Big Box Bruhaha
September 11th, 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
The Boca Raton Airport Authority apparently thinks a new City Furniture Store on a 4.67-acre parcel of land on Airport Road next to Premier Aviation and Muvico would be a better use of the property than for a recreational facility.
Authority members voted that way following presentations Aug. 20 from City Furniture and Premier Aviation.
But the City Council has to rule on that decision. And some of them – particularly Deputy Mayor Peter Baronoff, who attended the authority meeting night – are upset with the ruling.
“When you are passing by on I-95, do you want to see a big box store or a recreational use?” the councilman asked at a recent meeting. He said the recreational facility proposed by Premier Aviation – a use that includes a bowling alley – would tie in well with the nearby Muvico Theatre and Boomer’s, another recreation site on the south side of the cinema.
Baronoff said the authority asked “few questions” during the presentations, and he also felt members expressed “no concerns about the qualitative issues.”
According to figures presented at the hearing, Baronoff said said, the recreational use would bring in $610,000 while the furniture store is supposed to produce revenue of $625,000.
The authority is currently negotiating with City Furniture to reach a lease agreement, said authority spokeswoman Kim Singer.
In response to a request for proposals, three companies submitted suggestions to lease the property, said Singer. Restaurant Associates, she said, was “not responsive” and was disqualified.
That left two active applicants -- City Furniture and Premier Aviation. The latter already leases 15 acres and is in the process of building a development there in phases, Singer said.
Bowling Added
In its written proposal, she said, Premier said it planned to build a restaurant and retail uses. On the night of the meeting with the authority, its attorney, Steven Abrams, said the firm also wants to put in a bowling alley.
Earlier this year, the City Council designated the property as non-aviation land – not needed for airport use. The parcel is the remaining undeveloped area on Airport Road.
When the council redesignated the land earlier this year, it created a number of categories of approved uses for it, including business and professional offices, retail uses, banks and financial institutions, hotels and motels, educational institutions, radio or television studios, indoor theaters, bowling alleys, recreational facilities and medical offices.
Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.
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