The Boca Raton City Council has unanimously approved a proposal by the Boca Raton Housing Authority and Miami-based Atlantic Pacific Companies to expand an affordable housing complex in the city. The decision allows for the addition of 105 apartments at the Residences at Martin Manor, located at 1350 North Dixie Highway.
The approved zoning changes will permit the construction of two new three-story buildings. These will include 54 one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units, and nine three-bedroom units. The project is part of a redevelopment plan that will transform what was originally known as Dixie Manor—a 95-unit complex—into a modern development with a total of 200 apartments. Most of the original structures are being demolished.
“Dixie Manor was developed many moons ago, between the 1940s and 1980s, and [the buildings] were in disrepair,” said Ele Zachariades, lobbyist for Atlantic Pacific Companies, during Tuesday’s council meeting.
One building from the 1940s will be preserved. Half of its space will become a museum dedicated to Pearl City, which was established in 1915 as a segregated neighborhood for African Americans before Boca Raton existed.
According to Zachariades, Atlantic Pacific and the Housing Authority decided to increase the number of units because there is significant demand for affordable housing in Boca Raton.
Ashley Whidby, executive director of the Boca Raton Housing Authority, stated that the new apartments will be reserved for households earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of area median income (AMI). For Palm Beach County in 2025, this means annual incomes ranging from $24,570 to $65,520 for a single-person household.
Atlantic Pacific Communities secured the contract to redevelop Dixie Manor in 2024. The company is also working on several other affordable housing projects across South Florida. These include a planned 600-unit complex near St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Leisure City; a proposed 71-unit building near Carver Theater in Liberty City; an eight-story project with 375 apartments in Miami’s Overtown; and a collaboration with Casa Familia to build 124 apartments for disabled adults in Kendall.
Other developments incorporating affordable housing are also underway in Boca Raton. In June, 900 Broken Sound Acquisition LLC and Peachtree Group received approval to develop a mixed-use apartment building with workforce and affordable units at Northwest Broken Sound Parkway. Oak Lane Partners plans another project under Florida’s Live Local Act at Park of Commerce Boulevard that would add both affordable apartments and townhouses.
