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Friday, October 14, 2011
Comm. Keith London's take on Hallandale Beach City Comm. mtg., financial concerns re possible purchase of Post Office property on US-1 mirror my own
I only spoke once during the meeting, though I was itching to speak 2-3 times on separate agenda items based on some of the mis-information and faulty renderings of the facts I heard from up on the dais.
But I bit my tongue each time. (After all, I can't put out every fire.)
That was especially painful while listening to the discussion of the discussion on the possibility of purchasing the Main U.S. Post Office on U.S.-1/Federal Highway, located across the street and just south of HB City Hall, and across the street from Gulfstream Park Race Track & Casino and the Village at Gulfstream Park retail complex.
In case of the latter, directly across from the Crate & Barrel.
(For the record, the Main Post Office here in Hallandale Beach is one of THE worst-designed and managed Post Offices I've ever been in, and one that under no circumstances should be located anywhere near U.S-1/Federal Highway, not least of all because it's interior is so small and yet wastes far too much space around it that could and should be bringing the city valuable tax revenue.
In my opinion, it ought to be re-located on Hallandale Beach Blvd., a few blocks west of the FEC R.R. tracks along Dixie Highway, but under the proposal offered to the city -see below- they have to get a site within a half-mile of their present location.
I'll have some very scathing news -with photos- on that Post Office and the way it's run soon, as I've been biting my tongue for MONTHS on the unsafe public safety situation there at night. Yes, directly across the street from the HB Police Dept.!
But it's all too true!)
Much as I like the abstract idea of the city purchasing the land with the idea of expanding the Bluesten Park recreational/ball field area and making that whole are from U.S.-1 to the FEC train tracks green and recreational space -City Hall/Police Dept. HQ, north of the property, would stay in place- since the city has far too little "open space," an idea discussed in the city's Parks Master Plan created by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc., most of whose many public meetings I personally attended, videotaped and participated in, Comm. London's very legitimate financial concerns about this possible purchase are very sound.
Especially when you know as well as I do, how for years this city has purchased land with absolutely no written plan or agreed-upon strategy in place with what to do with it afterwards.
Broward Bulldog
Hallandale Beach takes a bath on land deals; properties for redevelopment sit idle for years
By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org
OCTOBER 6, 2011 AT 6:13 AM
Links to Hallandale Beach Parks Master Plan (Staff Report, Supporting Docs)
There are FAR TOO MANY uncertainties to proceed now without some concrete idea of where the money is coming from, something the City Manager can NOT answer to the satisfaction of anyone I know, despite the info on the links above, esp. given how much money the city has taken from reserves.
The U.S. Post Office remaining there or anywhere within a half-mile of their present location is a flat-out terrible idea, for the reasons already stated, plus traffic.
By the way, FYI, to give you some idea how things work in South Florida, here, HB counts water, specifically, canals and lakes, as "open space" for purposes of determining the city's ratio, despite the fact that Chaves Lake is actually CLOSED to the public.
I don't know about you, but the last time I tried to walk on water...
My last post on the city's Parks Master Plan was from July 14th titled, The role of PAL in the City of Hallandale Beach, and specifically, in the larger debate about the HB Parks Master Plan and the city's priorities
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