Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
January 2022
Volume 15 Issue 1
Boca Raton
3-building complex up to 12 stories proposed near Sanborn Square
Petitioners protest idea of more concrete in form of apartments, office space, parking By Mary Hladky Compson Associates is planning a large residential, office and retail project in
downtown Boca Raton that is already sparking strong objections even though it is in the early stages of the city’s review process. The proposed Aletto Square would include three buildings on 1.3 acres at 121 E. Palmetto Park Road, northeast of the Hyatt Place hotel and southeast
of Sanborn Square. A 93-unit luxury apartment tower would rise to 12 stories, the maximum allowed in the downtown. A seven-story office and retail building would feature a restaurant with rooftop dining. An eight-story fully automated parking garage, the first of its kind downtown,
would provide 360 parking spaces and a rooftop pool. A courtyard would be located between the office and apartment buildings, and two smaller courtyards would flank the east and west sides of the office building. Boca Raton-based Compson also developed the
12-story Tower 155 luxury condominium at 155 E. Boca Raton Road that the City Council approved in 2016. Project architect Derek Vander Ploeg, who also designed Tower 155, said plans for Aletto Square were See SANBORN on page 8
Along the Coast
TOURISM
BOOM
Best summer on record, early-season surge signal sunny outlook for 2022 By Jan Norris They’re back — the flocks of tourists that give the state its reputation as a winter habitat for snowbirds. But this year, they might be known as the early migrators. They showed up at least six months ahead of the traditional schedule. “We had the strongest summer on record since recorded time,” said Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. He was near giddy about the positive numbers coming from all the agencies and industry watchers who count occupied beds, restaurant reservations and train riders. Tickets to events and venues also figure in. Those numbers translate into muchneeded tourism dollars — a large part of the county economy, with more than $7 billion
International tourism took off in November after the U.S. reopened borders to fully vaccinated travelers. ABOVE: Leonardo Sanchez sips a mate tea on Delray Beach’s municipal beach while soaking up the sun among a group of family and friends from Argentina. One of them, Alberto Palmetta (left), is a professional boxer. LEFT: Brazilian tourists Gabriel Da Luz and Mathias Rocha volley a soccer ball at South Beach Park in Boca Raton. Photos by Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star
See TOURISM on page 9
Along the Coast
Drop in overdose deaths in South County inspires cautious optimism By Charles Elmore
After a rocky 2020, fewer people died of overdoses in southern Palm Beach County cities during the first three quarters of 2021. Sometimes a lot fewer. In Delray Beach, overdose
Opioid settlements
Proposed payouts to cities are far less than cost of crisis. Page 13
deaths decreased 40% to 33 in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same stretch of the previous year, according
to the latest records available from the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office, which identified an “injury city” where an overdose occurred. In Boca Raton, such deaths fell 28% to 48. In Boynton Beach, the decline was 24% to 44 deaths.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Ariana Ciancio, service population advocate for the Delray Beach Police Department. “I want to knock on wood and be thankful where we can. But we can never be complacent about this. It ebbs and flows.”
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BCH FL PERMIT NO 4595
Take ‘Heart’ New show honors Old School Square. Page AT11
Duffer disaster Forget water — iguanas are the latest hazard on golf courses. Page 26
In the last 90 days, upticks in some monthly reports of drug deaths locally and across Palm Beach County mean few are feeling complacent. All deaths take a toll. But many see evidence that efforts by first responders, community groups
Still running Boca City Council member Andy Thomson renews cleanup pledge. Page 11
See OPIOIDS on page 12
House of the month Amazing views at Sanctuary. Page AT31