Stung by the high cost of property fronting S. Dixie Highway, the Pinecrest Village Council has decided to take a look at a possible site for the new Village Hall located away from the busy thoroughfare.

The one-acre vacant tract that could hold a new three-story municipal nerve center is located on 104 Street, just East of 77 Avenue, across from the Kendall United Methodist Church location. 

The $350,000 price tag on the land is considered a bargain in light of the fact that vacant one-acre lots in Pinecrest recently have been selling for in excess of $500,000 and the Village has been looking at property fronting South Dixie Highway priced in the $2 million range.

 “The council authorized the mayor to execute a contract to look at the site,” said Village Clerk Guido Inguanzo. “We have a 90-day inspection period, during which time the Village will do its due diligence on the property to determine whether it is a feasible site for the Village Hall.”

At the same time, the council authorized Village Manager Peter Lombardi to issue an RFP (Request For Proposals) for an architect to create conceptual designs for what a municipal center on the site might look like.

 “The price is right, considering some of the other sites the Village had been looking at on US 1 (Pinecrest Parkway) were upwards from a million to $2 million,” said Inguanzo. “So, at $350,000, it’s a bargain.”

Inguanzo said the site, while smaller than desired, would be adequate for the Village’s current needs and could easily hold a three-story Village Hall.

“The site certainly will not be able to house some of our public works functions, such as a storage yard and things of that nature,” he said. “But, as far as a police station/Village Hall, it should be adequate and it should have sufficient parking. Plus, we also have the benefit of some of the adjacent parking lots, when and if overflow parking ever became a need.”

Meantime, Councilman Leslie Bowe said that preliminarily he was in favor of locating a new tri-level Village Hall and police station on the proposed site and added that he thought it would be a good fit for the surrounding area.

“With the office building, the bank, the Mobil gas station and the church already there,” he said, “I don’t think we would draw an inordinate amount of additional traffic into that area. It is a nice location, we would not be intrusive to the neighborhood and it is the most economical site we’ve seen.”       

“The Village will have its 90-day inspection period and if at the end of that time all parties deem it to be a good site, the council may very well move to proceed,” said Inguanzo.