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With Digital Domain a no-go, what should the city do with the tent site?

After the city’s failed attempt to have Digital Domain develop the “tent site” at Okeechobee Boulevard and Dixie Highway, officials will now seek new firms to develop one of the most prized pieces of city-owned land in downtown West Palm Beach.

In 2010, the city gave the 2.4 acre site to Digital Domain, a visual effects company, on the condition that the company build a digital animation college at the site. Last year, when Digital Domain went bankrupt, the city had to go to federal bankruptcy court to get the land back.

Community Redevelopment Agency Director Kim Briesemeister said Monday that it’s the ideal time to seek companies interested in the land.

“We have been receiving some inquiries for development of the site,” Briesemeister told commissioners. “The real estate market is picking back up again and we have the land in our possession completely.”

Commissioners agreed to search for qualified firms through a request for qualifications process before it sends out a request for proposals. “It will be an open, transparent process and you can select and choose who you want to do business with,” Briesemeister said.

The commission also agreed on Monday to do a joint request for proposals with Palm Beach County for property at 826 Evernia St. The property is co-owned by the city and county and is in an area designated as part of the massive “transit village” project of proposed condominiums, hotel rooms and offices that will be developed near the Tri-Rail station in downtown West Palm Beach.

Briesemeister said the county has fielded interest in the land but that she doesn’t know specifics of those proposals. “The bottom line is, the TOD (Transit-Oriented District) is meant to be a high-density, intense development,” she said.

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