to review the project.
This hotel is proposed for the current retail strip, or pink plaza and post office, along Northeast Second Street directly south of Mizner Park. If approved, the first and second floor of the hotel would have shops and restaurants, more than what exists now, said Ele Zachariades, a lawyer with Miskel Backman, who is representing the project. The hotel also would have a rooftop restaurant.
It’s too early to say what will become of the current restaurants and shops, which include spots such as 2nd Street Bagels and Deli and Ramen Lab Eatery.
“We will of course work with the existing tenants to find replacements,” Zachariades said. “Much care was taken in the design of Mizner Plaza (hotel) to ensure a true pedestrian corridor and experience and to minimize negative effects to neighboring property owners.”
When the hotel was presented at a Planning and Zoning Board meeting last year, some Tower 155 residents worried the hotel could obstruct views and increase traffic in the area.
“I think this big and beautiful hotel, it is all wrong for this parcel of land. It is too big,” Tower 155 resident Jeanette Oren said during the meeting.
Other developments in the city
Boca Raton already has nearly 20 hotels in the city, according to tourism nonprofit Discover the Palm Beaches. This includes The Boca Raton resort, which is set to have a new eight-story residential building rising 100 feet.
And beyond hotels, many other development projects either are under construction or under review in the city.
Modera Boca, for example, is a 12-story, 306-unit multifamily residential building that was approved last year for 400 S. Dixie Highway.
Other projects under review include The Oval, a 10-unit residential development with retail; North Park Villas, a 10-unit project and a new office building at Boca Executive Office Center, according to city documents.
A groundbreaking for the proposed Mizner Plaza hotel could be a couple of years away, Zachariades said.
According to documents from Miskel Backman last year: “The entire development was created and envisioned for a true world-class experience and to provide the City of Boca Raton with an iconic, one-of-a-kind development. This project will become the new standard for development in our great City of Boca Raton, elevating the city.”