RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — It’s official, after months of public "community conversations" and surveys the Riviera Beach City Council and the public have determined how they jointly "Reimagine Riviera Beach".
Riviera Beach officials call it a $200 million "responsible redevelopment plan" to replace outdated facilities and invest in the future of the city. And already both residents and non-residents are digging deeper into the plan and asking when ground will be broken.
Three days a week you’ll find friends Val and Norman joking and talking fish at a pier in Riviera Beach.
But fish isn’t the only thing they like about the city.
"It’s affordable, there’s diversity and I love it," said Val Bucknol.
These men are content with the offerings but people like Peter Leahy see something else.
"It’s potential and you can see it’s just there," Leahy said. "It’s just about to explode into this very exciting new thing."
And that thing is called Reimagine Riviera Beach.
"(The public is) part of the community we have to do this together," said Marsha Noel, Riviera Beach assistant to the City Manager.
The redevelopment plan makes improvements to seven different areas including updating 50-year-old public safety and municipal facilities and attracting private investment.
"So that this can be a city of choice not just for our residents but also visitors," Noel said. "People who want to come to our city and enjoy the things that we have to offer."
Over the summer, three options were on the table. As of Wednesday night city council approved moving forward with Option C which moves City Hall to a new downtown located along Broadway between 22nd and 23rd Streets.
"Having the City Hall downtown wouldn’t just be for public use," Noel said. "We are still looking at the opportunities of having that as a mixed use development as well because hopefully there’s more than one reason to come to downtown than just City Hall."
The current City Hall, library, water plant, fire and police stations would be demolished. Option C also creates a new wellness center, park and public safety complex to be located south of Blue Heron Boulevard and more private mixed use development to the north.
"We can look at potentially for housing, for retail, for restaurants," Noel said.
"That’s a good thing. Work, live and play," Leahy said.
Officials say having a new city hall within the Broadway corridor would jump start revitalization along other roads like Avenue E. The city hopes to break ground in Sept. 2022. To learn more about Reimagine Riviera Beach visit, watch the video below.