By Connor Walter Brickel
The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency continued its land acquisition efforts in September with the purchase of five parcels — including two in the Boynton Beach Boulevard corridor east of Interstate 95 — for more than $5.1 million.
The City Commission, assembled in its role as the CRA’s governing board, approved the purchases on Sept. 16. According to staff reports, the two parcels purchased around Boynton Beach Boulevard are needed to support future downtown redevelopment. They are:
• 415 NW First Ave. The property, currently a single-family home, carried the highest financial premium for the city; its purchase price of $749,000 was 78% over the appraised value of $420,000.
• 101 NW Fourth St. The CRA paid $835,000 for this property, also currently a single-family home.
The commission considered a third residential parcel near the Boulevard — 204 NW First St. — with a $995,000 recommended purchase price but decided to see if it could reduce the cost.
“I’d be open to negotiating it and see if they would be open to that,” said Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin. “I think there’s an opportunity to get a better price.”
The two properties fall within the Boynton Beach Boulevard entryway to downtown from I-95. According to staff reports, the CRA envisions an area where “pedestrians will be encouraged to walk along the broad sidewalks in the shade of mature trees to visit the various stores and restaurants along the corridor.”
The CRA also approved the purchase of three more properties along MLK Jr. Boulevard with a total cost of $3.59 million. The area is known as the Heart of Boynton District. The city’s goal is to bring more commercial and retail development to the area and preserve the historic cottages that have been there since the 1920s.
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