Boynton Beach moves closer to creating its very own downtown
Give the city of Boynton Beach credit.
It finally has moved a critical downtown development project that had been stalled for almost eight years a big step closer to becoming reality. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency approved a plan to bring in a new developer to finish the Town Square Project, a development that will give the community something it has lacked for some time — a viable and potentially bustling downtown.
For years, the city's $250 million effort to revitalize a four-block area off Boynton Beach and Seacrest boulevards has been left half finished and mired in legal proceedings. The project's government features — a new city hall and library complex, a children's museum, a cultural center and an outdoor amphitheater — were completed on time and had attracted residents and visitors with a promise of more to come. Unfortunately, the commercial side of the project that included office space, upscale restaurants, upscale condos and apartments, and a parking garage never materialized.
That all changed earlier this month when the CRA approved a plan to use $35.2 million to build two eight-story buildings that would include almost 900 apartments, including workforce housing, 23,000 square feet of retail and parking — the missing but essential elements to build a thriving core community that has eluded Boynton Beach for years.
It was not an easy decision, but the vote to move forward was the right call. More importantly, they made the decision the right way. They aired the proposal in public deliberations that at times had both the public and the city commissioners who serve as the CRA board going back and forth on the proposal's merits. Cost and the impact of development are always important considerations, but those conversations led to the right outcome — approval.
Boynton Beach has had its challenges when it comes to downtown development. Much of the area's growth skirted the city itself, occurring in unincorporated Palm Beach County. The city's geographic disadvantage of having limited access to the ocean, along with a lack of leadership and resources, has made it difficult to fashion an attractive downtown.
In 2018, the city came up with the Town Square project, a plan to build a downtown community around a new city hall and library. City officials found a developer and thought they were well on their way to revitalization. Three years later, half of the project was complete. The city could boast of a new city hall, library, children's museum and cultural center. The new plaza consistently drew crowds to cultural and music events at its amphitheater.
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Unfortunately, what remained undone was the private sector component of retail and residences that would have cemented the creation of a downtown Boynton Beach. The dispute with the initial developer dragged out in court and ended up costing the city because the 2018 agreement lacked a "reverter clause" that would have given the city the land back if the developer failed to meet its end of the bargain. Hopefully, the city has learned from that experience.
City residents grappled with the idea of a new developer and a proposal calling for the city to come up with $35.2 million in tax incentives to start construction next summer. The financing plan prompted criticism of unwanted growth and traffic that would change the city into a smaller and more congested version of Fort Lauderdale. In the back of many minds, though, was the notion that the city had been here before, and it had with the previous developer.
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"This isn't a perfect situation. This isn't a perfect project," Commissioner Thomas Turkin said. "You know how I feel about the project in its entirety. You know how split and divided the residents are. But, I think if you look at this economically and you look at the metrics ... they don't pick sides. I'm not going to let perfect be the enemy of good."
Boynton Beach now has the chance to develop a downtown that at the very least will generate new tax revenue and at most will become a new South Florida destination in the county's third-largest city. With so much promise on the line, the challenge for city officials is to ensure the final phase of development is completed without delay or drama.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: At last, a downtown Boynton Beach is closer to reality | Editorial
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