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Description of Project
The Town of Lantana wishes to encourage development
that provides both an economic and a social benefit
appropriate for its small community. There are only
a few large parcels in the Town that are suitable for
development. The 140-acre parcel in question is underutilized
and centrally located on Lantana Road. The site, which
represents approximately eight percent of the Town's
land, is State-owned and occupied by an underutilized
and obsolete tuberculosis hospital. |
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Design
Institute Recommendations
The Design
Institute team offered the following points and recommendations:
- Make the State a partner by offering the Trustees
a set of viable alternatives and options.
- Analyze and quantify the cost benefit relationship
of redevelopment, strive for objectivity.
- Meet with Glenda Hood of the Florida Department
of State and Colleen Costille of the Florida Department
of Community Affairs regarding their support of the
redevelopment.
- Develop a unified vision with the stakeholders.
- Analyze and ascertain the need for green space
and parks.
- Identify options for the hospital.
- Remember: character and land use pattern first,
transportation second.
- Control design of streets, architecture etc.
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| Results
In addition to participation in April's Design Institute,
the Town of Lantana brought in the Urban Land Institute
(ULI) Advisory Services Panel in October 2003 to further
explore redevelopment recommendations. In a turn of
events, the Florida Department of Health recently unveiled
preliminary plans for demolishing the A. G. Hospital
and building a state-of-the-art Florida Institute of
Public Health campus on the 140 acre site. Given the
City's investment in planning studies and their desire
to see a redevelopment that is integrated into the community
of Lantana, the City hopes to work closely with the
State in ensuring that the site is used to its best
advantage. It is hoped that the State will draw upon
the recommendations of the Design Institute and the
ULI study. The City will work towards that goal.
July
2005
In
an unexpected turn of events, the Florida Department
of Health let it be known that it intends to keep the
140 acre A. G. Holley Hospital site. It has unveiled
preliminary plans to demolish the Hospital and build
a state-of-the-art public health facility, hotel, and
conference center in its place. Soon after, the University
of Miami committed itself to developing a satellite
medical campus at the site. The Town of Lantana and
the State of Florida are now working together on the
project. The state legislature has appropriated 1.25
million for project planning this year. Though state
planners will dictate the future of the site, officials
have indicated a desire to incorporate the recommendations
of the Design Institute and Urban Land Institute (ULI).
The town has requested an equitable deal for lost revenue
and an “institutionalized seat at the table” to oversee
the looks, functions and interaction of the Institute.
A permanent advisory council was created to address
these issues. Meetings convene monthly.
February
2006
In
October 2005, the advisory council approved a radial,
campus-style layout for the site. In January 2006, planners
announced the master plan was nearing completion and
Lantana residents attended a workshop to determine acceptable
building styles and features for the site. About 20
residents that were in attendance at the workshop favored
buildings with varying heights, brick-paved intersections,
arcade-style sidewalks and unobtrusive parking decks.
They rejected institutional-style structures, buildings
taller than three or four stories and rowhouse-type
residences for the so-called 30-acre "flex-use"
property. Currently, discussions are under way about
how to pay for the project.
March
2006
The Final Draft
Master Plan to create the Florida Institute for Public
Health (FIPH) in Lantana was unanimously approved Monday
by the Town Council at its regularly scheduled meeting.
The master plan envisions a development pattern in density
that is consistent with the desired character of the
town, an issue that kept state and local officials,
as well as residents, at odds since the first meeting
of the Advisory Council in December 2004 at town hall.
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