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Commissioners flag brownfield, grant restrictions while discussing Booker Park and the vacated Public Works site
Summary
At the workshop staff told the commission the vacated public works site is being monitored for brownfield cleanup and is partly bound by a 2017 grant that dedicates part of the parcel to public outdoor recreation, constraining private sale or commercial reuse; commissioners asked for maps, acreage and a publicly noticed site visit.
Palatka staff told the City Commission March 18 that plans for the vacated public works site near Booker Park are constrained by environmental monitoring and past grant restrictions, prompting commissioners to request more information, maps and a site visit before making reuse decisions.
Attorney West reported the city is monitoring the site for brownfield remediation and that a 2017 grant (about $750,000 referenced in the packet) directed that a portion of the property be used as an outdoor recreation area and be dedicated in perpetuity for public use. Staff said that limitation would likely appear in a title search and could limit private sale or non‑recreational redevelopment of the parcel unless there is a legal pathway to change the restriction.
Parks and recreation staff described practical needs at Booker Park: limited parking during sports seasons and demand for an additional field. One staffer said reconfiguring the vacated public works parcel could add a third field and roughly 35–40 parking spaces, improving the complex’s ability to host more games. Commissioners asked staff to verify acreage, patterns of ownership on adjacent tracts (a developer has purchased adjacent land proposed for single‑family residential), and whether the grant or remediation needs would preclude a parking conversion.
Given the pending environmental cleanup and grant language, commissioners scheduled a publicly noticed site visit and asked public works and planning staff to return with a map, an acreage estimate, remediation status and a proposal for field and parking layouts. Staff also noted prior public resistance to private commercial uses on the site when past inquiries raised traffic concerns from nearby residents.
What’s next: The commission asked the clerk to publicly notice a site visit (planned for the coming Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. per the meeting) and directed staff to deliver a written memo with legal constraints, remediation status, the grant citation, acreage and a menu of feasible reuse options for commission consideration in regular business.
