Businessman proposes to build public park on Duval Street end

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Don’t say there’s no free lunch in Key West.

City commissioners were pleasantly surprised at their Feb. 21 meeting when local businessman Michael Halpern offered to design, build and – get this – entirely pay for a public pocket park at the Atlantic Ocean end of Duval Street.

Halpern, owner of the Southernmost House hotel located on that end of Duval, the 1400 block, has been waiting years for city officials to ante up on their promise to close the one-block section of Duval to traffic and turn it into an open plaza, also known as a “pocket park.” The last time it was formally proposed was in 2016, when part of the $2.1 million the city received as part of the BP Oil spill settlement was set aside for improvements to several local parks, including building the Duval end pocket park. But while the money was enough to make repairs and renovations to several existing parks, it ran out before the new plaza could be built.

So, Halpern decided to take matters into his own hands. Forming a coalition with the other privately-owned business on the block, the Southernmost Beach Café, he hired an architect and began meeting with the city’s legal, fire and planning departments as well as the city manager’s office.  Receiving a positive response, he then appeared before city commissioners, presenting a proposed design for the park and pointing out that the eight or nine existing parking spaces on that block were dangerous and non-conforming because they jut out into the narrow roadway that abuts the Emma Cates Pier at the end of the road.

“We’re going to try to do something that’s never been done in the city before,” Halpern told commissioners. “We’re going to do a private enterprise/city joint venture, where private enterprise pays the full cost of building this park.”

What Halpern is asking in return, in addition to permission, is for the city to lease him a portion of the plaza for a sidewalk café that he will operate. That will turn the project into a revenue generator for the city, he said.

The proposed park will be landscaped, have a designated section for a fire lane and a place for delivery trucks to pull in to service the existing hotel and beach café. Halpern’s engineers will also try to stop the flooding that occurs on the block when winds push waves from the adjacent beach into the road and cover it with water and seaweed. In addition, there will be five concrete pads for local artists to install their work. No street vendors will be allowed, Halpern promised.

If given the go-ahead, Halpern said he believes he can have the park finished this year. He did not say how much the project would cost, although the city estimated its cost at $300,000 back in 2016. As for who would maintain the plaza, Halpern proposed it would be up to the city, since it owns the roadway. However, if the city would lease him the entire block, instead of a small section for a sidewalk café, Halpern said he would bear the cost to maintain it, including closing the park to the public at night after the Southernmost Beach Café closes.

“You get a beautiful park built that doesn’t cost the taxpayers one nickel,” he said in his pitch to commissioners. “You take a dangerous traffic situation and you create something safe.”

Not surprisingly, the commissioners loved the idea.

“This will make that whole area come into [parking] compliance,” said Commissioner Clayton Lopez, who represents the area in his district. “I like this. I like it a lot.”

“Yes, I have one question,” said Commissioner Billy Wardlow. “When are you going to start?”

“This has been in the budget for at least two years that I know of,” Commissioner Sam Kaufman said, referring to the earlier, city-sponsored proposals to put a public park on that block. “You’re going to make [Key West Finance Director] Mark Finigan very happy.”

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]