The Flagler County School Board this evening will again formally reject a developer’s interest in buying the district’s old 7.2-acre Corporate One property at the southeast corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Corporate Drive, a 7-acre site that used to be one of ITT’s headquarters, in the early years of developing Palm Coast, before the board bought it for $3.5 million.
It was not one of the board’s wisest decisions. Though it was briefly the district’s own board offices, the building–squat and forbidding–became difficult to maintain or even use, and seemed more like a millstone around the district’s neck until the district opted to demolish it and leave the land vacant in 2016.
William A. White of Waw Realty Advisors contacted William Whitson, the school district’s intergovernmental planner, on behalf of Tailwinds Development, a company that specializes in building retail commercial shopping centers. Tailwinds was “very interested” in buying the land to build a “specialty retail center with a national tenant who is not currently in Flagler County,” according to a letter White wrote Whitson in mid-September.
“I always get these strange requests,” Whitson said, though he didn’t explain why the request was strange considering the acreage’s prime location, with AdventHealth Palm Coast North‘s relatively new 100-bed hospital a block further west.
Whitson told Superintendent LaShakia Moore in a memo that the inquiry was one of several received in the previous 18 months. There’d been inquiries from two developers, which Whitson did not name, and one from Palm Coast government’s utility department. But those had been “general” and “informal.”
“We did have some interest with this board, I think, with the library, a swap property or something along those lines,” Will Furry, the board’s chair, said. “Personally, I don’t see a reason why at this time we would be looking to sell that property.” Board members thought the location could be the site of a multi-story school or administrative offices. Previous boards were holding out for more money. White did not indicate how much his client was willing to pay for the property, and none of the board members even asked if anyone had inquired.
“We know that prior boards have indicated that they had no interest in selling the property,” Superintendent LaShakia Moore said, but the administration didn’t want to make assumptions that since then, board members had not changed their mind.
In August 2017, the board declined a $1.8 million offer for the land. It was from Michael Collard Properties, the Winter Park-based retail developer that remade the old Palm Harbor shopping center into Island Walk. The company was interested in turning the acreage into a shopping center. The School Board found the offer too low (one board member thought it was worth $5 million, another thought it was worth $3 million). The board was also uncertain about its own capital needs in the future.
The previous appraisals on the property at the time dated back to 2013 and 2014, when it was valued at $1.5 million. The Corporate One building was still standing then. It was demolished in 2016. The Flagler County Property Appraiser’s just market value for the property is $2.4 million, unchanged for the past four years. Since it is government-owned, the property is not generating any taxes. The nearby Kohl’s property paid $90,000 in taxes last year. Aldi, just behind the Corporate One property, paid $62,500 in taxes last year.
The district has the option to say the land isn’t needed for educational purposes and move forward with a sale, as long as it gets two appraisals and doesn’t sell the property at less than the lowest appraised value. The revenue from the sale may only be spent on paying down the debt for the property, if it’s still outstanding, or for capital projects. The district a few weeks ago signed a two-year lease to occupy the old courthouse in Bunnell, at a cost–and in an old, tired building–that bears some resemblances with the acquisition of the ITT property in 2001.
pete says
Think they payed to much?
Dennis C Rathsam says
We all know whats going there DAAAAAA more HOUSES!
Atwp says
What will happen next?
Pogo says
@Seems a likely location
…for a receiving center for Dear Leader Trump’s camps.
Celia Pugliese says
How could anyone entertain and offer of 1.8 millions when the site cost us (the people) probably 4 millions with the demolition paid? Hang on to the property that should never have been bought for 3.5 millions to start with plus demolition cost and wait till quadruple in value at least or use it in a growing city for a more centralize school board and administration plus some adult classes, like were held in Corporate One before the building was demolished under frivolous excuses. Even the elevator worked well when we used visiting for business. They waste our taxpayers funds like drunken sailors. Example city under Mayor Holland and advise of engineering Carl Cote spent $163,000 in engineering design and Lassiter traffic study to build two calming traffic beautiful islands in Florida Park Drive and when the original quote of $200,000 came in total cost for the two, newly elected Mayor Alfin and Councilman Danko, backed by Klufas and Branquinho then deemed too expensive and unnecessary and proceed to allow engineering chief Cote to use the reserved FPD funds from Hollands administration for the two traffic calming islands into the unnecessary repaving of Seminole Woods Pkwy 1.4 millions to benefit the incoming developments and the also remodeling of the existing beautiful White View Pkwy 4 lanes into 2 lanes in a growing city duh, millions cost for the same real reasons incoming developments! So original bid of 200,000 NO to improve situation for 1.9 miles of Florida Park Drive front affected residents but millions to benefit developers never a NO. Now the last travesty approving 10 millions to expand our water sewer pipes and one lift station south of rte 100 in OKR south to serve and benefit development thru annexation, meanwhile city cited by the State to build a 228 millions new treatment plant #1 by 2028!
Peaches McGee says
FYI…Advent’s new hospital is name AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway.
FlaglerLive says
It also goes by AdventHealth North in local EMS parlance.
Charles says
When does the Flagler County School Board make a right decision, NEVER. They are totally useless to this community.
Nancy N. says
Who in their right minds would even imagine the possibility of building a school in the middle of Palm Coast Parkway? SMH
Shark says
As long as it’s a middle school
Bill says
More gas stations or storage buildings, homes. That what palm coast is famous for.
Hammock Bear says
Build a community swimming pool on the property and end the PC swimming pool access problem.
Chris says
They need to stop all the building and development. There is going to be zero left , all asphalt and rooftops there is going to be a lot of flooding. The original drawings of Palm Coast had very many sites set up for wildlife. They have all been rezoned and bulldozed over.