Riviera Beach lays out ambitious road, parks and City Hall campus plans; school district land‑swap remains unsettled

City staff used the budget workshop Aug. 19 to present an extensive program of road, park and civic facility investments that would reshape the city’s central corridors and municipal campus — but several items depend on negotiations and additional council direction.

Roads and infrastructure

The capital projects administrator and the finance director walked the board through a data‑driven “worst‑first” road program that scores water, sewer, drainage, pavement, curb & gutter and sidewalks across the city’s roughly 80 miles of roads. Staff said a full corrective program (replacing utilities and rebuilding pavements across the city) would total roughly $478 million; the next‑phase program presented for council consideration would include roughly $135 million in new road construction and a planned mill‑and‑overlay program.

Staff gave district‑level examples: District 1 showed about $26 million in prioritized work; District 2 — which includes long‑deferred streets in Park Manor North and South and Lakeview Park — was listed at about $65 million; other districts carry similarly large price tags. City staff flagged coordination between road work and utility district projects so the city can avoid tearing up newly repaired streets when the utility district installs intercoastal crossings and force mains.

Parks, pools and recreation

The parks director reviewed the 2022 parks master plan and a shorter five‑year implementation schedule. Major items include Brooks Playground, the Callaway Park reconstruction (with community charrettes to define a final program), upgrades at Sadie McCrae and Schultz parks, and a municipal beach concept with entry plaza, signage and amenity improvements. Staff reiterated the interim aquatics strategy (MOU partnerships, Residents to the Rapids and transportation) while the city pursues a longer‑term pool solution.

City Hall, library and school district talks

The city has an active City Hall campus solicitation that covers multiple parcels, including the existing city hall site and other city‑owned land near Blue Heron. Staff said two developer proposals are under review by PFM and that an executive summary is forthcoming; council direction will be sought at the September or October meetings.

Library options: staff said expanding the current library on North Congress would add approximately $17 million to that site; alternatively the library could be incorporated into a new City Hall campus, but building the library as part of a City Hall campus would roughly double that cost and raise questions about how to repurpose or sell the existing library parcel.

School district land‑swap proposal: the manager reported ongoing negotiations with the School District about a 4‑acre conveyance that could allow Inlet Grove High School to shift and would, in return, give the city four acres at the Callaway campus for parks and athletics. Evans said the district had signaled it was “in favor of moving forward” with a partnership concept that could include school funding (the district committed roughly $5 million toward a gymnatorium on the school side). Staff cautioned the council that no land‑swap has been authorized; any conveyance will require explicit approvals and contractual protections before the city commits bond proceeds or capital funds to facilities on property not yet conveyed.

Council direction and next steps

Council members asked staff to clarify whether the city would accept a leased site versus acquiring property outright for major capital projects. Several council members urged caution and asked staff to secure firm, legally binding conveyances prior to committing large capital sums. Staff said they would return with the PFM report on the City Hall solicitation, bring forward design contracts for park projects (Callaway design contract expected in September), and continue negotiations with the school district and county as requested.

Ending

Staff framed the package as multi‑year and contingent on financing, CRA participation and successful negotiation of intergovernmental agreements. Council members asked for clearer policy direction on whether the city should build civic facilities on leased versus owned land and for a formal presentation of the PFM solicitation review in the fall.