City Given Land Option: The Prospect of Taking Back Some of Its Land on U.S. 441 From the State Might Give the City of West Park Something to Celebrate As Its First Anniversary

By Todd Wright, The Miami Herald

Feb. 21–West Park’s Russell Benford, above, says the state’s move is in the right direction.

The state has delivered some good news to the beleaguered city of West Park, as it approaches its first anniversary.

Officials from the Florida Department of Transportation have told West Park leaders it can get back five acres of prime commercial real estate on U.S. 441 that the state had previously claimed for a road-widening project if the city comes up with a new drainage plan for the road.

The five acres had been the subject of intense discussion between state and city officials after West Park realized FDOT had earmarked the land years ago for storm-water ponds.

West Park, incorporated as a city last March, considers U.S. 441 the economic life line for the new community.

Having five acres of water along U.S. 441 would cripple the city’s ability to develop the land to help with its already-shrinking commercial base.

In late 2005, FDOT already had started taking ownership of much of the property along the east side of U.S. 441 from Pembroke Road to Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

About 10 acres of property — mostly shopping centers, car dealerships and small businesses — were scheduled to be demolished.

City leaders pleaded with FDOT to rethink the plans for the storm-water ponds.

Since its inception, West Park has struggled to eke out an existence, partly because of questionable figures in a county study used to endorse its creation.

Cost estimates for police and fire services provided by the Broward Sheriff’s Office apparently were off by millions of dollars.

The city had budgeted about a third of its $8.5 million budget for law enforcement, but BSO’s demands could take up as much as 65 percent.

The two sides still are struggling to come to terms on a deal, although the community is receiving BSO services for free right now.

The county study also projected property-tax revenue from several sites on 441, somehow overlooking an FDOT plan to take as much as 10 acres of developable land along the major thoroughfare for a road-widening project that had been planned for nearly 10 years.

After the city was formed, a study from the South Florida Regional Planning Council concluded that 11 buildings and 175 parking spaces — 25 percent of West Park’s commercial space along 441 — could be lost to the road widening.

The county estimated the city would lose about $84,000 in tax revenues, said Vice Mayor Thomas Dorsett.

FDOT officials originally said the design for the $240 million road-widening project was a done deal and that reconfiguring the location of the storm-water ponds could set the project back years and cost $27 million more in land acquisition.

But at a meeting two weeks ago, FDOT opened the door for the city to retain the land.

“They want the land for development,” said Gerry O’Reilly, FDOT’s director of transportation development. “There are always options open to the city. We don’t have a vested interest in the location. We just want the road drained.”

Now, the city has another challenge. It must come up with a plan to place the storm-water ponds elsewhere. West Park doesn’t have the money to pay for an engineering study.

Also, the city likely would have to purchase or condemn land to move the ponds.

“We didn’t expect them to release the land,” said City Administrator Russell Benford. “We didn’t budget for that.”

But, he said, the state’s move is in the right direction.

“They put the ball in our court, and that’s promising.”

The city recently signed a three-year contract with Fort Lauderdale-based Cavin, Giordano & Associates to run most of its government departments, including public works, planning and engineering.

Before the contract — which will cost West Park about $500,000 annually — the city had five employees, including Benford, and four parks and recreation workers.

“Because of all the things we still have to do, our first anniversary is more of a review,” Dorsett said. “We don’t have the time to celebrate. It’s coming together, but it’s still about survival.”

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