At the April 13, 2016 Commission meeting, the City Commission heard item R9R, a discussion regarding interior flooding at the Byron Carlyle Theater. As part of the discussion, former Director of Tourism Culture and Economic Development, Max Sklar sought direction on whether or not to start the process for the future of the facility, and potentially go out to bid for the redevelopment of the site. Commissioner Malakoff made the recommendation to wait until the North Beach Masterplan was completed before moving forward with a scope of work for the Byron Carlyle Theater site.
As part of the North Beach Masterplan, the Byron Carlyle Theater was examined for possible redevelopment. The North Beach Masterplan concluded that the Byron Carlyle Theater has the potential to be a catalytic project that embodies the vision for the Town Center. The Masterplan recommends that by carefully conceptualizing the redesign of this property, the City could begin to implement the Town Center concept with mixed-use, multi-story development and encourage further development along 71 Street. Some of the uses recommended in the North Beach Masterplan include a library, an economic incubator to spur entrepreneurship in the area, or a welcome center. The new building could include office spaces and/or civic uses in to the upper floors. (See Attachment)
At the July 26, 2017 Mayor’s North Beach Committee meeting, the Committee made a motion to urge the City Commission to issue an Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Byron Carlyle Theater. Subsequently, at the July 26, 2017 Commission meeting, the City Commission authorized City Administration to issue an RFP for redevelopment of the Byron Carlyle Theater.