Royal Palm Place Hotel
Royal Palm Place Hotel
Phase 2 in the redevelopment of Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Place has entered a new phase. This new phase would produce Royal Palm Place Hotel.
Nearly two years ago, Investments Limited—which owns Royal Palm Place—proposed two new buildings. The larger one would have faced Northeast Mizner Boulevard and included almost 300 residential units.
Last week, however, Investments Limited filed a less ambitious application with the city. This Phase 2 would add a 144-room, extended-stay hotel—no brand yet—atop a parking garage. The structure would face Federal Highway between Southeast Second and Third streets, just west of the mixed-use project that in 2006 was the plaza’s first phase of redevelopment.
According to documents submitted to the city, Phase 2 also would include two “interactive art parks.” One would be on Federal Highway and the other as an extension to the existing “Garden of Humanity.” In addition, the project would bring an “enhanced pedestrian realm, including decorative paving, landscaping, signage and other placemaking elements,” plus right-of-way improvements with enhanced on-street parking, landscape and decorative pavers.”
Robert Eisen of Investments Limited cited “many reasons” for the new plan, most notably that the company “wasn’t sure the downtown was ready for an influx of that many new rental apartments.” Boca Raton has approved several other large downtown rental projects since the end of the Great Recession. Eisen said Investments Limited also “felt that the extended-stay hotel filled a need in the downtown.”
As with the previous plans, a big issue will be parking. Investments Limited calls it the “most important and challenging element” of the proposal.
Royal Palm Place has been “underparked”—as planners say—since its construction in 1966. Investments Limited points out that private projects north of Royal Palm Place displaced public spaces on the street. The company claims, however, that Royal Palm Place would “meet code” for parking if this project is built.