Boca Raton officials on Tuesday night authorized the purchase of a $17.4 million office building that they say will be used to temporarily house employees displaced by the closure of buildings downtown as redevelopment efforts and the fledgling government campus projects get off the ground.
The building is located off Congress Avenue in the northern reaches of the city at 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard. It is mostly vacant, save for a few existing tenants, and is owned by Meridian Park of Commerce, LLC. The authorization to purchase the building came after city officials say they surveyed more than 15 office buildings to determine the feasibility of relocating staff, initially with the intent to enter into a lease. But most commercial property owners were seeking 10-year lease commitments, ultimately prompting officials to consider the purchase of a building that could later be re-sold or redeveloped once it is no longer required for public use.
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The building would accommodate existing functions in city hall as well as those within the Building Administration and Code Enforcement (BACE) Building. Both of the buildings have aged out of their useful lives and are due to be demolished as part of redevelopment projects. About 430 employees need to be relocated, at least temporarily, while the new buildings are constructed.
“We need to move the code enforcement operation out of the downtown library,” said City Manager George Brown. “What they’re working in now – basically, we shoved them into the old library with some cubicles.”
Brown described the building “a good asset for the city.”
“We should be able to move staff into that building with very little construction … and it will allow us to also locate other services there that are back-of-house or are public-facing but cooperate closely with the Building Department,” he said.
The costs of renovation is included in purchase outlay price, he said.
“The price is actually a good price considering the sales of actual buildings around it,” Brown added.
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The purchase faced some opposition, especially after a large group of residents rallied earlier in the meeting against the government campus development project. Mayor Scott Singer said the purchase makes sense regardless of whether an effort to block the city hall project is successful.
“This is ready for move-in now,” said Singer. “Regardless of the city hall campus, we need a new BACE building.”
Singer also touted the building’s close access to I-95, convenient for both employees and builders doing business in the city.
“A lot of this will be the non-resident functions,” he said. “They’ll have a better working space at a more reasonable cost, especially as opposed to building downtown.”
Eventually, officials said, the building could be packaged as part of its own redevelopment project.
“Longer term, the property is valuable from a redevelopment perspective as it is near Tri-Rail and the El Rio Trail, and could be used to encourage appropriate mixed-use development in the area,” a memorandum from Brown said.
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
The Meridian Office Center, 6551 Park of Commerce Boulevard, being purchased by Boca Raton to accommodate city workers. (Photo: Boca Daily News)
“It’s reasonable to think that the additional, stable employment of city workers would provide an incentive for the development of workforce housing in the area, as well as neighborhood-serving retail,” he added at the meeting. “It may not be big redevelopment, but I think it will lead to some economic stimulus in the area.”
The terms of the purchase agreement provide for a $450,000 deposit that becomes non-refundable after a 45-day due diligence period. The cost of the building is $17,400,000. The council included an allocation of $50,000 for closing costs for a total cost of $17,450,000.
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