Safety Before Skyscrapers: Why Hidden Valley Deserves More Than “Opportunities”

When your neighborhood cannot reliably call 911, the city has a problem. In Hidden Valley, it is a daily hazard: calls to 611 drop, 911 calls drop, and residents are left wondering if help will arrive when it matters most. We have covered this in detail in One Bar From Danger and Hidden Valley’s Dangerous Cell Coverage Gap.

Reliable emergency communication is a basic public service, not a luxury. Yet while families here live with one bar of cell service, Boca Raton’s mayor and council are devoting time, resources, and political capital to a billion-dollar downtown redevelopment scheme.

What the Mayor Is Focused On

Mayor Scott Singer’s latest newsletter is titled “An Update on the Downtown Campus Opportunity.” That word, opportunity, may sound familiar. It is the same kind of language used in MLM pitches and glossy marketing campaigns. Now it is being used to sell Boca residents on a project that would reshape the 30-acre downtown government campus and Memorial Park.

According to the Mayor, the plan would:

• Partner with Terra/Frisbie to redevelop city land
• Add a new community center and upgraded civic buildings
• Mix in cafés, shops, offices, and housing
• Create expanded green space
• Deliver “billions” in financial benefits over a 99-year lease, as projected by CBRE

He emphasizes that the chosen proposal is the “least dense” of those considered and remains within height limits. In his own words:
With Billions in dollars (yes, Billions)… the proposed investment in downtown can help stop future tax increases and keep our cost of living in check.

You can review the project yourself on the city’s Projects in Review page.

What Critics See

Community groups such as Save Boca call the plan a public land giveaway. Thirty-one acres of Memorial Park and City Hall land would be handed over for private development.

Independent reporting in Boca Magazine and The Coastal Star highlights the concerns:

• High-rise apartments, offices, and possibly a hotel on land that has been public for decades
• The displacement of recreation facilities such as tennis courts, ball fields, and the skate park
• The relocation of the downtown police station to make room for commercial buildings
• Taxpayer-funded temporary office rentals while the project is built

Save Boca has gathered thousands of signatures demanding a public vote. Their position is simple: before Boca gives away decades of public land use, residents deserve a say.

The Contrast

• More than 30 public meetings have been held about downtown redevelopment
• None have addressed Hidden Valley’s dropped 911 calls
• The Mayor is focused on long-term speculative revenue
• Residents are focused on immediate safety and making sure a call for help connects

Why Safety Has to Come First

Weak cell coverage is not just a Hidden Valley frustration. It is a public safety risk recognized nationally. The Federal Communications Commission warns that wireless 911 calls may not go through if networks are weak. Reviews by the European Emergency Number Association show that poor network reliability can cause calls to fail within the critical first two minutes of an emergency.

In Boca Raton, we do not need outside studies to prove the point. Residents have already documented dropped calls in Hidden Valley, and the problem has not been addressed. This is unacceptable in a city that promotes its Strategic Plan as prioritizing “community safety” and “world-class services.”

What Needs to Change

We do not deny that Boca’s downtown facilities are outdated. We do not dispute that the campus needs investment. But no responsible city puts renderings before residents’ safety.

Here is what should come first:

1. Fix the cell coverage gap and ensure every neighborhood has reliable 911 access before spending staff time on billion-dollar development deals
2. Hold public forums on safety infrastructure. If the city can dedicate 30 meetings to redevelopment, it can dedicate some to cell towers and emergency access
3. Balance the priorities. A shiny downtown project means nothing if residents cannot reach help in an emergency
4. Let residents decide. Put major land transfers and redevelopment projects to a public vote, as the Save Boca petition demands

Conclusion

Boca’s leadership wants to talk about “opportunity.” But an opportunity is not a guarantee. Renderings are not reception. Projected billions do not mean anything when a resident cannot make a life-saving call.

Hidden Valley residents do not need glossy marketing or billion-dollar visions. We need working cell service. Safety before skyscrapers.

Full Text of the Mayor’s Newsletter

For transparency, we include Mayor Scott Singer’s “Update on the Downtown Campus Opportunity” newsletter in full below. Residents can read his words directly and decide whether city priorities align with community needs.

Sources and Resources

• Hidden Valley Guardians: One Bar From Danger, Dangerous Cell Coverage Gap
• City of Boca Raton: 2025–2026 Strategic Plan, Projects in Review
• FCC: 911 Wireless Services Guide
• EENA: Emergency Communications Over LTE and IMS
• Boca Magazine: Opposition to Downtown Campus
• The Coastal Star: Save Boca Petition Coverage
• Save Boca: Petition Page