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Growing the Glades | Mayor’s Priorities | New Developments | Equestrian Sector
A Quarterly Economic Development Publication Winter 2015
THE GLADESAttracting Development Interest
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 1
3PBCB
CONTENTSGlades Attracting Growing Development Interest
Palm Beach County’s western Glades region is attracting growing interest fromcompanies interested in its unique combination of assets.
County MayorOutlines 2015 Priorities
School CounselorsGet Firsthand Look at County’s Key Industries
NewsTherapeuticsMD Recognized for High Growth
Teachers Get Hands-on Science Training Moving up in the RankingsRelocations & Expansions
G4S Announces Planned Sale of Government Solutions to Private Equity FirmJupiter Approves New Institute
Brownfields ProgramsHelp Leverage Private Investment For Business Development
Saluting OurEquestrian Sector
New DevelopmentsGoing Strong in Palm Beach County
TO OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS:
Upon reading this issue of Palm Beach County Business you’ll learn about new
opportunities for growth in the county’s western Glades region, projects underway in
West Palm Beach and, how the county is collaborating with state and federal entities
to further redevelopment and prosperity.
Additionally, this issue features news regarding relocation and expansion
projects, an innovative education initiative, and information about upcoming
community events.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Palm Beach County Business which is made
possible with the support of the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners, and
significant investment from our private partners notably, CareerSource, NextEra
Energy, Inc. and Florida Crystals.
As we continue to diversify the growth of Palm Beach County’s growing
economy, please continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and watch for our
e-newsletters to stay well-informed on economic development and business news
and events in Palm Beach County.
Kelly Smallridge
President and CEO
Welcome from the President
4
678
101112
Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Inc.310 Evernia Street | West Palm Beach, FL 33401561.835.1008 | www.bdb.org
Palm Beach County’sEconomic Development Resource
Published by » Passport Publications & Media Corporation
ON THE COVERClockwise from top: Mythja, Branislav Pudar, Peter Bernik
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:45 AM Page 3
Palm Beach County’s western Glades region is attracting interest fromcompanies that would like to take advantage of the region’s assets.
“We’re optimistic, but there is a ton of work that goes into making sure
a new project comes to fruition,” said BDB President and CEO Kelly
Smallridge at a December 16 presentation in Belle Glade.
Smallridge said there were three serious prospects considering
opening new facilities in the Glades area that would hire local workers
and construct new facilities. One prospect is a soil enrichment
company that would create about 100 new jobs over five years, the
second is a manufacturing facility that would generate about 250 new
jobs and the third is a light manufacturing company that would create
about 60 new jobs.
Smallridge made the announcement at the Dolly Hand Cultural
Arts Center in Belle Glade in a meeting with the region’s business and
civic leaders, as well as the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic
(LORE) Alliance of Palm Beach County. She added that the BDB plans
to continue its partnership with LORE to market the Glades and create
more economic opportunities for the region.
At the meeting, Tracy Sharp, chief operating officer of Boyette
Strategic Advisors, presented an economic analysis, sponsored by FPL,
designed to identify both the challenges and opportunities of bringing
new businesses to the Glades area.
The BSA report, “The Glades Region of Palm Beach County:
Target Sector Report and Recommendations,” highlighted four key
business sectors:
� Agri-business/ food manufacturing
� Distribution/ warehousing
� Retirement services
� Recreational tourism
In discussing the report, Sharp said the Glades’ central location
between the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, was a important asset for
manufacturing, distribution and warehousing companies seeking to
serve southern and central Florida. She noted that that the region had
abundant undeveloped land, and 34,000 residents with a relatively low
median age. Key challenges are the region’s low income level and high
poverty rate.
The BSA report called for a concerted effort to brand the region,
and Sharp suggested “The Glades of Palm Beach County” would
enhance name recognition for outside companies.
Glades AttractingGrowing
4 PBCB
Development Interest
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 4
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Investors Making Plans for Belle Glade Site
State Providing Fundingfor Glades’ Road Projects
A group of western Palm Beach County investors are planning for
new commercial and industrial development of the 191-acre site of the
vacant Glades Correctional Institution. Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida
Cabinet approved the $1.2 million sale in June, and the site was
annexed to the City of Belle Glade in October.
“Now, we are looking at the best approaches for bringing
in new development and generating new jobs for our region,”
said Henry Rionda, Jr., president and managing partner, BGI
Group LLC. The investment group includes former Belle Glade
mayor Tom Altman.
Noting that the site is bisected by a railroad line, Rionda said the
section of the tract bordering S.R. 80/U.S. 441 would be ideal for a
regional commercial center, including stores, offices, a hotel and gas
station. Potential industrial uses, such as a warehouse or distribution
center could be located west of the tracks, which provide ready access
to the state’s rail system.
“We believe this is a prime piece of real estate with great access to
U.S. 27, running north and south, as well as S.R. 80, which goes east and
west,” Rionda said. “We are right in the middle of everything and this
is a great location to bring in new business investment.”
Gov. Rick Scott recently announced that Belle Glade, Pahokee, and
South Bay will receive $3.8 million in transportation improvement funds
through the state’s Rural Areas of Opportunity program.
“Building and repairing roadways in rural communities is a top priority
to help Florida continue to be the world’s number one tourist and business
destination” said Scott, who announced the funding in December. “This $3.8
million investment will allow our rural communities in Palm Beach County
to make important roadway upgrades so they can continue to grow.”
The projects selected for funding are:
� South Bay - Martin Luther King Blvd/Palm Beach Road and Main
Street, $1,416,687
� Pahokee - East Main, $1,374,512
� Belle Glade - SE Ave G, SW Ave H, SW 12th St, SE 7th St, South Canal
St, and West Ave A, $1,038,834
The Florida Department of Transportation will work closely with these
communities and work on the projects is expected to begin in early 2015.
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 5
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County MayorOutlines 2015 Priorities
Palm Beach County Mayor Shelley Vana believes in a coordinated approach to economicdevelopment. “As the new year begins, I will be making sure that we include input from the business
community,” said the incoming mayor in a recent interview. “I am very supportive of the Business
Development Board and its initiatives,”
As a resident of Palm Beach County since the 1980s, Vana says she has seen a growing sense of
connectivity among the region’s different business sectors, from agriculture and tourism to finance,
the life sciences and information technology. “People from many different industries understand that
we’re all in this together,” she said. “We have great leaders in education, culture and
sports, as well as business who are talking to each other and looking at the ‘big picture’
for our county.”
A top priority for county government in the coming year will be the selection of a
new county administrator, Vana said. “We want to be sure everyone feels comfortable
with our choice,” she added. “Our administrator will play a key role for years to come.”
Vana also plans to focus on economic development initiatives for the western
Glades region and the future of the agricultural reserve areas. She noted that the BDB
has been a leader in marketing the Glades, as well as supporting the county’s
infrastructure needs, such as plans for an inland port.
“We also think sports can be a more powerful economic driver for Palm Beach
County,” Vana said. “Events like the first Boca Bowl bring in tourists who might want
to vacation here, buy a home or move their business to our county.”
A native of Pennsylvania, Vana worked for the Palm Beach County School District
for 20 years, teaching at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Jupiter High School and
serving as a district-wide science resource teacher for Palm Beach County. She has also
been involved with public television and radio, hosting shows like “First Issue, a weekly
public affairs radio program.“
Vana was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2002 and served on the
Education K-20 Committee, Education Appropriation Subcommittee, Policy and Budget Council,
Growth Management Committee and Agriculture Committee.
She was elected to serve as Palm Beach County Commissioner District 3 in 2008 and reelected
in 2012.
“As representative for District 3, I want to focus on how we can continue to revitalize the ‘heart of
Palm Beach County,’” she said. “I’m looking forward to a great year for our entire county.”
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 6
In an initiative to inform Palm Beach County educators about the workforce needs of the businesscommunity, the Business Development Board organized a December 5 bus tour that gave school
counselors a firsthand look at key industries. The initiative’s task force is chaired by Carey O’Donnell
of the O’Donnell Agency and Ken Kahn of LRP Publications.
“The BDB has been working very hard to enhance the image of Palm Beach County’s public and
private schools,” said Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO. “We are stepping up our efforts because
it directly impacts our ability to recruit, retain and expand businesses in Palm Beach County.”
For that reason, the BDB arranged a bus tour for 45 academy coordinators and guidance
counselors from Palm Beach County’s public and private high schools. “We want them to understand
the industries driving our local economy and the skill sets required for securing various levels of
employment,” Smallridge added.
The tour included:
� Max Planck Florida Institute in Jupiter
� Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc. in Jupiter
� Florida Power and Light Co. in Juno Beach
� Baron Sign Manufacturing in Riviera Beach
� Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth (with lunch sponsored by Celedinas Insurance
Group & Bank of America)
� Modernizing Medicine in Boca Raton
� 3Cinteractive in Boca Raton
� ADT Corporate Headquarters in Boca Raton
“A special thank you to Superintendent Wayne Gent, Dr. Peter Licata and their team at the School
District of Palm Beach County for teaming up with the Business Development Board of Palm Beach
County and recognizing the direct impact education has to economic development,” Smallridge said.
7PBCB
at County’s Key Industries
School CounselorsGet Firsthand Look
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8 PBCB
Eight Palm Beach County science teachers worked alongside
researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience’s second
annual teacher workshop held October 16 and 17 in Jupiter. The workshop
was created to deliver a hands-on, immersive experience for teachers,
including many educators from Title 1 schools.
The teachers sat in on lectures and learned modern neuroscience
techniques via hands-on training inside the Institute’s labs. Topics on the
teachers’ agenda included recombinant DNA, electrophoresis, restriction
enzymes, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), neuropsychiatric diseases, and
genotyping.
“We’ve designed this program specifically to explain neuroscience
research topics and techniques in a way that’s directly applicable to our
teachers’ classrooms,” said Dr. Ana Fiallos, MPFI’s head of education
outreach. “The goal is for this real-world lab experience to inspire our
teachers and provide exciting and relevant ideas they can take back to their
classrooms and students.”
Teachers Get Hands-onScience Training
TherapeuticsMD Recognizedfor High Growth
Palm Beach County made a dramatic upward jump in the rankings in the
Milken Institute’s recently released “Best-Performing Cities“ report. The institute
cited the metro area’s housing rebound as a key reason for the jump to No. 70 in
2014 from No. 163 in 2013.
Moving up in the Rankings
&EventsNews
TherapeuticsMD Inc., an innovative women’s
healthcare company, is Florida’s fastest-growing tech
company, according to the 2014 Deloitte
“Technology Fast 500.” The Boca Raton company
ranked 41st on the list of the 500 fastest-growing
technology companies in North America, including
11 from Florida.
“We are very pleased to be recognized as one of the top growth
companies this year,” said Robert G. Finizio, CEO, TherapeuticsMD.
“It is an exciting time in our development.”
TherapeuticsMD Inc. focuses on developing and
commercializing products exclusively for women. With its patented
SYMBODA™ technology platform, TherapeuticsMD is developing
advanced hormone therapy pharmaceutical products to enable
delivery of bio-identical hormones through a variety of dosage forms
and administration routes.
The company also manufactures and distributes branded
and generic prescription prenatal vitamins as well as over-the-
counter vitamins and cosmetics under the vitaMedMD® and
BocaGreenMD® brands.
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:53 AM Page 8
9PBCB
G4S Government Solutions, Inc. (G4S GS), the world’s leading U.S. government solutions
group, recently entered into a definitive agreement to sell G4S GS and other related assets and
assumed liabilities to a U.S. private equity firm and has launched Centerra Group, LLC, a global
government and critical infrastructure services company.
Centerra will become the largest American-owned provider of protective services to the
federal government. “This transaction opens an exciting new chapter for us as a corporation and gives the
company significant financial and operational flexibility to enter several new markets and invest deeper in
existing ones.” said Paul Donahue, president and CEO of Centerra.
G4S Secure Solutions in Palm Beach Gardens was not part of the transaction.
G4S Sells Government SolutionsGroup To Private Equity Firm
The Jupiter Town Council recently approved plans for the Institute for
Healthy Living, a $70 million, 235,000-square-foot patient care and
medical research facility. It will be built in Abacoa near Scripps Florida, the
Max Planck Florida Institute and Florida Atlantic University. The developer
is NuVista Living, a Palm Beach Gardens-based company led by Paul
Walczak, who also owns a senior care facility in
Wellington. Jupiter Medical Center is a
partner in the project, which will have 129
nursing home beds, 70 assisted living beds and
30 beds for neurological disorder patients.
Jupiter Approves New Institute
Relocations & ExpansionsIn cooperation with Enterprise Florida, Palm Beach County, the
City of West Palm Beach and the City of Riviera Beach, the Business
Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) announced that it
assisted Lockheed Martin in securing $3.2 million in state, county and
city incentives to retain 401 high-paying existing jobs
in the county.
Lockheed Martin received $320,800 from the
county, $160,400 each from Riviera Beach and West
Palm Beach, and $2.57 million from the state through
the state’s Qualified Defense and Space Contractor Tax
Refund Program (QDSC). The project is expected to
have a four-year economic impact of $356 million.
Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training
business has facilities in West Palm Beach and Riviera
Beach where the company produces advanced undersea
systems, ranging from manned submersibles to unmanned
remotely operated vehicles to autonomous vehicles.
The BDB played a significant role to ensure
Lockheed Martin was able to secure the incentive package and it is the first
time the BDB facilitated a project that was eligible for the QDSC incentive.
The QDSC is a tool to provide Florida companies a competitive edge for
defense, homeland security or space business contractors to acquire new
contracts or subcontracts, consolidate contracts or subcontracts or convert
contracts to commercial production. The Lockheed Martin incentives
will be applied to support enhancements to products, to sustain their
workforce, and provide their operation with competitive advantages.
“Lockheed Martin is such a major employer in our county that we
wanted to go out of our way to support their efforts in hopes they will
continue to grow their presence in Palm Beach County,” said Kelly
Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business
Development Board of Palm Beach County. “Due to the
nature of the defense business and the ups and downs of
federal defense contracts, it is very hard to keep those
companies competitive and help them bring down their
costs while competing for those projects without some
sort of local support.”
“I am very pleased that the county could partner
with the State of Florida and Lockheed to retain more
than 400 high-paying jobs in my district,” said
Commissioner Priscilla Taylor, who now serves as the
Board of County Commissioners’ liaison to the BDB.
“We are proud that Lockheed Martin has such a
strong presence in Palm Beach County and that we
could work together to help them compete for additional defense
contracts.”
County Mayor Shelley Vana also emphasized the need to partner
with private industry. “Our ability to attract and retain jobs and grow
our industries in advanced technology and high impact sectors depends
on effective collaborations of businesses with state and local
stakeholders.”
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:55 AM Page 9
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) generally defines a
brownfield site as real property, where the expansion, redevelopment,
or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential
presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. It is vital
to clean up and reinvest in these properties in order to protect the
environment and reduce blight. Examples include properties which
were used for gas stations, agricultural uses, or solid waste disposal.
Mandatory cleanup of such sites creates an additional economic
burden for the business that wants to redevelop the property.
Palm Beach County’s business assistance programs include
investment vehicles to help companies offset brownfield cleanup costs.
More than $2 million in U.S. Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) Brownfield Economic Development Initiatives (BEDI) grant
funds has been paired with $3.5 million in Section 108 Loan funds to
bring economic development projects to fruition in the Glades region
of the county. These business projects will create in excess of 275
new jobs in an area that has suffered from high poverty and
unemployment. Here are a few examples of economic development
projects assisted through the BEDI program:
� Circle S Pharmacy, Pahokee
� Muslet Brothers, Belle Glade
� Historic Belle Glade City Hall, Avenue A
� Avenue A, Belle Glade
Additionally, Palm Beach County is a partner with the Treasure
Coast Regional Planning Council and the cities of West Palm Beach
and Fort Pierce in the Brownfield Assessment Coalition, which
received a $1 million EPA grant in 2011. The grant provided funds to
conduct site assessments in target areas within the partner jurisdictions
for the reuse and redevelopment of brownfields.
To continue these efforts to help businesses grow, Palm Beach
County’s Department of Economic Sustainability (DES) is constantly
on the lookout for new sources of funding. In 2013, through an
application submitted by DES, the county was awarded $1 million
from the EPA to establish the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.
Through the Fund, the county offers loan financing to support cleanup
activities for sites throughout the county that are contaminated with
hazardous substances and petroleum. As more businesses leverage
their development costs through the loan fund and Palm Beach
County further demonstrates its commitment to revitalizing
brownfield areas, additional opportunities will open up for
brownfields funding through the EPA.
The diverse and experienced team at DES collaborates with
private financing institutions, business development partners,
municipalities, CRAs, and state, federal and non-profit agencies to
support economic development in Palm Beach County. The
brownfields funding programs provide an important resource to help
revitalize communities and expand business enterprises.
For more information about the county’s business assistance
programs, contact Sherry Howard at DES, (561) 233-3653.
By Sherry Howard, Deputy DirectorPalm Beach County
Department of Economic Sustainability
BrownfieldsProgramsHelp Leverage Private Investment For Business Development
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 10
11PBCB
Saluting OurEquestrian Sector
On Saturday, January 17,
the Business
Development Board
hosted a special Winter
Equestrian Festival
reception at the Palm
Beach International
Equestrian Center in
Wellington. Here are
photos from that event.
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 11
12 PBCB
While commercial and residential development in Palm Beach Countycontinues at a strong pace, there is little risk of a new “boom-bust”
cycle, according to panelists at the BDB’s quarterly luncheon, held Nov.
20 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
“I am heartened by our county’s demographic trends,” said
Quinn Eddins, CBRE’s director of research and
analysis for Florida. “Our residential growth is due
primarily to net migration, including Baby Boomers
who are retiring or downshifting away from the
winters of the north. That means we get a more
reliable stream of people coming here, supporting the
county’s single-family and multifamily residential
construction.”
Eddins added that residential growth is also a key
driver for commercial real estate sectors, including
retail shopping centers, office buildings, warehouses and other
distribution facilities.
Attorney Harvey Oyer, III, partner, Shutts & Bowen in West Palm
Beach, moderated the panel discussion on “Palm Beach County: Local,
Regional and State Overview.”
Other panelists were Chris Roog, economic
development director, City of West Palm Beach; Joan
Goodrich, economic development director, City of
Delray Beach and its Community Redevelopment
Agency (CRA); and Natalie Crowley, director of
planning and zoning, City of Palm Beach Gardens.
The three panelists commented on their cities’
economic development initiatives as well as recent
commercial and residential developments in their
communities.
in Palm Beach County
DevelopmentsGoing StrongN
EW
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13PBCB
The City of West Palm Beach outsourced the management of its twoCRA districts to Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA) in
January 2014. One of our first assignments was to make a
comprehensive examination of the north end of the city and make
suggestions as to how to stimulate economic development in the area.
Some years earlier, the city had created a series of “mixed use
districts” with land development regulations that were quite
prescriptive regarding density and building heights, generally with an
eye towards making a minimal impact on the surrounding historic
neighborhoods, most of which were developed during the great
Florida building boom in the early 1920s. The mixed-use districts were
referred to with acronyms: Currie Mixed Use District (CMUD),
Broadway (BMUD) and Northwood Village (NMUD).
Curry Mixed Use DistrictThe CMUD is located east of North Dixie between the quaint
shopping center of Northwood Village and the waterfront Currie Park.
Although every parcel in the 30-plus acre contiguous site is relatively
level, facing the water and eminently buildable, no new development
had been actively contemplated there for decades, even at the height of
the real estate run-up of the last decade. Contract purchase options
had expired and many of the parcels were subjected to foreclosure.
RMA’s examination of the CMUD land development regulations
(LDRs) quickly exposed the three and four-story height limitations
and commercial first-floor use restrictions placed on all potential
development that were crushing the private sector’s motivation to
invest in the district.
Beginning with a series of public meetings in March 2014, the
CRA proposed a series of changes to the existing rules. The
surrounding neighborhoods voiced strong support for upgrading the
development potential of the area at the same time that the private
sector development community was engaged in assembling significant
holdings, recognizing that the window of opportunity for building and
financing was upon us. Working with city planning staff, the CMUD
LDRs were redrafted, changes to the comprehensive plan were
approved by the state and all city boards approved of the ordinance
changes, with final adoptions coming in November.
Conversations with private sector representatives confirm that several
significant site plans will be submitted to the city in early 2015. The
potential projects will enhance property values in the district and provide
many of the requested improvements voiced by residents, including, we
believe, an excellent chance at securing a major grocery store.
Northwood VillageThe effect of the CMUD rewrites has already been felt in
Northwood Village, as a series of real estate purchases have taken place
over the last six months in anticipation of the positive impact of the
adjacent development proposals.
On the heels of that exercise, the CRA expects to address the
NMUD regulations beginning in February. The major players that
have made investments in the village are waiting for clear guidance
from these rewrites to determine the best uses for their properties.
We anticipate that building height allowances will certainly
increase, although not to the level of the CMUD district, probably to be
capped at 6-8 floors. Because the Village was initially developed in the
1920s, great care must be exercised to preserve the existing historic built
environment while allowing significant new projects to move forward.
With that in mind, the CRA is working with the city’s Historic
Preservation staff to identify key buildings for potential individual
designation as historic sites. A TDR (transfer of development rights)
program could be developed for Northwood Village that would allow
the owners of these potentially designated structures to maintain the
buildings and still participate in the increased property values by
selling the development rights.
We anticipate that most of the new development will concentrate
on mixed-use buildings, with commercial and retail uses on the first
DevelopmentOpportunities
NEW
in West Palm BeachBy Jon Ward, Executive Director
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)City of West Palm Beach
PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:12 AM Page 13
14 PBCB
floors and residential uses above. All new developments will be
required to self-park. The 3.5-acre site on the western end of the
Village, referred to as the “anchor site” owned by the CRA, will be
offered for sale and development by the agency after the new
regulations are adopted.
Broadway CorridorImmediately on the heels of the NMUD rewrites, the CRA will
move on to a similar exercise for the Broadway corridor. The broad
strokes of the kinds of development that the city would like to see there
were outlined in the visioning exercise that the CRA conducted in 2014.
These changes will affect the classic neighborhoods on both sides
of Broadway, and will also impact on the major projects proposed for
the North Flagler corridor, such as the Related/Rybovich mixed-use
condo project, recently approved by the city. Taken as a whole, these
changes and the accompanying development are likely to result in the
largest boom to the north end of West Palm Beach since the 1920s.
Sunset LoungeIn the close-in Historic Northwest neighborhood, plans are
underway for the restoration of the legendary Sunset Lounge at 8th
Street and Henrietta, and proposed development of the surrounding
property. The Sunset is proposed to be restored to appear as it was about
1940, including the restoration of the huge second-floor ballroom,
mezzanine and raised stage. A new tower will be built at the northern
end of the Sunset building, containing elevators, new bathrooms and
ancillary functions, such as a green room for performers. The first-floor
lounge will resemble the same period and be operated as a public house,
while the ballroom could be available for performance space, weddings,
public meetings, reunions and the like. An adjacent structure could
house music education and training activities. Enlarging on the Stull
and Lee report, produced by the CRA some years ago, a significant park
will be created to the south of the Sunset, for gatherings and festivals and
to enhance the neighborhood feeling.
With streetscaping already underway on Seventh Street, CRA staff
will propose a new at-grade rail crossing over the FEC tracks to
encourage development and positively impact the city’s east-west
connectivity. The CRA is already assisting with improvements to local
businesses, such as the Queen of Sheba restaurant, and is proposing a
culinary component on Seventh Street.
Taken as a whole project, the Sunset development is targeted for
creating a cross-cultural destination that will appeal to a wide cross-
section of music lovers and foodies, encouraging reinvestment in this
historic neighborhood.
The ‘Tent Site’ Final negotiations are currently underway regarding the vacant
property at Okeechobee and Dixie, known as the “tent site.” The City
Commission, sitting as the CRA Board, has selected a master developer,
FRI, for a 500,000-square-foot mixed use building on the site. Although
proposed to contain an upscale grocery and other retail uses, the
primary function of the development will be high-quality health care
facilities. Talks are in progress with a number of end users, but the
development agreement must be put in place first.
Old City Hall SiteThe CRA received several responses to the RFP for development
on the old City Hall site on Banyan. The agency requested proposals to
develop a hotel on the property, as well as other appropriate mixed
uses, including residential and commercial elements.
An evaluation committee reviewed the proposals and selected two
finalists to make presentations to the CRA Board at a special January
meeting. Staff anticipates the project will include an approximately
200-room hotel. The activation of the park on the former Helen Wilkes
site, as well as potential liner buildings around the Banyan Street
garage, are also components that are requested. The City Commission,
sitting as the CRA Board, will then select a developer and direct staff to
begin final negotiations, a process anticipated to last 90 days.
Robert Stevens
NEW
Development Opportunitiesin West Palm Beach
Continued from page 13
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PBCB Quarterly v3 i3_Winter 2015:Layout 1 2/18/15 11:33 AM Page 15
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