A joint venture between Beztak and Wexford Real Estate has received approval from Boca Raton’s Planning and Zoning Board to expand its apartment project at the Amtec Center business park. The proposed development, called Bocora, is located at 6401 to 6421 Congress Avenue in Boca Raton.
With this approval, Beztak, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and West Palm Beach-based Wexford plan to add 21 more apartments to the project. The expansion also includes a fitness center and a private school within the 21.4-acre site. Previously, the project was approved as an eight-story building with 277 units. The Boca Raton City Council will consider the expansion next.
To secure approval for the additional units, the developers have agreed to reserve four apartments for affordable housing and provide a 2,086-square-foot fitness facility. According to city regulations under the commercial industrial multifamily development (CIMD) ordinance, developers can request extra residential units in light-industrial areas like Amtec Center if they offer attainable housing and new retail options.
The owners of Amtec Center are also seeking conditional use approval for a 2,000-square-foot school that could serve up to 100 students inside an existing office building on site. This would allow Xceed Preparatory Academy—currently operating as a hybrid tutoring facility at Amtec Center—to accept school vouchers, said Ele Zachariades, attorney for the project.
Jon Ounjian, who owns property just north of Amtec Center, opposed adding more apartments due to concerns about increased traffic unless changes such as a turn lane are implemented.
Planning board members questioned whether the planned fitness center truly fulfills CIMD requirements for retail amenities. Timothy Dornblaser, a board member, noted that developers often favor residential over retail space: “All these apartments that are going up [have] no retail, so every time someone wants a cup of coffee or breakfast or something, they are leaving the site,” Dornblaser said.
Brandon Schaad, development services director for Boca Raton, stated that “the fitness center will be required to be open to the public and staffed at least 60 hours a week.” He added that it must be run by an independent operator not connected with the developers; otherwise they risk fines or legal action from the city.
Zachariades responded that “there will not be any need for staff since members will have a key pass to get in. It’s a small boutique gym. Most of them don’t have staff at all,” she said.
Schaad commented that staffing details would be decided before reaching city council: “Unstaffed commercial gyms are a real thing in the world, but I’m not familiar with them,” he said.
Beztak is led by Sam Beznos while Wexford is led by Joseph Jacobs and Philip Braunstein. The companies announced their plans for Bocora in late 2021 after an affiliate of Beztak bought part of Amtec Center for $12.7 million from Jupiter-based Catexor—run by Stig and Britt Wennerstrom—which retains ownership of most of Amtec Center’s remaining acreage and mid-1980s office buildings.
Boca Raton continues to see significant real estate activity. In July 2025, Related Group acquired ten acres of Office Depot Campus for $50 million; together with PEBB Enterprises and BH Group they plan redevelopment including apartments and retail space (https://therealdeal.com/miami/2025/07/15/related-pebb-bh-buy-office-depot-campus-in-boca-for-50m-plan-mixed-use-project/). That same month saw approvals for other large apartment projects downtown by Group P6 and Mill Creek Residential (https://therealdeal.com/miami/2025/07/28/group-p6-mill-creek-win-approval-for-downtown-boca-apartment-building/) as well as major acquisitions such as Del Ola apartment complex by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (https://therealdeal.com/miami/2025/08/10/church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-pays-153m-for-del-ola-in-boca-raton/) and support from planning authorities for new hotels near Mizner Park (https://therealdeal.com/miami/2025/08/24/batmasians-get-planning-board-ok-for-mizner-hotel-in-boca-raton/) .
There is growing local opposition toward some developments; last month residents gathered thousands of signatures seeking a referendum on Terra Group and Frisbie Group’s proposal on public land (https://therealdeal.com/miami/2025/08/29/thousands-sign-petition-to-force-vote-on-terra-frisbie-public-land-proposal-in-boca-raton/) .
“All these apartments that are going up [have] no retail, so every time someone wants a cup of coffee or breakfast or something, they are leaving the site,” Dornblaser said.
“The fitness center will be required to be open to the public and staffed at least 60 hours a week,” Schaad said.
“There will not be any need for staff since members will have a key pass to get in. It’s a small boutique gym. Most of them don’t have staff at all,” Zachariades said.
“Unstaffed commercial gyms are a real thing in the world, but I’m not familiar with them,” Schaad said.
