South County complex still on table

Published July 1st, 2008

By John Johnston
Managing Editor

A proposed new South County Governmental Center would cost upwards of $50 million – $14 million of which would come from a public/private partnership to also develop about 375 homes on the same site.

And while the jury is still out over public objections to the cost in today’s austere budgetary life, the county continues to show interest in the plan.

Situated on Congress Avenue -- and where some county buildings and the Tri-Rail station are already now located west of I-95 – commissioners have already approved a conceptual plan for the complex.

In the meantime, commissioners have also approved a Joint Participation Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for intersection improvements to the existing complex entrance at Congress Avenue and the Tri-Rail Intermodal Center.

The state will pay $45,000 for a new traffic signal and minor roadways improvements there, commissioners said.

As for the complex development and housing plan itself, District 5 Commissioner Burt Aaronson says, “I think a new complex is definitely needed. I believe housing is also needed there, and would revitalize the whole area."

Selling 10 acres of the 25-acre site to a developer would raise about $14 million of the $50 million needed, commissioners said, leaving $36 million to raise -- $4 million of which would come from non-ad valorem sources.  The remaining $32 million would be financed with a bond issue, creating a debt service payment of about $2.5 million per year.

The property is about 25 acres is size and currently supports the Tri-Rail station, an adjacent Tri-Rail parking lot and the following existing county services:

• Satellite offices for the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).
• Facilities Management, Planning, Zoning and Building.
• A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office.
• Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector and Property Appraiser offices.
• Facilities for the Palm Beach County Health Department. 

There is also an existing communications tower and fleet services, including a fueling facility and maintenance facility, commissioners said.

South of the proposed development site is an existing industrial warehouse and storage facility. The western boundary abuts Congress Avenue, and to the west of Congress Avenue are various office and industrial parcels. North of the site are other industrial and warehousing uses, commissioners said.
 
The site is located within Delray Beach, and working with city officials, the site now has the appropriate land use designations to permit governmental services and other public uses including healthcare, social service and special facilities.

In announcing the proposal, commissioners said there were four “primary joint objectives” to redeveloping the site:

• Providing new and modern government services buildings that are functional and user-friendly designed to better serve the various departments and programs that exist at the South County Governmental Center.

• Providing the opportunity for workforce housing and market-rate housing to serve the South County community and providing the opportunity for people to live and work along the Congress Avenue Corridor.

• Encouraging transit rider ship from the adjacent Tri-Rail Station as well as access to the many Palm Tran routes that connect to the Tri-Rail System.

• Jump-starting redevelopment of the Congress corridor.

udget Talks

Commissioners said that in addition to the four primary objectives, redevelopment of the site would permit replacement of several buildings that are 40-55 years of age with buildings less costly to maintain and that would be more energy efficient.

Further refinement and final approval of the development plan will be discussed at a future commission meeting – if the plan survives budgetary cuts, forced by the commission commitment to no tax hikes for the upcoming year.

To help Weisman meet the no tax hike mandate, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has announced he’ll cut an additional $1.4 million from his $35 million budget increase request – mainly through driving existing, rather than replacing some vehicles.

However, and while every little bit helps, the no tax hike mandate finds Weisman needing to lop of another $47 million from the budget – and which finds him saying that an additional 100 jobs might be at stake.  Weisman’s original plan called for a cut of about 40 jobs, and elimination of more than 200 vacancies.