East Boca ‘Mini-Jungle’ Will Become Townhomes, With Support of Neighbors

The property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

It’s something of a rarity for neighbors to gather at a planning board meeting in support of a developer’s proposal to add new construction near their homes, but one East Boca community is largely supporting a proposal to fill in a long-overlooked parcel that has attracted invasive plants and wildlife.

“God knows what’s going on in there as far as critters – rats, snakes, coyotes,” said NE 7th Avenue resident Eugene Blavin at a meeting of the Boca Raton planning and zoning board last week.

Blavin, and several of his neighbors, were referring to a hidden inparcel lot at 6800 North Federal Highway. While the address might imply the property is located on the busy thoroughfare, it is actually an internal lot on the property that is difficult to see outside of an aerial view. The swath of land was once used as a pumping station of Highland Beach’s water-sewer utility, but was left largely abandoned when that facility closed.

Now, the property is poised to become “Briskel Pointe,” a community consisting of eight, two-story duplex homes and one four-story townhome building that will contain 20 residences. The buildings will stand a modest 21-feet in height.

A rendering of the proposed property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Planning Document)

A rendering of the proposed property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Planning Document)

Residents of several neighboring streets – many from the Boca Harbor community – voiced support for the project, with only a few minor concerns over drainage, which the developer agreed to look into.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on behind our home on this lot,” said David Board of NE 7th Avenue. “There are a lot of nasty raccoons we have a problem with, there are coyotes we have to deal with, so we’d like to see this mini jungle eliminated.”

The new buildings would be constructed on the rectangular lot that is located northeast of Arturo’s Restaurant and behind the Presser Law Firm building (known for its Babe Ruth statute in the front, facing Federal Highway). A masonry wall will be constructed between the community and the commercial property, with the developer recently having agreed to extend the divider in the rear to serve as a buffer with existing single-family homes, according to city planner Peter Begovich. There will also be significant plantings.

“The trees will create a dense buffer in between the multifamily and single-family homes,” said Begovich.

The property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

The property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

A rendering of the proposed property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Planning Document)

The builder will also design and install a five-foot wide sidewalk and crosswalk between NE 7th Avenue and the community, which will complete the pedestrian connection between the avenue and Federal Highway. Additionally, the project calls for the abandonment of a portion of a 25-foot-wide portion of the Appleby Street right-of-way that is immediately adjacent to Arturo’s Restaurant, so it can be turned into a shared roadway that will ease access into both the new community and the existing restaurant.

“We’re looking to fill in a piece of the city’s urban core,” said attorney David Milledge, representing the developer. “It’s an interesting flag-shaped, old remnant piece that was previously used as a pump station for Highland Beach.”

Milledge said permitted uses for the property could range from a gas station to an FPL substation, with an assisted living facility having been previously proposed for the site.

The property at 6800 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL, June 2025. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

“There could be a 50,000 square foot, five-story office building on this site based on the code,” he said. “We’re trying to provide a transitional use between the more intensive commercial properties that are along Federal, and transitioning to lesser-intensive uses as we go east.”

The planning board voted unanimously to recommend approval for the proposed residential project. Adoption of the measures that will allow construction must receive final approval from the city council at an upcoming meeting.