PLAN FOR 2ND BOCA RATON HOUSTON’S RESTAURANT MOVES FORWARD

PLAN FOR 2^ND BOCA RATON HOUSTON’S RESTAURANT MOVES FORWARD

This has been in the works for years, and it was in fact the 3^rd time that Hillstone Restaurant Group had gone before the City Council in Boca Raton in hopes of opening a Houston’s restaurant on the intercostal at Palmetto Park Rd. and Northeast 5^th St. It would be the only standalone waterfront dining option in Boca Raton. But to be honest this is a somewhat confusing article. It says that the city is moving forward with lease negotiations. But it also says that it is already agreed upon that the restaurant will pay $500,000 per year in rent, plus a percentage of sales, and the restaurant is anticipating opening in 2016 (which is very quick for building something like this unless the already have an approved plan). So it sounds like a done, fully negotiated lease deal right? Not so the city and Hillstone say. The city is now looking to have Hillstone create boat dockage at the site, at Hillstone’s expense. Meanwhile, the biggest issue of concern with the project, adequate amount of parking, seems completely unresolved. Area residents are rightly concerned and it sounds like they (the city and Hillstone) are still working out the details, but parking is a lot more than a detail with a restaurant project; it is everything. And really I don’t see any way they can provide enough parking for it, but enough will be provided to “meet code”. That will allow the project to get built and then everyone will have to live with the consequences. The restaurant will be very successful there, on par with what they have at their Pompano Beach location, which is the most profitable in the country I am told. So people are going to park somewhere and it will be a mess. Sounds to me like a deal has already been fully negotiated and both parties are just going through the motions to cover themselves in case there is a big public outcry over the deal. Eventually the final details will be made public and when they are you will see them here. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Plan for upscale dining on Boca property advances

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-09-10/news/fl-boca-houstons-discussion-20140910_1_wildflower-property-hillstone-restaurant-group-silver-palm-park