TO: Margate CRA Chair and Members of the Board
FROM: Cale Curtis, CRA Executive Director
DATE: September 10, 2025
Title
APPROVING AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MCRA AND THE CITY OF MARGATE TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO PAY THE COST OF UNDERGROUNDING THE EXISTING OVERHEAD UTILITY LINES ADJACENT TO THE COCOGATE PROJECT
BACKGROUND: Cocogate Partners, Ltd. own the Cocogate Plaza located at 1308-1350 N. State Road 7 just north of Coconut Creek Parkway. In partnership with Amera Properties, Inc., the developer overseeing the redevelopment of Cocogate Plaza, they intend to redevelop the plaza as a mixed-use project containing an eight (8) story building with approximately two hundred eighty-seven (287) residential units along with a community pool and other amenities, and two additional buildings containing retail uses. The City of Margate and the Developer intend to enter a Developer’s Agreement whereby the City will waive certain requirements with regards to impact fees including the underground of utilities. The plaza is within the MCRA boundary, and the Board conveyed their support at the July 8 MCRA meeting to assist with funding for some public improvements, where possible.
The existing MCRA capital project to underground utilities runs along the east side of North State Road 7 from the corner of NE Atlantic Boulevard and stops at the SE corner of Coconut Creek Parkway. It is estimated to cost $773,000 to continue the undergrounding project from the SE corner of State Road 7 and Coconut Creek Parkway to the NE corner of Cocogate plaza – a distance of 880 LF. The MCRA proposes entering an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the City of Margate whereby the MCRA will pay the cost of undergrounding the utilities adjacent to the plaza – see exhibit A attached. This ILA would become null and void if the agreement between the City and the Developer is not approved.
In accordance with the 2017 Margate Community Redevelopment Plan, Part 3 | Section D. Public Facilities and Services, Goal I, Objective 3 reads, “The Agency will endeavor to relocate overhead utility lines underground or to areas outside of immediate visibility in conjunction with new development and redevelopment projects and will incorporate this work into annual budgets and five-year capital plans as appropriate.”
RECOMMENDATION: To review and approve
FISCAL IMPACT: $773,000 from A/C #340-0510-512-69.20 – Underground Utilities.
CONTACT PERSON: Cale Curtis, CRA Executive Director