The Key Biscayne Village Council will decide early next month what to do with the vacant land at 530 Crandon Blvd.

A civic center, an amphitheater and an educational facility are some of the ideas the residents proposed during a recent public workshop, when a consultant hired by the village addressed the council with recommendations.

The consultant's recommendations included a passive park with a multipurpose building.

``This space was envisioned to include areas of gaming, such as chess and dominoes, a small performance stage for outdoor exhibitions, green space, shade walking paths and lawn space,'' said Richard Durr from IBI group in his report to council.

The council, however, is limited on what they can do, considering the size of the parcel. It is just over half an acre.

Some residents, however, were not satisfied with the report and thought the community's needs were not being addressed, such as having a high school in the village.

``We need to look into the needs of the community,'' said Angel Martin. ``There are more than 3,000 children in Key Biscayne who do not have the opportunity to attend a high school in their community.''

``I would like to see for 530 something that is educational and multiuse,'' added Key Biscayne's Charles Viscito.

An open space for all in the community is the idea favored by some council members.

``I see that space as a passive park with lots of green space,'' said Council member Enrique Garcia. ``The center of the village is already very congested and there are a lot of buildings there; I would hate to see more concrete.''

The village council is expected to make a final decision during a Nov. 10 council meeting. The island has already allocated funds to start the project.

But before it can start construction, it needs to find a place to relocate the Public Works Department, which has been using the site to park its trucks and other equipment.

``We cannot have their trucks parked in the street; we need to do something to facilitate their operations,'' said Key Biscayne Mayor Robert Vernon.

The land at 530 Crandon Blvd. used to be a gas station.

More than six years ago, the village purchased the $2 million property and has worked toward eliminating contaminants caused by the gas station's operations.

``Whether it be a school, a park or anything else, we need to give this piece of property back to the community for them to enjoy it,'' said Council member Thomas Thornton.

``We definitely need to come up with a plan and take action on it. It's been too long,'' Mayor Vernon agreed.

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