New design for Mizner 200 in Boca Raton

Development Size: Four 9-story condo towers averaging 300 feet in height (proposed)

Price Range: $750 per square foot (blended average); $1,500,000 average price per unit
Developer: Elad National Properties

Mizner 200 latest update 

Last week, Boca Raton received plans for the updated version of Mizner 200, the Elad National Properties condo project that would replace Elad’s Mizner on the Green rental complex across Mizner Boulevard from Royal Palm Place. The change in design is significant and pleasing.  Like the first version, the new plan is for 384 luxury units. Like the first version, the project would run roughly 900 feet from Townsend Place on the south to Mizner Village Boulevard on the north. Like the first version, it would be nine stories tall and would not exceed the 100-foot height limit that Ordinance 4035, which governs downtown development, allows for the site.

Unlike the first version, the new design breaks up what remains one building into what appear to be three buildings. There are new sight lines through to the east, where Mizner 200 would abut the Boca Raton Resort & Club golf course. The single entrance aligns with the entrance to Royal Palm Place.  Architect Peter Stromberg of GarciaStromberg/GS4 Studios made the changes in response to comments from residents about the first version. The Boca Beautiful group sent Mayor Susan Haynie a review that referred to the project as a “wall” and claimed that the design did not comply with Ordinance 4035. Since Boca Beautiful’s founder and many of its members live in Townsend Place, the review focused especially on views for those and other downtown residents and scale. Mizner 200, the review argued, would “overwhelm” the area.

In an interview last week, Stromberg said he took Boca Beautiful’s review “seriously.” Noting that Ordinance 4035 does not contain the architectural rules of Ordinance 5052, Stromberg said he nevertheless wanted in the redesign to “create open space above the street.” The setback from the sidewalk would be 30 feet; the city requires just six feet. The new design breaks out the three sections at the fourth floor, with another “step back” at the ninth floor. Pedestrians, Stromberg said, would see “three masses” and the public walkway would be opened up. Mizner on the Green goes right up to the sidewalk.

To accommodate the changes, Stromberg said, he took 50,000 square feet out of the project. The average size of the units would be 2,000 square feet, but the design allows buyers who want more space to combine units. Stromberg estimates that the working number of units would be about 340, not 384.  Ironically, the development team’s meeting with Boca Beautiful, the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners and others might result not only in what Stromberg calls “a better project” but a more lucrative project. Because of the new spacing, there are more end units. Those tend to cost more. Elad’s attorney, Bonnie Miskel, estimated the sale prices at $750 per square foot. At that rate, a 2,000-square foot apartment would cost $1.5 million.

Elad also met with representatives of Royal Palm Place, whose owners are planning their own residential project on what is now parking on the west side of Mizner Boulevard. That project would be part of a seven-phase makeover of Royal Palm Place. Miskel said, “We’ve attempted to meet (Royal Palm Place) halfway.” Stromberg said the two companies have a mutual interest in making their respective projects complementary.

In an interview Friday, Royal Palm Place architect Doug Mummaw acknowledged the design changes but said his side still objects to Mizner 200 as “not congruent with the architectural guidelines” of Ordinance 4035 and “significantly overscaled.” Mummaw said Royal Palm Beach intends to “put (Elad) on notice” about these issues.  Obviously, Royal Palm Place will want optimal views for its residential project so as to charge optimal prices. Potentially obstructed views also will be the issue for some Townsend Place residents. One asked Stromberg to reconfigure the southernmost portion of Mizner 200, a change that Stromberg called “not feasible.” Mizner on the Green’s buildings are all three stories, so Mizner 200 would be a big change.

Referring to Townsend Place, Miskel said, “No one is entitled to a view.” Referring to objections about the design, Miskel said she has read Ordinance 4035 “at least 100 times,” and believes that no other downtown Boca project has adhered as much to it as Mizner 200. Downtown projects, she said, always seek one or two technical violations, “and they’re always granted.” Mizner 200 seeks no technical variations.  Aside from the size and scale, Miskel anticipates questions about the design style, with critics saying it isn’t Mizneresque. To which she responded, “There’s a lot about Addison Mizner that people don’t know,” adding that the architect most identified with Boca Raton’s Mediterranean look also favored “lines, patterns and undulations” that are not typically Mediterranean.

Mizner 200 wouldn’t have roof tiles, but Stromberg responds that Mizner 200 would have a flat roof, and downtown design guidelines don’t require Spanish tiles with flat roofs. Stromberg calls the project “a modern interpretation of tropical Mediterranean style.”

Construction of Mizner 200 would take three to four years. The company would begin on the north end and work south. Elad has been notifying Mizner on the Green tenants when their leases come up and offering to move anyone interested to other company projects in Boca.  There is no date for Mizner 200 to go before the Planning and Zoning Board, which is the first step in city review. Discussion of the project likely will include what Elad first proposed: four condo towers averaging 300 feet in height. That project never got a hearing. Miskel hopes that the board can get Mizner 200 on its agenda in June.

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