For months, developer Stephen Ross and the city of West of Palm Beach quietly have been working on a plan to move a stretch of Flagler Drive west to turn the waterfront area into an expanse of lawn like a “Central Park.”
The move would push traffic inward into downtown while potentially placing the future of the landmark E.R. Bradley’s restaurant in doubt.
Under the current plan, the existing Flagler Drive from Banyan Boulevard on the north end down to Fern Street on the south end would be eliminated, turning pavement into grass.
“Our investments span education, health care, and creating beautiful spaces open to the public,” Related Ross said in an April 21 statement. Ross, chairman of Related Ross, has volunteered to pay for the park, and he has had his designers working on the plans for months.
The traffic plan, which so far has not been presented in detail to the public, doesn’t jibe with the family that owns Bradley’s, at 104 S. Clematis Street next to Flagler Drive. Members of the Coniglio family say they have been under pressure for months to sell their Flagler Drive holdings, which includes the Bradley’s site, a nearby building and a surface parking lot, to add to the planned park.
The park proposal is being shaped by Ross and his firm, Related Ross, West Palm Beach’s dominant real estate development firm, in conjunction with West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James.
Bradley’s owners claim pressure tactics from city, developer
Revamping Flagler Drive frequently is mentioned among a series of brainstorming efforts to produce fresh ideas for the city’s ongoing transformation.
This includes a waterfront study that would have eliminated some lanes on the north-south roadway. Meanwhile, in December, a city consultant proposed a park taking the place of parts of Flagler Drive.
Coniglio family members say this park plan isn’t just a pie-in-the-sky idea.
They say they have withstood a monthslong pressure campaign to sell their Flagler Drive holdings to Related Ross, which would then donate the properties to the city for the park. If the Coniglios agreed, Related offered to build the family a new restaurant elsewhere on the water.
If they did not, they said they were threatened with losing control of their holdings through an eminent domain action by the city. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take private property if it is for a public purpose.
While some nearby property owners have indicated interest in selling to Related Ross for the city park concept, the Coniglios have not, despite what the family said are aggressive tactics by both Related Ross and James.
“They’ve come at us so many different ways,” Nick Coniglio said in an April 20 interview with The Palm Beach Post.
Last year, Nick said he and his mother, former Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio, were asked to meet with James, who echoed Ross’ description of the park plan. In that meeting, the Coniglios said James “loosely threatened us” with eminent domain, a tactic they say shocked them.
A nearby property owner, Jonathan Gladstone, who owns the 114 Clematis St. building that houses the Skinny Louie burger joint, the former Pizza Girls location, expressed solidarity with the Coniglios.
“I’m very upset,” Gladstone said of the Coniglios’ plight. “It’s a legacy project. It’s generational. I was there when (Frank Coniglio) bought the property. … All of us dug into this (city) 30 years ago, when no one was taking a chance.”
Bradley’s: An iconic part of the city or an obstacle to growth?
Bradley’s began in Palm Beach in 1984, then moved to West Palm Beach in 1999. Since then, the eatery has been a close ally of city redevelopment efforts, Coniglio family members said.
Therefore, the Coniglios say they don’t understand why, or even how, the city could team with a private real estate developer to put pressure on their private property rights after decades of service to West Palm Beach.
“It’s very confusing for us,” Nick Coniglio said. “We have been good stewards and good partners. We’ve had so many people meet and fall in love here at Bradley’s, generations of staff members. It’s a beautiful legacy to my mother and my father and the city of West Palm Beach.”
“I’m tremendously emotional about this,” added Gail Coniglio, who served as mayor of the Town of Palm Beach for 10 years, and is familiar with the power of eminent domain.
“From my point of view, the mayor is very unappreciative … not only of the restaurant but me personally and my family,” she said.
Gail Coniglio noted that she and her late husband, Frank, worked for decades to keep Bradley’s going while also adding to their holdings for their family. This includes the 125 Datura St. building that houses the Avocado Grill restaurant, plus a nearby surface parking lot.
Mayor: It could be an opportunity for the city, admits there may be ‘hurt feelings’
In an April 20 interview, James was not moved by the Coniglios’ reaction.
“Listen, they can feel however they want,” James said. “I’ve got to look at this from the city’s perspective and what opportunity is being presented to the city. So are there going to be some hurt feelings? There may be.”
James also did not refute the idea he has considered eminent domain for the Coniglio properties.
“Here is where the eminent domain comes in,” James said. “When there is a unique, I think once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to create that kind of asset in our city, I would certainly consider it.”
“But I don’t think that’s on the table anymore,” James added.
The next day, the mayor further backpedaled on the eminent domain idea.
“The city is not considering, pursuing or planning to use eminent domain as part of this effort,” a city spokesperson said in an April 21 email. “Like all projects, this will move through the city’s established, transparent public process, with opportunities for community input every step of the way.”
Bradley’s owners say they’re in talks to stay where they are
After rejecting a sale to Related Ross, and then a proposal by Related Ross to build a new Bradley’s restaurant at Fern Street at the planned waterfront park, the Coniglios said they now are in talks with the city to stay where they are.
But they’re not happy about the plan, which they said would “landlock” them and provide only a slim road from Narcissus Avenue for access.
Nick Coniglio said getting rid of frontage along Flagler Drive not only would cost them business. It also would create a “nightmare for our community” when it comes to traffic.
Related Ross seeks ‘model city’ status for West Palm Beach
Related Ross officials said they’re only trying to help West Palm Beach become “the model city” that Ross frequently talks about.
Ross, a Palm Beach billionaire and owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins football team, has worked during the past six years to add new modern high-rise towers, bring thousands of jobs and build for-sale and rental residences in West Palm Beach.
Ross also has pledged millions of dollars for nonprofits. He even agreed to pay tuition at Palm Beach State College for students graduating from two high schools in the city.
On the western edge of downtown, along Clear Lake, Ross is guiding the creation of a Cleveland Clinic hospital. He also helped clinch a deal to lure a Vanderbilt University graduate business school downtown.
But the Intracoastal Waterway remains the city’s jewel and a major focus of Related Ross.
The company recently purchased The Ben Hotel at 251 N Narcissus Ave. on the north side of the proposed Flagler Drive shutdown. Related Ross also plans to build a private club on a surface parking lot at the Palm Harbor Marina, facing The Ben.
A vast park along the waterfront would be a lasting city benefit, paid for by Related Ross with no burden on city taxpayers, the company said.
“We continue to believe in this city as one of the greatest places today and for future generations,” Related Ross said in a statement.
James predicted the park plan would be warmly received by the public once details are presented.
“I don’t doubt that there will be tremendous public support for having such an expanded waterfront in our city,” James said. “I think it’s a game changer.”
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Plan would move Flagler Drive in West Palm to create a public park
Reporting by Alexandra Clough, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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