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Tequesta council rejects placing One Main Street purchase on 2026 ballot amid parking, cost concerns
Summary
The Village of Tequesta council voted unanimously Oct. 9 to deny directing staff to draft a referendum for voters to decide on buying the One Main Street property, citing a large parking deficit, multi‑million dollar retrofit costs and potential tax‑role impacts.
The Village of Tequesta council voted unanimously Oct. 9 to deny a proposal to place a referendum on the 2026 ballot asking residents to approve purchase of the One Main Street property.
Council discussion focused on an updated parking analysis and three site concepts presented by Community Development Director Jay Hutch, who said the existing Main Street building faces an 89‑space deficiency compared with code requirements and that the owner’s concepts rely on shared or off‑site parking. Hutch cautioned that several of the design options would require constructing new parking — reducing usable park area and adding substantial infrastructure and stormwater costs.
Several council members said the combined cost of buying the property and building the parking and site improvements would likely push total public spending into the multimillion‑dollar range, and that removing the parcels from the tax rolls could reduce annual real‑estate income for the village. One council member said the village does not have the reserves to absorb that level of spending without deeper vetting.
Adjacent property owner John Elib urged council to consider the practical parking constraints and said he can no longer make his property available for certain community events for insurance reasons. Owner Tom Frankle thanked council for working through the process and said the applicants would continue to cooperate with staff.
After discussion Councilmember motioned and seconded a motion to deny directing staff to draft a referendum resolution; the motion passed on a voice vote with all members indicating approval.
The mayor said staff will continue to work with the property owners and bring future options back to council. The denial does not prevent future proposals or a revised plan that addresses parking, financing and maintenance questions.
The council’s formal vote to deny direction to draft a referendum occurred during the Oct. 9 meeting; there was no formal ballot question approved that night.
