City of Boynton Beach Town Square Redevelopment

The Boynton Beach Town Square Redevelopment is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the City of Boynton Beach, the City of Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the private development community. The long term goal is to transform the more than 16 acres project site into a vibrant downtown for the city. The project called for upgrades to civic infrastructure that was either obsolete or planned for relocation to maximize land use for private development while also enhance public use of the area. The redevelopment was to include a new 50,000 square foot city hall, two parking garages, 50,000 square feet of retail space and a 15,000 square foot community center. The project included the relocation of the existing police headquarters into a 76,000 square foot facility and the downtown fire station into a 10,000 square foot facility. Rehabilitation of the historic high school was involved, as well as multiple entry features on major roads such as Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard. A master plan report was prepared by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council prior to the project start, which provided guidance and outlined concepts for consideration in the design phase. These combined improvements strategically create an Arts and Civic District within the city that anchors the main street of Ocean Avenue into the more traveled Boynton Beach Boulevard. The Town Square Redevelopment will be one of the first landmarks city visitors see, having a substantial economic impact.

Scope of Services

As a subconsultant to E2L Real Estate Holdings LLC, TMS provided public involvement services for the City of Boynton Beach.

Major Issues/Community Concerns

TMS provided public involvement services for Phase I of the Town Square Redevelopment, which included the design of new city facilities. Major issues to be addressed included Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) changes for residents and local emergency services. Construction disruptions to the surrounding communities and other stakeholders were addressed. This included concerns on vibrations from construction activities, noise, visual and environmental issues. The potential closure of the library without a temporary facility already in place for its approximate 1,000 daily visitors was a primary concern. Library closure would impact residents who did not have Wi-Fi capabilities at their homes, students, avid readers and the general public. The library closure would potentially impact educational programs held at the library, such as financial, health and technology classes. AmeriCorps educational programs for help with homework, English as a second language and college preparatory programs would also be impacted. The playground closure of Kid’s Kingdom Park concerned parents and residents using the park for physical activity. The playground’s redesign would be conducted with Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies that deter criminal behavior by relying on the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal acts.

Public Involvement Activity: Collateral and Printed Materials

TMS created door hangers that notified the public of three community meetings. Doorhangers were translated into Spanish to meet the needs of the impacted community. TMS distributed doorhangers in a timely manner for each community meeting. A save the date in the size of a postcard was created to advertise for the public meetings. Additionally, TMS created three flyers for the public meetings that were distributed 30 days in advance of each scheduled meeting. Flyers were also distributed electronically through email, websites and social media postings. All collateral and printed materials were approved by the prime PM and city officials.

Public Involvement Activity: Stakeholder Database

TMS gathered, organized and prepared mailing lists of all stakeholders, businesses, utility companies, public and elected officials. Various special interest groups, such as cyclists, and civic organizations were included. Homeowners were identified by use of the Martin County Property Appraiser website. TMS updated mailing databases as necessary throughout the duration of the project.

Public Involvement Activity: Public Meetings, Community Job Fair, Ground Breaking Ceremony

TMS organized all details involved with three community meeting preparations and management to provide residents and stakeholders opportunities to voice concerns and be heard throughout the decision making process. TMS reserved the ADA compliant space of the Boynton Beach Public Library for the three meetings that were conducted within ten days. Community public meetings focused on playground renovations, safety, improvements, architectural styles and renovations, parks and open space amenities. In a timely manner, TMS distributed public meeting notifications to the mailing database. TMS organized the setup and take down of the public meetings, signed in attendees, prepared and collected comment cards. TMS assembled timely meeting notes at the conclusion of each event and provided those to both the prime PM and city officials.

TMS coordinated an effort to hold a ground breaking ceremony with the project team and city officials. TMS garnered quotes from local event companies for party rental packages, such as tents, folding chairs and tables. TMS provided light refreshments for the ground breaking ceremony.

A community job fair was organized to promote the hiring of local Boynton Beach residents with businesses expected to be involved in the construction, redevelopment and businesses at the Town Square. TMS created a database of all local businesses, advertisements and solicited local businesses on the prospects. The job fair was separated into a morning session for subcontractors and afternoon to evening session for labor force hiring. TMS organized the job fair to be held at the Carolyn Sims Center and promoted the event for skilled and unskilled applicants for full, part and apprentice opportunities of multiple trades.

Public Involvement Activity: Project Website

TMS created an interactive independent website outlining the Town Square Redevelopment details and project updates. A temporary website was created at the URL www.townsquareboytonbeach.com. All community meetings and events related to the project were posted on the website for public access. Design plans, workforce hiring intention, photos and architectural renderings were all included on the website. Public meeting minutes were posted online after each event.