The Boca Raton City Council has unanimously approved a proposal by Atlantic Pacific Companies and the Boca Raton Housing Authority to expand an existing affordable housing complex in the city. The project will add 105 new apartments to the Residences at Martin Manor, located at 1350 North Dixie Highway.
The approval allows for zoning changes that make it possible to construct two three-story buildings on the southern part of the 10-acre property. The new buildings will include 54 one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units, and nine three-bedroom units.
Originally known as Dixie Manor, the complex was built between the 1940s and 1980s. Most of its original structures are being demolished as part of a redevelopment plan by Atlantic Pacific. When complete, the site will have a total of 200 apartments.
“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 development—a structure dating back to the 1940s—will be preserved. Half of this building’s space is set to become a museum dedicated to Pearl City, which was established in 1915 as a neighborhood for African Americans before Boca Raton itself existed.
Atlantic Pacific Companies CEO Howard Cohen and Ashley Whidby, executive director of the Boca Raton Housing Authority, explained that demand prompted them to increase capacity. “We opted to expand the number of units due to the large waiting list for affordable apartments in Boca Raton,” Zachariades added.
Ashley Whidby also clarified income requirements: “The new apartments built on site will be reserved for households earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of area median income.” In Palm Beach County as of 2025, this means incomes ranging from $24,570 up to $65,520 for a single-person household according to data from Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
Atlantic Pacific Communities secured rights in 2024 through a bidding process to redevelop Dixie Manor. The company is also involved with several other affordable housing projects across South Florida. These include plans for a large-scale development near St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Leisure City (600 units), another near Carver Theater in Liberty City (71 units), an eight-story building with workforce housing in Miami’s Overtown (375 units), and collaboration with Casa Familia on a Kendall project aimed at disabled adults (124 units).
Other recent approvals related to affordable housing in Boca Raton include projects by developers such as Peachtree Group—whose planned mixed-unit apartment building at Northwest Broken Sound Parkway will feature both workforce and affordable options—and Oak Lane Partners’ upcoming Live Local Act development with townhouses intended for lower-income residents.
