Boca Raton’s Planning & Zoning Board has recommended approval for a mixed-use hotel project near the Mizner Park shopping and entertainment district. The proposal, put forward by developers James and Marta Batmasian, would bring Mizner Plaza—a pair of 12-story hotels with 242 rooms, nearly 19,000 square feet of retail space, and 16,000 square feet for restaurants—to 132 and 170 Northeast Second Street.
The development would replace an existing U.S. Post Office branch and a retail plaza. In addition to recommending zoning changes and parking waivers in a 5-1 vote on Thursday, the board also voted to recommend that the city transfer its nearby 0.3-acre parking lot at 190 Northeast Second Street to the Batmasians for use as underground parking.
Board member Dorothy MacDiarmid was the only dissenting vote on both measures. Final decisions will be made by Boca Raton’s mayor and city council at a future meeting.
According to Ele Zachariades, land use attorney for the developers, “The parking waiver will allow the Batmasians to build just 372 spaces at the 1.9-acre site instead of the 569 spaces currently required.” She added that two levels of underground parking are planned below what is now a city-owned lot with 17 spaces.
Zachariades said that this waiver enables an architectural design from HdA that places retail, restaurant spaces, and amenities on various floors: “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 about 380 to over 1,100 square feet in size.
To address concerns about public parking loss, the Batmasians offered to replace all existing spaces and create a mini public park above ground. However, most board members agreed with city staff recommendations for compensation: payment of $2.4 million based on appraised value—nearly $900,000 in cash—with remaining value covered through public improvements or maintenance credits related to new park facilities.
Zachariades noted that without these approvals or access to city land for underground parking construction, an alternative design would be pursued: “Without the parking waiver and city land, the developers would pursue a design that would end up blocking most condo dwellers’ views and consist almost entirely of hotel rooms.”
Some residents expressed opposition during Thursday’s meeting. Jeff Costello—a planning consultant hired by Tower 155’s condo association—estimated over 2,400 additional daily trips in local traffic after completion of Mizner Plaza; much of this traffic would use a narrow alleyway between Tower 155 (completed in 2020) and Mizner Plaza.
Richard De Witt—the association’s attorney—argued against immediate approval: “Once the developers saw that they balked at the price and demanded a new appraisal,” De Witt told board members regarding prior appraisals conducted by Walter Duke & Associates valuing land higher than current figures. He claimed “the Batmasians want ‘to pay zero’ for the land.”
Zachariades responded by saying earlier valuations included properties not involved in their plans.
Despite these objections from neighboring residents concerned about procedures or impacts on property values—and requests for further study or open bidding—most board members favored moving forward with Mizner Plaza as part of broader efforts downtown.
“I do think it is a beautiful building. Mizner needs something. Mizner has a lot of problems,” said board member Timothy Dornblaser.
This marks James and Marta Batmasian’s second attempt since summer 2023 at developing hotels near Mizner Park; their previous plan called for two slightly shorter buildings with more hotel rooms but greater commercial space overall.
James Batmasian is known locally as one of Boca Raton’s largest real estate developers through Investments Limited—a company he co-founded in the early ’80s. In December 2020 he received a presidential pardon after serving eight months in prison following his guilty plea related to payroll tax evasion charges filed in 2008.
