Item 8G - Bennett Property DiscussionCITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
CITY COMMISSION M EETING
STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM #IS G
OCTOB ER 27,2014
AGENDA ITEM: Bennett Property Di scussio n
SUBMITTED BY: Doug las E. Layton. P.E., Pu~rrirecr~ -~ L .
DATE: Sep te mb er 30, 2014 ,y-0 . 7
BACKGROUND: At a Commi ssion bud get workshop in August, the City received a request
that th e City co ns id er acquiring a portion of th e Bennett property at Ca melia Street and
W. 3'd Stree t (near the Tideviews Preserve). The rationa le proposed by th e resid ents
was con se rvation of marsh front property to avoid potential future development. The
p ro posal soug ht to tie the parce l to Tideviews Preserve by improving access a lon g t he
north end s o f the Jasmin e and Begonia (FOOT) Street ponds.
Recently the Commission asked staff to prepare a possible layout of th e Bennett parce l in
relation to Tideviews Preserve a nd t he p ond s. S taff st arted from an exhibit within the
Marsh Master Pl a n a nd expanded t he exhibit north a nd east to in clude both ponds a nd
the Be nnett prope rty . Thi s expa nd ed layout is includ ed as Atta c hm e nt 1 a nd includes
additional options beyond those shown in th e Tideviews Marsh Master Pl an .
A survey showin g the proposed acq ui sition i s included as Attachment 2 .
Attachment 3 discusses considerations for preparing a n appraisa l va lue of t h e property.
A lso included a re three options for marsh access for differin g co nfi g uratio ns o f Bennett property
purchase.
W e previously explo re d u se of th e FOOT Begonia Street pon d . FOOT requ ires tha t the City take
owne rs h ip an d responsibili ty for t he pond, including responsibility for any contaminants now and
in the f ut ure in cluding potential changes to future stormwate r treatment requirements. This is a
serio us req uirem ent conside ring the C ity will not have co ntrol of th e DOT areas tha t the Pond
serves .
BUDGET: There a re no funds budgeted f o r acquisi ti on of the parcel or for any
Improve ments requ ired to th e Jasmine or Begonia (FOOT) Street ponds.
RECOMMENDATION: For Co mmissi on discussion
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Potential area park layout
2. Bennett Parcel S urvey
3 . Comments Regarding Bennett Property Value
4 . T hree Options fo r City pu rc hase of Bennett Property
REVIEWED BY CITY MANAGER: _-n,__::;__, -~-a..._ ... _"..:.:~"--'0-£~'-----------
Ex is ting Ameniti es Legend
J:Jl'.C: Cit Unlit D Oua Parking y (llph~lt)
~ Driveway (asphalt) D ADA Parking
(Uphill)
1?QQ1 Sta ndard Parking I2S25o:'l {geoblock) 0 Walkway (asphalt)
f'7:j Sidewalk
L:..!..J (concrete)
f'iii1 Rutrooma
~(pre fab)
Tldcvlcws Pl'esen re
IE:l:9 Bo ardwo lk ~ Dbmvotlon De ck
l::::::i:l (wood en) Q:!:l:j (woodtn)
D E!!SI Canoe Launch
Path (coquina) ~ (wooden)
AGENDA ITEM# 8G
OC TOBER 27, 20 14
City ol All anile
Buell Parcell
FDOTIJEA
Own ership
Attachment 2
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SUMVI·:V
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AGENDA ITEM 118C
OC TOBER 27,201 4
Attachment 3
Comments About Value for Private Purchase of Bennett Property:
AGENDA ITEM # SG
OCTOBER 27, 2014
• West facing portion of the Bennett property is 70 by 100. It is likely comprised of
wetlands, and therefore very difficult to build on.
• A natural vegetative buffer of 50 feet must be maintained from tributaries, streams, or
other water bodies connected to the Intracoastal. The buffer must start at mean high
water line. The property is adjacent to a water body that is connected to the Intracoastal.
• A 25 foot natural vegetative buffer must be maintained between all jurisdictional wetlands
and development. The rear of this site is likely wetlands.
• Section 24-256 of the COAB code states that all lots shall have satisfactory and
permanent access to a paved public street. The rear of this property currently has no
access to a paved public street.
Because of these limitations, the property has a reduced value for residential
development. It is quite likely that the only use for this property is as a backyard for
current residents, or as conservation/park space for the public. Therefore, in Staff's
opinion all discussion for the acquisition should be in terms of its resale value as
conservation land, not buildable residential property. Additionally, a residential property
on the same block is for sale for $50,000. The lot is 50 by 1 00; however, it does not
have marsh view. So even if the property is buildable for residential, it is likely worth
less than appraised value provided by the residents.
AGENDA ITEM # 8C
O C TOBER 27,2014
Option 1. This shows the possibilities for the site if COAB doesn't acquire add iti onal
land . The access to the ponds and Tideviews Preserve proposed by the residents
co uld be provided entire ly within the City's West 3rd Stand J asmine Street rights of way
and would not require an easement, but would requ ire a small elevated walkover where
the access point has to cross a small section of wet lands/marsh.
AGENDA ITEM# 8 G
OCTOBER 27,2014
Option 2. The portion in red is th e rear portion of the Bennett property. Acquiring this
portion would allow access to the marsh from Camelia without an elevated walkover. It
would also add additional green space if the City wants to expand Tideviews Prese rve .
AGENDA I TEM 118G
OCTOBER 27,20 14
Option 3. This option could occur if the property owners also so ld t he northeast corner
of their property, in add ition to th e portion shown in option 2. A possible benefit to this
acq ui sit io n would be adding park ing and bike spaces along Came li a. A portion of this
area is already paved.