Broward board hears proposed P3 to build workforce housing at Dave Thomas East Education Center; staff told to advance planning and coordinate with Pompano

The School Board of Broward County on June 10 reviewed a proposed public‑private partnership (P3) concept to develop workforce and mixed‑income housing on the district-owned Dave Thomas East Education Center site in Pompano Beach. Staff asked for direction to proceed with drafting a solicitation and to coordinate with the City of Pompano Beach.

Staff presentation and options Chris Acabosu, director of facility planning and real estate, described the 2.8‑acre property and two principal approaches that staff showed the board: (1) a long‑term ground lease to a developer who would design and build mixed‑income housing (typically deed‑restricted workforce units plus market units); or (2) an “employee‑assisted housing” model in which market-rate units are set aside and the school board uses ground-lease revenue or other mechanisms to subsidize rents so a larger share of the units are affordable to district employees.

Design concepts The district engaged urban-design firm DPZ CoDesign to produce illustrative concepts showing a range of densities and building types — courtyard apartments, “checkerboard” small multi‑family blocks and patio houses — intended to fit with the surrounding residential fabric and the city’s downtown plan. DPZ emphasized approaches that distribute smaller buildings and courtyards rather than a single monolithic tower.

Legal and procurement framework School board counsel noted Florida’s public‑private partnership statute (Fla. Stat. 255.065) provides a legal pathway for solicited or unsolicited proposals; counsel said a solicited RFP (request for proposals) would let the district ask for specific solutions (for example, higher density vs. lower, or employee-priority units) and allow the district to evaluate competing approaches.

Board discussion and direction Board members generally welcomed pursuing the idea but asked for further detail before any decision. Key concerns and next steps discussed: - Appraisal/value: Several board members said the district should get a formal appraisal of the Dave Thomas site to understand the market value and to evaluate whether a ground lease or an outright sale makes more sense economically. - Affordability target: Some board members (and an outside housing authority speaker) argued the greatest need is for households at 80% area median income (AMI) and below; staff’s initial scenarios suggested 50% workforce at up to 120% AMI is allowable under local zoning. Several board members asked staff to examine options that prioritize lower AMI levels and to model trade-offs. - Coordination with Pompano Beach:…