The Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board has voted to recommend approval of a mixed-use hotel project proposed by developers James and Marta Batmasian near the Mizner Park shopping and entertainment district. The board’s 5-1 vote on Thursday supports granting parking waivers and zoning changes for the planned Mizner Plaza, which would feature twin 12-story hotels with a total of 242 rooms, nearly 19,000 square feet of retail space, and 16,000 square feet designated for restaurants at 132 and 170 Northeast Second Street.
The development would replace an existing U.S. Post Office branch and a retail plaza. Additionally, the board voted in favor of transferring the city’s 0.3-acre parking lot at 190 Northeast Second Street to the Batmasians so they can construct underground parking for the new complex.
Board member Dorothy MacDiarmid was the sole dissenting vote on both measures. Final decisions will be made by Boca Raton’s mayor and city council at an upcoming meeting.
Land use attorney Ele Zachariades explained that the waiver allows for only 372 parking spaces on the site instead of the required 569. Plans include two levels of underground parking beneath what is currently a city-owned lot with 17 spaces.
According to Zachariades, “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 room sizes are expected to range from 380 to 1,100 square feet.
To address public concerns about lost parking spaces, the Batmasians offered to replace all current spots and convert part of the above-ground area into a mini public park. However, most board members agreed with staff recommendations that developers should pay $2.4 million—the appraised value—for the land: nearly $900,000 in cash with additional credits given for public improvements tied to new spaces and future park maintenance.
Zachariades stated 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 opposed moving forward without further study. Jeff Costello, planning consultant for neighboring Tower 155’s condo association—a residential complex completed in 2020—estimated over “2,400 daily new trips” through local streets if construction proceeds as planned.
Attorney Richard De Witt argued before board members that procedures were not properly followed regarding both project review and sale terms for city property. He noted an earlier appraisal valued city land at $3.3 million but claimed this was disregarded after objections from developers: “Once the developers saw that they balked at the price and demanded a new appraisal,” De Witt told board members.
Zachariades responded that initial appraisals included properties not relevant to their plans.
Despite these disputes, several board members said they believed Mizner Plaza could benefit downtown revitalization efforts. Board member Timothy Dornblaser remarked: “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 previous plan called for two slightly shorter towers containing more rooms alongside greater commercial space.
James Batmasian has been active in local real estate since founding Investments Limited with his wife in the early 1980s but also served time in prison following a payroll tax evasion conviction in 2008; he later received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in December 2020.
