BOCA RATON The city’s downtown has fewer than 4,000 residents, and some say that’s not yet enough to support the businesses along East Palmetto Park Road, the city’s main thoroughfare.
So the idea now is to increase the number of residents to help stamp out the bloom of vacancy signs in the heart of the city’s business district.
To that end:
•469 rental units are now under construction downtown: 261 units at Camden and 208 units at Ram, which will be the city’s tallest building, at 12 stories.
•Another nine-story, 208-unit condo development downtown, Tower One-Fifty-Five is awaiting permits;
•So is Via Mizner, with 350 rental units.
•And the majority of the City Council voted for a 378-unit, nine-story rental complex for East Palmetto Park Road, Archstone Palmetto Park.
The majority of the City Council thinks that increasing the density is crucial for downtown businesses to survive, particularly for the block on east end of Palmetto Park Road, before the bridge to the island. Mayor Susan Whelchel Monday recalled a recent conversation.