Owner Steven Danza and WGI, a West Palm Beach-based design and professional services firm, filed the application stating that a hotel is needed to increase the economic viability of the Boca Raton, Fla. club. County staff initially recommended not approving the zoning change before unanimously approving on February 25.
Boca Holdings LLC, owner of the Boca Lago Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla., filed an application with the Palm Beach County Planning and Zoning Board to expand the zoning of the property for a hotel to be built there, the South Florida Business Journal reported. The zoning commission reviewed the application February 25.
According to the agenda item, county staff recommends that the property use not be changed to accommodate a potential hotel, the Business Journal reported. The application does not state how large the hotel would be.
Boca Lago Country Club owner Steven Danza filed the application along with Linday Libes of WGI, a West Palm Beach-based design and professional services firm, the Business Journal reported. The application argues that a hotel is needed to increase the economic viability of the golf course.
“Unfortunately, the viability of the golf industry has not only come into question over recent years, but has directly affected Boca Lago, as there has been a systemic and nationwide decline in recreational golf and membership participation,” the application states.
The Business Journal reported that Danza and WGI received unanimous approval from the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners on February 25 to initiate a code change that would permit the club to eventually file an application for a hotel. The final approval of this code change could still be another three months away, said Jeff Brophy, a representative of the owner at WGI, a design and professional services firm.
County staff recommended not approving the zoning change because a hotel may not directly benefit residents at the country club, the Business Journal reported. The property’s current zoning calls for commercial uses that could be primarily supported by residents, and staff does not think Boca Holdings LLC’s application adequately makes the case that a future hotel fits that description.
Developers said in the application that multifamily housing primarily surrounds the golf course and country club, the Business Journal reported. This type of residential development limits the capacity to accommodate guests.
A hotel, meanwhile, would house those guests instead, according to the application, the Business Journal reported. The future hotel would also include retail, food and beverage options, which would benefit nearby residents, the application states.
The Boca Lago community includes 1,828 residential units, a 61,600-sq.-ft. clubhouse facility and a 210-acre golf course, the Business Journal reported. The country club encompasses 547 acres of land.
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