The City of Boca Raton is an economically vibrant community on the southeast coast of Florida, midway between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The HUD Consolidated Planning process required the City to examine its needs and design ways to address those needs, appropriate to its circumstances.
The City of Boca Raton Consolidated Plan outlines a strategy to revitalize deteriorating neighborhoods using resources from Community Development Block Grant ($498,000) and State Housing Initiatives Partnership ($375,114) funds.
The City of Boca Raton Consolidated Plan was developed by Development Services Department staff via the following process:
Two public hearings were held to obtain citizen input, as required by HUD: April 20 and June 20, 1995. The City also advertised that the Plan was available for a 31 day public comment period, from June 19 through July 20, 1995.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
Since its incorporation in 1924, the City of Boca Raton has evolved from a wealthy coastal resort town to an economically vibrant community of both senior citizens and younger families. The community has one of the highest per capita incomes in the state. It is well known for high community appearance and development standards, an excellent parks and recreation system, and beautification of the physical environment. However, Boca Raton was not totally insulated from some of growing pains faced by many Florida cities experiencing rapid population growth in the 1970s and 1980s and the economic recession of the early 1990s. Many city residents lost jobs, and seniors living on fixed incomes saw a severe decline in the interest income from their investments. In the early 1990s a decline in new investment and spending (particularly in construction) resulted in decreased revenues for the City. Although Boca Raton endured the recession better than most, it will continue to be challenged by a restructured state and regional economy, as well as coping with the population growth it has experienced.
Boca Raton is the southernmost city in Palm Beach County. The City's population increased by 67% from 1970 to 1980 and by 24% from 1980 to 1990. The U.S. Census established the 1990 population as 61,491 (as of 4/1/94 the population was estimated to be 65,901, per the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at Gainesville). The County's 1990 population was primarily white (85%), with a 12% black population. Boca Raton's population was 94% white, with blacks constituting 3% of residents. Census figures indicate that 21% of Boca's residents are age 65 or older, with nearly half (48%) of that cohort being age 75 or more.
In 1990 Boca Raton's median household income was $42,314, compared with $24,310 for Palm Beach County as a whole. According to HUD, the current median income for a four person household is $44,500. Educational attainment in Boca Raton is high, with 35% of the population age 25 and over having a Bachelor's degree or more (compared with 22% of County residents).
The 1990 unemployment rate for Boca Raton was 3.3%, less than the County's 5.2% rate (in 1995 Boca's rate was 3.5%, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Many residents in the labor force work in managerial and professional occupations. But the Boca Raton economy includes many service jobs, attending to the desires of the affluent population. Most of these service workers (and many middle class employees, as well) cannot afford to live in the City, due to high housing costs.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
Since over 90% of the City's housing stock has been added since 1960, most of the units are well maintained and in good condition. The City is almost "built out" in residentially zoned areas, so it is anticipated that few units will be added to the housing inventory.
According to the Priority Needs Summary Table of the Consolidated Plan, between 1995 and 2000 it is estimated that there will be a need for 779 additional low/moderate rental units (excluding the elderly population) and 2,334 low/moderate owner units. In addition, 684 low/moderate rental units are estimated to be needed for the elderly.
As the population of Boca Raton increased during the decade before 1990, so did the number of residential units, from 24,798 to 32,962. Of these units, in 1990 20% were vacant (the Census was taken in April, when most seasonal residents had left town), 20% were renter-occupied, and 59% were owner-occupied.
The 1990 Census indicated that only 30 units lacked complete plumbing facilities, while 226 units were without complete kitchen facilities. Less than one percent did not have a public source of water (they had wells) and only 878 units were on septic tanks. The Census Bureau reported that just 5.2% of occupied rental units were overcrowded, and only .8% of owner-occupied units. Condominiums constitute 24% of all residential units in Boca Raton, and 47% of the City's housing units are single family.
In 1990 owner-occupied units in Boca Raton were valued as follows (per the Census):
Value Percent of Units
Less than $ 75,000 3%
$75,000 - $ 99,999 11%
$100,000 - $124,999 16%
$125,000 - $149,000 14%
$150,000+ 56%
According to the 1990 Census, 15% of monthly rents charged at the time were under $500, 21% were in the $500-599 range, 22% were $600-699, 26% were $700-999, and 12% were $1,000 or more.
Many Boca Raton residents are cost burdened and severely cost burdened. While low income renters and owners were both cost burdened, the need was most critical among very low income renters. Rental assistance, homebuyer assistance, and funds to assist low income persons to maintain their homes are all needed to address the identified problems.
The 1990 Census' "Shelter and Street Night Enumeration" showed a homeless count of zero for Boca Raton. Since then, no one point-in-time study has been conducted. No hard data exist on homeless subpopulations in the City.
The City of Boca Raton has operated a Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance program since 1978. The program provides housing assistance payments to landlords on behalf of 383 tenants, about half of whom are elderly, throughout the City. Tenants must have "very low" incomes (below 50% of median) to be eligible. The waiting list had approximately 275 names as of June 1995. Due to the low rate of turnover, it takes a very long time (as long as eight years) for an applicant's name to come to the top of the list. Thus, the list has been closed to new applicants since April 1993. Even when applicants come to the top of the list and are certified, they are sometimes unsuccessful in locating a rental unit. Boca Raton's vacancy rate has historically been very low, and dropped to less than 1% since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. During that time approximately 50 tenants have taken their Section 8 certificates or vouchers to nearby communities where the supply of affordable units is greater.
The Boca Raton Housing Authority owns and operates a 95 unit public housing complex, called Dixie Manor, at 1350 N. Dixie Highway. The complex provides subsidized housing for very low income households. It maintains a waiting list of approximately 75 families. The Authority is not eligible for the Comprehensive Grant program but is a recipient of CIAP (Comprehensive Improvement Assistance Program) funds for Dixie Manor. A $90,000 CIAP grant was received in 1994 to re-roof units and replace appliances. Additional CIAP funds were requested in 1995 to replace dilapidated kitchen cabinets and screen doors.
In 1994 the Housing Authority obtained a loan to purchase and complete substantial rehabilitation on the Boca Island East apartment complex, located at 70 S.E. 11th Street. The property was held by HUD prior to sale, as the previous owner had defaulted on a HUD-held mortgage and allowed the units to fall into disrepair. The Authority entered a 15 year project-based Section 8 contract with HUD for the 51 rental units at the complex.
No Section 8 or public housing units are expected to be lost from the assisted housing inventory for any reason.
In accordance with the guidelines of Florida's State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Program, the City of Boca Raton appointed a nine member Affordable Housing Advisory Commission. The Commission was charged with reviewing the City's existing policies, procedures, ordinances, land development regulations and comprehensive plan and to make specific recommendations aimed at encouraging and facilitating affordable housing while also protecting property values. The Commission met monthly from Sept. 1993 through Jan. 1994 to discuss the various issues involved in the process of housing development. Commissioners recognized that the high cost of land is the primary barrier to affordable housing development in the City. They considered the high cost of housing in Boca Raton, the lack of available land, and the need to consider the availability of housing as a factor in the location of new businesses. The Commission therefore developed an Affordable Housing Incentive Plan, adopted by the City Council in Feb. 1994, which addresses barriers to affordable housing. Their recommendations are included in the Strategic Plan portion of this document.
Discrimination complaints are referred both to HUD and the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity, which has begun the process of obtaining Federal Equivalency status to handle such complaints.
Statistics provided by the Palm Beach County Health Unit show that only two children from Boca Raton had venous blood tests >10 ug/dl for the time period Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, 1994. According to the County's Environmental division, no housing units were found to have lead-based paint during that time period. The County Health Unit provides routine screening of all children going to their clinics, including all Medicaid-eligible children.
The frail elderly are also a special needs population. There are several privately owned Adult Congregate Living Facilities (ACLFs) which provide assisted living for frail elderly, but with monthly fees beginning at $1,500 they are not affordable to low income elderly.
The Consolidated Plan identified the primary community development needs to be addressed over the next five years as youth services and a neighborhood center. The New Pines neighborhood, a CDBG target area, has been identified by City government, private business, and a local university as needing a neighborhood center, which will facilitate a proactive, innovative, and grassroots program directed toward "at risk" children, as well as benefit the entire community.
The City of Boca Raton coordinates its limited resources through a single department, which facilitates maximum coordination of all housing and community development efforts targeted toward low income households. This structure provides for maximum flexibility in the layering of funds and the coordination of social service efforts to achieve objectives. The Development Services Department coordinates efforts with other Palm Beach County governmental entities via the HOPWA interlocal agreement and participation with the County's Affordable Housing Commission.
The coordination of resources enables the Pearl City CATS programs to exist. CATS is jointly funded with CDBG, Childrens' Services Council (CSC), and Boca Raton Housing Authority dollars. The Police Services Dept. provides community policing officers in both CDBG target areas. The City and Housing Authority refer citizens to many public and non-profit agencies for social services. By having a representative on the South Palm Beach County Council of Human Services, the City maintains an awareness of what programs are available from various service providers. As part of administering the SHIP Homebuyer Assistance program, the City coordinates with local lenders and the Consumer Credit Counseling Service to ensure the availability of homebuyer and credit repair seminars and counseling.
The primary goal of the Consolidated Plan is to develop a viable community by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. The primary means to accomplish this end is to extend and strengthen partnerships between all levels of government and the private sector, including for-profit and non-profit organizations, in the production and preservation of affordable housing.
Provision of additional and maintenance of existing housing affordable to low income persons is the primary housing priority, for both owners and renters. A neighborhood center is considered a high community development priority.
Priorities for affordable housing include the provision of Section 8 rental assistance, construction of an affordable Adult Congregate Living Facility for frail elderly, provision of CDBG funds as seed money to establish a non-profit housing corporation, provision of purchase assistance to homebuyers, and rehab loans for qualified homeowners.
Priorities in this category are for a neighborhood center in Sand Pine Park, and continued provision of youth services at the Dixie Manor public housing complex.
Efforts to combat poverty in Boca Raton have focused on educational opportunities, job counseling, child care and improved transportation, rather than economic development. It is difficult to assess the extent to which the City's housing policies and programs might assist in reducing the number of households with incomes below the poverty line. Probably the most effective policy is the preservation of low income neighborhoods. There are considerable job opportunities in the City. The lack of affordable housing has resulted in an increase in the number of lower income workers living outside the City and an overall reduction of the number of households with incomes below the poverty line between 1980 and 1990.
A combination of federal, state, local, and private resources are available to the community. Federal resources include CDBG, Section 8, CIAP, and Section 108 loan funds. State resources include SHIP funds; local resources include the Palm Beach County Children's Services Council, and City general revenue dollars donated to non-profits. Private programs include the Consortium for Affordable Home Financing, New Pines Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity, among others.
The City of Boca Raton Community Improvement Office is responsible for coordinating the strategic plan. The fact that public housing, rental assistance, homebuyer assistance, and CDBG programs are all administered under the Community Improvement umbrella enables us effectively coordinate efforts.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
Housing rehab loans are available city-wide. The ACLF will be located at 2950 N.W. 5th Avenue. The neighborhood center and public housing youth program are both in CDBG target areas.
The City of Boca Raton acts as the lead agency for all funding activities.
The one year Plan anticipates the rehabilitation of six owner-occupied housing units, emergency repair assistance to 10 households, rental assistance for 400 households, and homebuyer purchase assistance for 34 households.
Ms. Sandra McGinn
Director Community Improvement Department
201 W. Palmetto Park Road
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
(407) 393-7756
U.S. HUD contact: Marion
Guilford CPD Representative