Local
By Alexandra Seltzer - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 1:32 p.m. Monday, May 9, 2016

BOYNTON BEACH — There might finally be a way to get the abandoned and run-down AmeriGas property — tanks and all — off Federal Highway.
It’ll be expensive, though.
AmeriGas is offering the land to the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency for $625,000.
The CRA board, comprised of the City Commission, will decide whether to proceed with the deal. But first, attorneys must finish “fine tuning” the purchase agreement, said CRA Director Vivian Brooks.
If the CRA does buy the .62-acre property, AmeriGas would remove the tanks, and the land could be developed into a replacement fire station, sold for commercial use, or kept as a green space, according to documents.
The AmeriGas property is north of Boynton Beach Boulevard adjacent to the South Florida Mastercraft boat store . There are two tanks on the site and a run-down vacant building. Residents have worried about their safety, and been upset at the dreary appearance the property has in an area undergoing redevelopment efforts.
City officials have acknowledged the residents’ concerns, but their hands have been tied because although the business is designated an illegal use, it’s not a life-safety hazard, The Palm Beach Post reported a year ago.
The city once designated the business as legal non-conforming use, which allowed it to operate. But it was no longer legal when activity at the site ended, and AmeriGas no longer had a business tax receipt — a document formerly known as an occupational license — to do business there, said Mike Rumpf, the city’s director of planning and zoning.
City officials sent a letter to AmeriGas in March 2015, notifying them of the discovery. Also, code enforcement issued citations on the property. But because the tanks are empty, there is no safety hazard and unless the tanks pose a hazard the city couldn’t force the company to remove them.
Then CRA staff approached the owners about selling the site. The land was appraised at $560,000 but after counteroffers were made, the price increased to $625,000, which is 11 percent more than the appraised value. The CRA’s broker will be paid $31,250, or five percent, if the deal goes through. In total, the CRA could pay about $663,750, according to documents.