Boca Raton’s Planning & Zoning Board has approved a proposal from developers James and Marta Batmasian to build Mizner Plaza, a mixed-use hotel project near the Mizner Park shopping and entertainment district. The board voted 5 to 1 in favor of parking space waivers and zoning changes needed for the development at 132 and 170 Northeast Second Street.
The planned project would replace an existing U.S. Post Office branch and retail plaza with two 12-story hotel towers featuring 242 rooms, nearly 19,000 square feet of retail, and 16,000 square feet of restaurant space. The site covers approximately 1.9 acres.
In addition to approving zoning changes, the board recommended transferring a city-owned, 0.3-acre parking lot at 190 Northeast Second Street to the Batmasians so that underground parking could be built for the new development. Board member Dorothy MacDiarmid was the sole dissenter on both measures.
The proposed parking waiver allows for just 372 spaces instead of the currently required 569. According to land use attorney Ele Zachariades, this would enable a design by Boca Raton architecture firm HdA that places retail, restaurants, and amenities on multiple floors throughout the building.
The Batmasians have offered to replace the current above-ground parking with a mini public park after constructing underground parking. However, most board members agreed with city staffers’ recommendation that the developers pay $2.4 million for the land—about $900,000 in cash with the remainder covered through public improvements and maintenance credits.
Without approval for these measures, Zachariades said an alternative design would result in more blocked views for nearby condo residents and less mixed-use space.
Residents of neighboring Tower 155 raised concerns about increased traffic—estimated at over 2,400 additional daily trips—and procedural issues related to selling public land without bidding. Richard De Witt, an attorney representing Tower 155’s condo association, cited a previous appraisal valuing the property at $3.3 million and questioned why a new appraisal was requested: “Once the developers saw that they balked at the price and demanded a new appraisal,” De Witt told the board, adding that the Batmasians want “to pay zero” for the land.
Zachariades responded that earlier appraisals included properties not involved in her clients’ plans.
Most board members supported moving forward as a way to help revitalize downtown Boca Raton. “I do think it is a beautiful building. Mizner needs something. Mizner has a lot of problems,” said board member Timothy Dornblaser.
This marks the second recent attempt by James and Marta Batmasian to develop hotels near Mizner Park; their earlier proposal in summer 2023 called for two buildings with more hotel rooms and larger retail space.
James Batmasian is known as one of Boca Raton’s largest real estate developers since founding Investments Limited in the early 1980s. He previously served eight months in prison after pleading guilty to payroll tax evasion but was pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020.
