DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Delray Beach commissioners Tuesday approved plans 3-2 on a project to renovate and reopen Doc's restaurant with an historic designation, along with a three-story office and retail space next door called City Center Delray.
Doc's closed in early 2021 after 70 years.
"This was a good place to have a good cheap date," Delray Beach resident Cheryl Penn said, reminiscing with her friend, Rosie Garbey, on the days Doc's was open for business. "There's all these tables and chairs and you could eat outside. They had very good burgers, very good shakes, very good ice cream."
A contentious point in the commission meeting was the size of the City Center portion of the project, compared with the size of Doc's.
City Center is set to be built behind Doc's on the site of the former Dunkin'.
"It's too commercial to have a building over here, industrial space. We really don't want to lose the charm of downtown Delray," Penn, who doesn't approve of the building, said.
"Especially with what they're building across the street (at the Sundy Village)," Garbey added.
Representatives with the City Center project said the size is needed to continue the growth of Delray Beach west on Atlantic Avenue.
They said the site where Doc's is located is one of the most expensive corners in all of Delray Beach.
"We're committing to preserving Doc's for generations to come, as the hamburger-hot dog-ice cream stand that it is," Neil Schiller, who is a representative with the project, told WPTV. "But in order to do that in today's economy, the other property has to make the income that Doc's would have made."
He said the City Center meets codes and will bring hundreds of jobs to the area.
"Allowing this key corner to finally be developed and redeveloped into what could really make this historic district just shine," Schiller said.
City commissioners were concerned on the size of and style of the project, but Schiller said it's created based on historic design codes.
"I believe this is a way to save a historic building, an iconic building in the middle of the city is the primary thing to think about," Jim Chard, a Delray Beach resident and member of the Historic Preservation Board, said. "The architecture of the commercial retail building behind it is something that should complement Doc's and I think it does, and I know the proposal tonight is to modify it a little bit more so that it really does compliment it."
Based on feedback, developers plan to reintroduce slanted windows at Doc's to stay true to its original design.
City commissioners also voted unanimously to designate Doc's as an historic location, which will better protect its future.
The City Center project is expected to break ground in early 2023, while Doc's is expected to reopen by the end of next year.
The restaurant will be operated by Andrew Dugard and chef Pushkar Marathe. They operate Stage Kitchen & Bar and Ela Curry Kitchen, both in Palm Beach Gardens.