Orlando, FL—GAI Consultants (GAI) welcomes Planning and Urban Design Manager Andrew Sheppard, ASLA, PLA, LEED®AP to the firm’s Community Solutions Group. Mr. Sheppard brings over 16 years of experience in Master Planning for new communities as well as redevelopment sites. In this role, Andrew will focus on expanding GAI’s capabilities with community master planning and urban…
In 2014, a special act of the Florida Legislature combined the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and Pinellas Planning Council into a single entity with a 13-member governing board of elected officials representing the different communities in Pinellas County. After extensive consideration about its mission, role and responsibilities, the organization has been officially rebranded as…
Volusia County Council members voted unanimously Thursday to oppose the city of DeBary’s controversial development proposal for 102 acres of conservation land near Gemini Springs. The council approved a three page resolution, which stated in part: “utilizing any portion of the Gemini Springs Addition to support development or redevelopment is contrary to the stated mitigation…
Plans by Sports Authority to close all stores across the country leave the fate unclear for sites at two major mid-Pinellas redevelopment projects. Developers of Tri-City Plaza in Largo and the Seminole City Center, formerly the Seminole Mall, both have lease agreements with the sports retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March and…
Since 1993, the City of Gainesville has been presenting beautification awards to recognize buildings, landscapes, parks, and public spaces with exemplary design and aesthetic appeal that have positively contributed to the city’s development and progress as a whole. The 2016 award ceremony was held on April 27 and featured noteworthy representatives from the community like…
After years of community engagement and advanced technical studies, the City of Gainesville is seeking partners to redevelop 17 acres of vacant, former industrial land in southeast Gainesville. A request for qualifications was issued in April by Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The property is located along the north side…
Directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously Friday to join the push to bring Tri-Rail into downtown by amending an agreement the authority signed when pledging $1.3 million in financial support. The new contract does not require the Florida Department of Transportation to be part of the deal. The authority’s financial commitment to the…
The Town of Century has received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grant for new investments are designed to provide communities with funding necessary to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, promote economic redevelopment and create jobs while protecting human health. EPA’s Brownfields Program…
The future of the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area in Sarasota has been a point of contention between city and county leaders for years, generating conflict and feeding a well-established narrative about two local governments not seeing eye to eye. So it was a bit jarring in September when County Commissioners voted to let the issue die…
The National Main Street Center has honored the Orlando main street area of Audubon Park with a 2016 Great American Main Street Award. The award is one of three handed out nationally this year. The national Main Street program is aimed at helping cities, towns, and villages revitalize their neighborhood business districts. Read full article
A transportation link crucial to easing South Florida’s gridlock is in danger of being derailed if the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority — the powerful, but little-known entity that runs Tri-Rail — fails to approve important agreements and give the project its final green light. Needless to say, too stall such an important project would…
The R3 Challenge proposed that a Superstorm decimated the vulnerable areas in Northeast Florida. If that happened, how should we, and should we, rebuild? While the storm we imagined will never happen exactly as we imagined it, the challenge is to help us imagine the disaster before it happens and begin to think through what…
