Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Land Acquisition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City to offer $1.45 million for Cypress Gardens Blvd. property to advance FDOT intersection realignment
Summary
The commission authorized staff to pursue purchase of 801 Cypress Gardens Boulevard for $1,450,000 to secure right-of-way needed for a proposed realignment of Eighth/Ninth Street and future FDOT intersection improvements; closing subject to due diligence and tenant lease conditions.
The Winter Haven City Commission authorized city staff to proceed with an agreement to purchase the commercial property at 801 Cypress Gardens Boulevard for $1,450,000 as part of a multi-year plan to realign Eighth and Ninth Streets and improve a signalized intersection.
City Manager (name not specified) told commissioners the property was appraised at $1,450,000 on May 1 and that the city has $1.5 million appropriated in the transportation fund for corridor improvements. Staff said Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) supports the realignment concept; FDOT would design and construct the intersection improvements once right-of-way is secured.
The city's planned use would require demolishing the existing structures and dedicating the necessary right-of-way to FDOT. The purchase is contingent on standard due diligence: a Phase I (and if needed Phase II) environmental review and review of property reports already generated by the current owner. Staff said all known underground storage tanks have been removed and a prior Phase I exists, but the city will perform its own assessments.
Closing also depends on a commercial tenant's first right of refusal and a 180-day lease termination clause. City staff recommended not becoming the property landlord; if the tenant uses its full lease-termination rights, the latest possible closing date would be about Jan. 19 of the following year. Staff requested authority to execute the purchase agreement and begin due diligence; the commission approved the motion.
City officials said acquiring the parcel now positions the city and FDOT to move forward when the department schedules design and construction within its five-year work plan. No FDOT construction timeline or state funding allocation for the intersection was announced at the meeting.
