Boca Raton Hires Chen Moore for 17-Acre Memorial Park Master Plan

Boca Raton City Council voted 3-0 on Sept. 8 to approve Resolution No. 113-2026, authorizing a $519,925 contract with Chen Moore and Associates to develop a master plan for the roughly 17-acre Downtown Civic Area and Memorial Park. The scope covers planning and community engagement only. No construction documents, permitting, bidding or construction administration are included, so no contractor solicitation is on the table yet, but this is the item that starts the clock on one.

Why it matters

For general contractors watching Boca Raton, this is a pipeline signal, not a bid opportunity. The council resolution explicitly limits Chen Moore’s scope to master planning and implementation strategy. Construction work on Memorial Park, City Hall, the Community Center, the Tennis Center and the Singing Pines Building Complex will not go out to bid until the city adopts a final Master Plan and separately funds design and construction. That makes now the window to track the process, not to expect a solicitation. Deputy Mayor Michelle Grau recused herself because her husband’s firm does work for Chen Moore, and Councilman Jon Pearlman was absent, leaving a 3-0 vote among a quorum of three.

The numbers

The council authorized $519,925 for the base contract plus a $52,000 contingency for unforeseen needs, for a total of $571,925. City staff’s Sept. 1 memo splits the lump-sum fee into four phases: $132,070 for project initiation, council alignment and a listening framework; $52,620 for community listening sessions and a survey; $249,350 for a two-and-one-half-day public design charrette and concept development; and $85,885 for the final plan and recommendations. Funding comes from the FY2026-27 Capital Improvement Program under the Resident-Led Memorial Park Enhancements line. Chen Moore was selected from a Request for Qualifications process on July 28, 2026, under a separate resolution, and this contract formalizes the scope and fee.

What’s next

The planning process runs roughly six months from contract execution, meaning a draft Master Plan should reach the City Council for workshop review around early 2027. That plan, once adopted, is what will define the design and construction scope for Memorial Park, City Hall, the Community Center and the Tennis Center, and it is the document that will trigger future design and construction procurement in Boca Raton. Contractors should watch for a separate council action on construction funding after the Master Plan is finalized, not before.