Delayed Duval pocket park construction to begin June 1

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

When Key West City Commissioners voted to turn the 1400 block of Duval Street over to a private business group for a sidewalk café last August, construction was expected to begin in November.

Fast forward to today, six months later, and no visible work has begun on the pedestrian “pocket park,” leading to concerns from some residents as to what was – or in this case, not – going on. As a result, Michael Halpern, owner of the Southernmost House and leader of the partnership that has been granted a lease to take over the block-long street that ends in the Atlantic Ocean, was invited to appear before commissioners to report on the project status.

Halpern said the partnership, which includes across-the-street neighbor Southernmost Beach Café, received a building permit on April 30 and expects to start construction on June 30. The pocket park should be finished in 60 to 90 days, Halpern said. The reason for the delay was because his team has been working with city building and engineering department staff to design a storm water drainage system to stop the flooding that occurs on the block regularly, along with piles of smelly seaweed that wash up at the end of the block.

“We have worked for three months to come up with a drainage [solution] that we hope will have a shot at stopping the flooding of the street,” Halpern told commissioners at their May 7 meeting.

Amidst concerns about giving control of city-owned property to a private business venture, Halpern pointed out earlier that the partnership is leasing the 11,000-square-foot block from the city, not purchasing it, and the park will be open to the public. The nine parking spots currently on the block will be eliminated.

The contract calls for the partners to pay the same rate other companies pay to operate a private business on city-owned land, such as the Conch Republic Seafood Company and the Waterfront Brewery, both located at the historic seaport. That rate is currently set at 6.5 percent of gross revenues.

In return, Halpern agreed to pay the cost to convert the block to a public promenade and install the storm drainage system, which he estimated at $700,000 to $1 million. Halpern’s partnership will use up to 15 percent of the promenade as seating for patrons of his food truck and customers of the Southernmost Beach Café, which will sell take-out food. Halpern will be allocated 116 seats in the park while the Southernmost Beach Café can place 44 seats for its customers. Alcohol will not be sold for consumption in the park.

“It will be one, walking pedestrian mall. There will be landscaping and there will be a sculpture garden and there will be tables and chairs for the outdoor café,” Halpern said.

Commissioners had no comment about the delayed timeline at the May 7 meeting when Halpern made his report.

Halpern has been waiting years for city officials to make good on their promise to close the one-block section of Duval to traffic and turn it into an open plaza. The last time it was formally proposed was in 2016, when part of the $2.1 million the city received from 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 in the 1400 block.

The final agreement commissioners approved included several conditions that were expected to be added to the lease to address concerns voiced by some residents and officials. Former City Commissioner Richard Payne proposed that the agreement include signage and other methods that will advertise and protect non-paying public access to the new space. Payne also asked that food service hours be limited to 11 am to 8 pm.

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