Downtown Winter Haven had been aesthetically stagnant for decades when in the 1980s the railroad pulled up its tracks and offered to sell to the highest bidder. Fortunately for the town, then-Mayor Marlene Young learned of The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit dedicated to creating and preserving public spaces, and engineered a deal…
LAKELAND — The Lakeland Housing Authority’s planned redevelopment of West Lake Apartments received a $1.2 million boost Tuesday from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. The grant is part of a larger $73.6 million funding package supporting 89 affordable housing projects in Florida and six other states. “We are very thankful for any…
ORLANDO — Many concurrently developing elements contributed to the growth of Edgewater Drive in College Park, Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart said, but the reduction of the road from four to three lanes played a role in rebuilding the district. A group of Lakeland political, governmental and real estate representatives, including City Commissioners Bill Read…
MELBOURNE — An Eau Gallie Boulevard resurfacing project designed to improve stormwater drainage and aesthetics through downtown Eau Gallie is about to kick into high gear. The $2.1 million undertaking will upgrade 1.7 miles of the bustling east-west roadway, extending from Pineapple Avenue near Squid Lips Overwater Bar & Grill past U.S. 1 to Mosswood Drive. Work started in late November. Improvements…
Paul Thorpe has received warranted credit recently for his efforts to improve downtown Sarasota. As historian Jeff LaHurd wrote in the Herald-Tribune, Thorpe long ago earned the moniker “Mr. Downtown” in recognition of his volunteer and professional work with the Downtown Association he helped create and operate — and the city has appropriately agreed to…
North Miami Beach – Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) – Are you ready to retire your septic system? A new commercial property – “Wastewater Impact and Connection Fee Assistance Program” is available, which reimburses up to 50% of the Impact Fees and Connection Fees to tie-in to a sewer system. This Program incentivizes commercial property owners…
Gainesville changes. The Thomas Center was the Thomas Hotel, named for the family who made it their home in 1910. The Sun Center was once the Gainesville Sun headquarters. The newspaper’s name remains on the building’s outside wall. Lillian’s Bar was Lillian’s Music Store, memorialized in Tom Petty lyrics. Perhaps most strikingly, Depot Park was…
TAMPA — City Hall received seven proposals in response to its invitation to put a restaurant next to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, and the company it picked — Irish pub Four Green Fields — offered the most money. “I’m happy with the selection we got at Curtis Hixon,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who had indicated…
WINTER HAVEN — The city is hoping that replacing outdated zoning regulations will boost home sales and encourage development. “I think the vision is how you revitalize and how you infuse growth into these particular areas,” Assistant City Manager T. Michael Stavres said. Proposed is changing land use regulations for office professional, multi-family and single-family…
NEW PORT RICHEY — The city has received two grants that will be a big boost for continued redevelopment of the historic Hacienda Hotel while it remains up in the air what the city will do with the building. New Port Richey received two grants totaling $550,000 from the Florida Division of Historical Resources last…
(CHICAGO) – June 22, 2017 – Political polarization and global uncertainty lead the list of current and emerging disruptors that are expected to have the most significant impact on real estate in 2017 and 2018, according to The Counselors of Real Estate®, which recently released The CRE® 2017-18 Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate. The…
LIVE OAK — Two months after agreeing to make Heritage Square its primary focus for future projects and initiatives, the Community Redevelopment Agency furthered that mission at Tuesday’s meeting. The CRA board green-lighted a pair of proposals geared towards spurring the development of Heritage Square, the recently expanded area of Live Oak between Ohio Avenue and…
