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Buying land could help fix corner in Sebastian
By TONY 7UDNICH
tony.judnich @scripps.com
December 12, 2006
Page 1 of 2
SEBASTIAN — City Manager Al Minner plans to ask the City Council on Wednesday to pay $395,000 — about
$75,000 more than an appraised value — for a 0.12 -acre parcel he says would help complete a major redesign of the
Main Street- Indian River Drive intersection.
The land is at 1302 Indian River Drive, north of the Main Street Boat Ramp, and contains a small house. City officials
propose buying the property from Bettina Boudrot, of Vero Beach, and knocking down the house before realigning
Main Street and Indian River Drive to improve boater, vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Boudrot has said she used part of the single - family home on her parcel as a photography studio until it was damaged
by the 2004 hurricanes. She also owns 0.14 of an acre of land submerged in the adjacent Indian River Lagoon, and
her total 0.26 -acre property is assessed by the Indian River County Property Appraiser's Office at $70,730.
Appraised values often are higher than assessed ones. Two city commissioned appraisals reported the value of the
0.12 -acre section at $300,000 and $322,000 respectively.
The city could offer $395,000, Minner said in a recent memo to the council, because of various reasons. For
example, he said the appraisals could have "under valued" the property by not giving enough credit for "buildable"
property — the 0.14 -acre of submerged land that would be part of the purchase and that could be filled in.
Also, "With city property surrounding the area, (Boudrot's property) is a key component of the project which
significantly adds to the intrinsic value to the city," Minner said in the memo.
Councilman AI Paternoster said the property would be used wisely if the city bought it.
"The biggest factor would be leaving that view of the water open," he said Monday.
But he's concerned with a contingency Boudrot wants included in the city's possible purchase: Boudrot is asking that
the land only be used "in conjunction with parks, cultural or waterfront recreational activities" for 30 years.
"I asked them to put that (condition) there for the people of the city of Sebastian, so they would have a beneficial park
there, rather than something commercial," Boudrot said Monday.
She and Minner said they don't know why the appraisals do not include the 0.14 -acre of submerged land.
"I personally feel the property has a lot more value than what the appraisals were," Boudrot said. "I feel the ($395,000
figure) is a compromise on my part."
Paternoster said he wants the council to discuss the possible contingency.
"Any condition would encumber the city if it wanted to do anything else with the parcel," he said. "I'd also like to get
the public's input on what they think of purchasing the property for $75,000 over the appraised value."
City officials have budgeted $801,242 in community redevelopment money for the overall riverfront project, including
the possible land purchase. The work could finish by March 2008 and includes:
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TCPalm: Local News
Page 2 of 2
• Widening Main Street from two to five lanes in the block between U.S. 1 and Indian River Drive. A landscaped
median would separate two eastbound lanes from three westbound lanes, including a left -hand turn lane onto U.S. 1.
• Eliminating on- street parking spots on the west side of Main Street.
• Realigning Indian River Drive to curve to the west at its intersection with Main Street, creating some room for boat -
trailer parking next to the boat ramp. Indian River Drive would remain a north -south road connected to Main Street.
PROPOSED LAND BUY
Sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, Sebastian City Council on Wednesday will consider whether to
buy a privately owned parcel at 1302 Indian River Drive for $395,000 in city redevelopment money. The
redevelopment meeting starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 1225 Main St.
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