Destin CRA board approves town center advisory report, backs study on underground utilities and road-safety surfacing

The City of Destin Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board on Thursday approved the Town Center CRA Advisory Committee’s 2025 annual report and FY2027 work plans and asked the committee to prioritize several proposed projects, including a study of undergrounding utilities and expanded use of high-friction pavement on Airport Road.

Kyle Davis, a member of the Town Center advisory committee, opened the presentation by introducing the group’s two formally submitted work plans — a north–south connector tied to regional mobility and a proposed multi-use green space on the former Destin Cinema 10/Publix parking lot. "I'm part of the town center CRA," Davis said, adding that the projects were meant to benefit residents and visitors.

Preston Green, who introduced himself with his address while presenting additional suggestions, urged the CRA to pay Florida Power & Light about $30,000 to perform an engineering and cost estimate study for undergrounding utilities across the town center district. "...I believe if I remember correctly [the research] was going to cost about $30,000 to do the research," Green said. He also recommended laying down high-friction surfacing roughly 500 feet past each side of the Airport Road signal at Commons Drive to reduce wet-weather crashes.

Crystal (staff) told the board the March funding summary in the packet was informational and that figures had shifted since January due to budget amendments. She said a previously allocated 2024 loan construction account had been largely reallocated to meet arbitrage requirements but that cost savings had left "roughly around $600,000 plus" remaining, which staff noted must be used by November to avoid returning funds. "It was presented to the committees," Crystal added about the funding information.

Board members and staff advised the advisory committee to prioritize the four items it had discussed — the two formally filed work-plan items plus undergrounding and the high-friction surfacing — and to seek cost estimates and coordinate timing with resurfacing schedules so possible treatments could be applied during planned construction windows. One board member noted that resurfacing schedules could create opportunities to apply high-friction material without separate mobilization costs.

During discussion, a council member flagged workforce housing as another potential use of town-center parcels, urging the advisory committee to assess vacant commercial properties for housing opportunities that would require zoning or rule changes. The board did not adopt any zoning changes at the meeting; it directed the committee to return with prioritized recommendations.

A motion to approve the Town Center CRA Advisory Committee 2025 annual report and the FY2027 work plans, with the committee’s two additional items added and prioritized, passed unanimously. The board asked for the committee’s prioritized list and cost estimates at the July meeting.

Next steps: staff will capture the committee’s priorities and present cost estimates and scheduling options to council; the CRA board set a July meeting to review the prioritized work plans.