Redevelopment and Design Section

The Redevelopment and Design Section is involved with projects that span from urban design and redevelopment; to brownfields, special projects, local mitigation, and economic development initiatives.

Redevelopment:
Redevelopment is a priority to the Board of County Commissioners, and the Section has grown in response to that direction. The Section’s main initiative is the development of redevelopment strategies and initiatives for the County’s Urban Redevelopment Area (URA), a large area within unincorporated Palm Beach County. The URA Master Plan will include detailed analysis of Military Trail and Congress Avenue with policies for redevelopment. For these two corridors, the Section is assisting the development of the Traffic Concurrency Exception Area (TCEA) for Military Trail and Congress Avenue within the URA. The TCEA will allow for concentrated, smart redevelopment of large commercial parcels without the requirement to meet traffic concurrency. One of the goals of this redevelopment effort is to result in a mixed-use area where residents reduce their vehicle trips by using transit and other alternative modes of transportation. The Section also works closely with the Office of Economic Development on redevelopment strategies.

Urban Design:
County staff works with applicants to ensure designs for buildings and sites meet the guidelines of the Comprehensive Plan; since these projects are very site-specific, design tasks are usually short-term. Additionally, design staff conducts research to ensure the County’s success in creating mixed-use communities, and provides GIS-based and freehand graphics to illustrate ideas and policies.

Brownfield Redevelopment and Financial Incentives:
Redevelopment areas invariably include sites with perceived or real environmental concerns, and areas in need of financial incentives for redevelopment. The Section helps assist in the cleanup and redevelopment of potentially contaminated sites by using Federal and State funds. Our current efforts in the Lake Okeechobee Region include environmental assessments to determine the extent of contamination as a first step in preparing properties for cleanup and redevelopment as affordable homes and a potential job training center. Regarding financial incentives, the Section coordinates with various agencies to further sustainable economic development/redevelopment incentives and activities have resulted in revisions to the draft strategic economic plan and draft integration of business preparedness initiatives into emergency operation plans.