Avon Park touts CRA facade grants

AVON PARK — Exterior repairs made to homes and businesses with the aid of city Community Redevelopment Agency facade grants often do not amount to much more than “lipstick” on a deteriorating structure, Avon Park Administrative Services Director Maria Sutherland said Thursday. “It’s not a big amount of money, but it makes a big difference…

Packing downtown with more people

SARASOTA – It’s no surprise immense growth is coming to downtown Sarasota, but the comprehensive picture of new hotel and residential development entails staggering increases headed to the heart of the city in coming years. City economic and planning leaders detailed planned development for the Downtown Sarasota Condo Association on Tuesday night, amid several questions from…

With hotel, apartments, restaurants, retail, Butler Town Center planned as ‘living room of Gainesville’

After decades as a sprawling big-box and strip center shopping area, Butler Plaza will soon get into the mixed-use business with development of the Butler Town Center with apartments over first-floor retail and restaurants, a seven-story Hyatt hotel and higher-end specialty shops around walkable, landscaped main streets. The town center has long been planned as…

UCF to detail $65M downtown campus

Contractors seeking to help build the University of Central Florida’s downtown campus are expected to meet with university officials April 5 to glean more details on what is likely to be a $65 million project. The centerpiece of the project will be an academic building with about 165,000 square feet and include classrooms, library/study spaces, offices,…