TOWN SEEKS NEW HQ

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wants to keep beach motif in updated public complex

The tiny town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is hatching a vision for a new town hall and community center, one that adds a modern flourish to the oceanside hamlet’s beach-loving past.

Where other civic complexes might accentuate the need for filing space and meeting rooms, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wants to maintain its ocean view, protect the city administration from rising waters, and invite the community to hang out, under shade that might be reminiscent of the sea grape plant.

Last week, town leaders absorbed ideas offered by Florida Atlantic University architecture students, and weighed moving forward. The idea is in the early stages. No formal plans or cost estimates exist. Town commissioners said they’ll discuss soon whether to move ahead with it.

“I think we need to get the horse under control before we hook the cart to it,” Commissioner Elliot

Sokolow said, voicing concerns about how much it would cost, and whether taxpayers would support paying for it.

The existing town hall is a smattering of buildings dating to the 1960s, according to county property records.

As South Florida cities age, one by one they’re building new civic centers.

Among the cities with new or planned complexes: Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, and Boynton Beach. Broward County also has discussed developing a new government center.

If town halls set a tone, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s currently might be summed up as “I’d rather be at the beach.”

A sign on the town hall announces simply, “BEACH,” with an arrow pointing east. The clock in the Town Commission meeting chambers offers “Free Sea Shells For The Gathering, Next Left.” The dais is strewn with nautical rope.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is situated on the coast between Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, and between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. About 6,000 people call it home year-round. In the winter, when seasonal “snowbirds” return to the tropical climate, the population blossoms to more than 10,000, according to the town.

FAU’s architecture students who studied the project and solicited opinions from residents settled on a few themes.

They thought the new center should reflect the town’s character, building on the mid-century modern architecture that’s prevalent there. It should better connect to Friedt Family Park just west of town hall, the students said, and to Anglin’s Square, the dining and entertainment strip that runs to the beach, to the east.

For sustainability, the work spaces should be elevated from potential floodwaters, the FAU report recommended. And parking can be difficult in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, so the new complex should have plenty of it, the report said. Connections to public transit, and addition of green space also were considered important.

The civic complex could have space for weddings and community forums, doubling the current space. It could be modern, but not so futuristic that it leaves the town’s charm behind.

The community could gather at the new town center, FAU Professor Francis Lyn said Tuesday.

Bud Bentley, the town manager, said if town commissioners make a new civic center their goal, they should ask voters for approval. The referendum should be clear, unlike a set of city-county sales tax referendums in Broward County in 2016, he said. The transportation and infrastructure taxes were rejected by voters.

“We saw the voters did not like the infrastructure tax last year,” Bentley said. “I’ll venture to say because they weren’t sure what they were getting for their money.”

The town already owns the land, on Ocean Drive a jog north of Commercial Boulevard. The shore is just a block east, visible from town hall.

Even with the land in hand, the complex could cost $20 million to $40 million, Sokolow estimated Tuesday night.

The project would take five to seven years to complete, Lyn told commissioners.

A regular at town meetings, Edmund Malkoon said he’s concerned about the cost, but open to the idea.

“It’s old, but it’s functional,” he said of the existing complex. “I’m curious to know exactly what … the staff feels we need. We’re a very small town. We’re two miles long.”

Sokolow said the town’s residents might wonder why more space is needed and might not want to pay more property taxes “for what might be perceived as an edifice of grandeur that doesn’t really benefit them.”

“We have a big decision to make,” Commissioner Chris Vincent said.

PHOTOS BY TAIMY ALVAREZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Town leaders favor a modernized civic center that has ocean views and is easily accessible to the public — as its beach plaza is now.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s modest Town Hall dates to the 1960s. Replacement ideas are in the early stages.

TAIMY ALVAREZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A whimsical, fish-shaped bike rack was installed at El Prado Park in the hamlet of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.