Historic Andrews House: board asks City Commission to pursue Ocean Avenue relocation next to Magnuson House

The Boynton Beach Historic Preservation Board voted to ask the City Commission to relocate the Andrews House to a site adjacent to the Magnuson House on Ocean Avenue and to pursue city or CRA ownership, the board decided during a staff presentation and a period of public comment.

The board’s actions follow a presentation from Richard Hoffer, assistant director of Public Works, who reviewed three potential relocation sites and early technical findings, including building-code and fire-safety separation requirements that could affect some options. “The presentation I’m giving this evening is actually the same presentation that was given at the last commission meeting,” Hoffer said, and he outlined site constraints, zoning designations and preliminary budget estimates.

The nut of the discussion was site feasibility and preservation. Hoffer told the board the city narrowed an initial list of five candidate lots to three, and that one site next to the Magnuson House raised issues because the two wood-frame structures would need a 20-foot separation under feedback from fire and building officials. Hoffer said that raised potential costs for increased fire-rating of walls and other upgrades. He also presented a contractor price range for physically moving the house and a broad budget…