DELRAY BEACH — Since its inception in 1985, Delray Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency has been run by an independent board that invests taxpayer dollars into blighted areas of the city.
But on Tuesday evening , a city commission, frustrated by a seemingly stagnant Community Redevelopment Agency, dissolved the independent board and took it over — despite the best efforts of some residents to save it.
“For 32 years, some have been waiting with little to no results of redevelopment for them,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson.
East Atlantic Avenue, Johnson said, has seen growth and prosperity over the years, while areas west of Swinton Avenue — mostly residential and home to a large African American and Caribbean American community — have been ignored.