This past week, Boca Raton city officials met to set goals new for the next twelve months regarding what changes they would like to see made for the city. As many residents have already felt the effects of the population increase, it is City Council who felt that it was the time they revamp certain parts of the city to grow with it!
Their agenda placed a lot of focus on changing the face of Boca Raton from what is currently a very business centered area to a family and vacation friendly atmosphere. City Council placed priority on a few different projects with their focus on creating a “thriving” downtown area and increasing parking, creating a more college-centric community, updating the City Hall and opening more waterfront areas up to the public. Mayor Susan Haynie says “These are very exciting initiatives…I think [the goals] are all extremely important, and they are all items the citizens want to see moving forward.”
Increasing Parking:With the already booming increase in new construction downtown, the City plans to change traffic patterns and improve parking to accommodate the new residents, and to offer current residents a bit of a break. With many of the high rises located in the downtown area, City Council also plans on making Federal Highway safer for pedestrians. This year, Boca Raton introduced Maria Terjera as the city’s new chief traffic engineer. Terjera is more than willing to take on the challenge of revamping the cities traffic patterns and to hopefully take a little bit of strain on everyone’s morning commute.
Opening More Waterfront Areas:In recent years, Boca Raton City Council members have noticed that some areas are underutilized, like Red Reef Park. The Park is 67-acres of oceanfront property that is currently open to the public with picnic areas, camping grounds and nature walkways. While the park remains usable, the city hopes to see more residents using the park, as in recent months attendance has dropped.
Also on their agenda was adding more water activities in Lake Wyman Park. By adding canoeing and kayaking trails, the city hopes to offer more diversity, thus creating a more family fun atmosphere.
Furthermore, whispers surrounding a new waterfront restaurant have surfaced. At the site of the late Wildflower night club, City Council hopes to build a new restaurant to attract new guests. The land is owned currently by the city, however, they are currently in negotiations with Hillstone Restaurant Group and hope to lease the land soon.
A Stronger College CommunityAround NW 20th Street there is already a number of business’ that cater to the college community. From bars to eateries offering student discounts, and mostly staffed by students, the area already has quite a bit to offer to the student-age demographic. The City hopes to add an area in which students are met with more opportunities to meet other students, as well as nightclub areas. The city is already having the area surveyed as they hope to place this little metropolis in the 20th Street Corridor. Planning has already started and surveyors are already in the process of seeing what it would take to make this dream a reality.
A Makeover for City BuildingsCity Council has also started planning a makeover for the cities public buildings, like City Hall and the police station. The goal is to modernize the buildings while making them more eco-friendly. While construction won’t starts for the city’s buildings for quite some time, the city plans to hire a consultant to help with the process.
In the coming months, many new changes and additions will be made, and we here at BocaNews can’t wait to see what Boca Raton will look like after its makeover.