Staff identifies five potential sites to relocate Andrews House; commission seeks joint CRA meeting

City staff gave a status update Jan. 7 on options to preserve and relocate the historic Andrews House at 306 Southeast First Avenue, presenting five possible municipal or CRA-owned sites and a budget-level estimate for moving the structure.

Public Works staff told the commission the team had identified five potential relocation sites: a small city park at Northeast 6th Avenue and Northeast 6th Court; Palmetto Greens Linear Park near the FEC railroad; a CRA-owned lot on North Seacrest Boulevard and Northeast Third Avenue; a city-owned lot on Northeast Third Street and Northeast Ninth Avenue; and a CRA-owned lot on East Ocean Avenue (near the Magnuson House). Staff estimated a budget range of about $225,000 to move the structure and place it on a new foundation and utilities, noting the figure is a preliminary, high-level estimate and does not include full rehabilitation or code upgrades.

Public comment and the commission’s discussion focused on preservation use, feasible locations and longevity. Several commissioners said they preferred a downtown location that would help activate Ocean Avenue and anchor a historic corridor; others urged caution because some potential sites are tight and would require setback variances. Planning Director Amanda Ragan told the commission the Magnuson House site is constrained and might require variances or moving only the original portion of the building; she said costs to bring the house to current building-code standards would depend on the intended future use and require a more detailed inspection.

Commissioner Turkin and others emphasized urgency: the structure currently is privately owned, has an open demolition permit, and could be demolished if the city does not act. Commissioners asked staff to obtain more precise relocation and rehabilitation cost estimates and to study how to retrofit the building to different uses (museum, community center, small commercial tenant or park facility).

The commission asked staff to schedule a joint meeting with the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to examine the options; staff and counsel agreed to work with the CRA on timing and suggested a joint meeting and follow-up discussion in the Jan. 21–Feb. 4 timeframe depending on notice requirements.

Next steps: staff will return with more detailed cost estimates for moving the structure to candidate sites, estimated costs to bring the building up to code under representative uses, and a proposed schedule for a joint city-CRA meeting to seek a coordinated decision.