The City of Boca Welcomes a New Chairperson to the Community Redevelopment Agency

Boca Raton is known for its sunny Floridian weather and is home to many beautiful parks and beaches. It is the perfect place to raise a family, attend one of the many colleges located here, and is rated number six of the best places to retire in the United States.

It is no doubt that Boca Raton is a city with unparalleled merits and unique attractions in the downtown area and beyond. The Community Redevelopment Agency can be thanked for some of the notoriety Boca has claimed nationwide.

Monica Mayotte during her run for City Council Seat D.

The Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, was created in 1980 to “stop the deterioration of the downtown area and give people a reason to come to downtown Boca Raton,” according to their webpage.

Monica Mayotte recently assumed the position of chairperson for the CRA at the July City Council Meeting. Mayotte replaces Jeremy Rodgers as he was called to active duty by the US Navy.

Mayotte notes that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRA is not currently working on anything major due to safety regulations.

Mayotte outlined her main goals for the CRA moving forward. Mayotte wants to focus on what she calls “innovative, creative and sustainable initiatives.”

“I’d like to see key CRA projects that incorporate ideas that are innovative, creative and most importantly, sustainable,” Mayotte explained. “By sustainable, I mean projects that are mindful of the resources used to build and sustain the project, such as, renewable energy and/or energy conservation, water conservation, and recycling.”

Mayotte plans on continuing the plans from the last chairperson with public art activities. Mayotte will address overall downtown safety, emphasizing pedestrian safety and walkability and vehicular safety.

“My hope is that we continue to preserve existing green space and expand green space wherever possible,” Mayotte noted. “I would like to ensure that our initiatives for place-making, increased pedestrian safety and walkability continue to make improvements. I would like to see more sustainability features and innovative ideas incorporated into any new development and redevelopment projects that come before the CRA for approvals.”

Meetings for the CRA are held on the 2 and 4 Monday of each month at 1:30 pm. More information can be found on their webpage here https://www.myboca.us/410/Community-Redevelopment-Agency