Vision for Bonita Beach Road goes right to the heart of the city
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Bonita Springs could be explained in one street — Bonita Beach Road. Read full article
Boca Raton readies for downtown growth spurt
Drive across the city’s downtown, and it’s easy to see a city about to grow expansively. The clanking of construction can be heard from the sites of four buildings that will reach heights of seven to 12 stories. When completed, they’ll provide 1,181 new rental apartments. Two other 12-story buildings are poised to begin construction:…
LANE: County versus cities on CRAs, planning
The month before he died in 2013, Bud Asher, longtime Daytona Beach city commissioner and mayor from 1995 to 2003, called to talk about a list of topics, including community redevelopment areas, known by their initials as CRAs. “I can’t believe the county wants to stop CRAs! Nothing would be happening on the beachside without…
LIVE UPDATES: Two large developments on Naples City Council docket today
NAPLES – Condos, a pool, gym, café and offices planned for the old Naples Daily News site and waterfront townhomes at Mangrove Bay are among the developments and issues the Naples City Council will discuss during public hearings Wednesday. Read full article
Planned Mount Dora raffles called illegal
MOUNT DORA—A city initiative to help downtown businesses during the upcoming streetscape project by having raffles will not go forward because it would be against the law. The city was looking at a monthly raffle where people who made a downtown purchase would be eligible for a Mount Dora weekend experience worth up to $750,…
Homes and more on display in Historic Hyde Park
TAMPA — Mark Mathiason will live in his newly finished home only a few weeks before having about 1,000 visitors. That’s because he volunteered his Craftsman-style home to be among the eight Hyde Park residences open Feb. 28 for the annual Historic Hyde Park Home Tour. “Brave is one word, stupid is another,” he quips about…
Inverness moves ahead with CRA expansion
INVERNESS — City Manager Frank DiGiovanni said he welcomes the county as a partner in the city’s endeavor to expand its community redevelopment area boundaries, but stressed that Inverness will move forward in the best interest of its citizens. “We’re going to take steps with or without the county’s support to help this city,” he…
Broward wants Lauderdale to find way to make downtown living affordable
FORT LAUDERDALE — Thousands of new condos and apartments are coming to downtown, and the county wants them to include places where regular workers can afford to live. The city is seeking Broward County‘s permission to add 5,000 residential units downtown, and officials say they will reserve 750 of them — or 15 percent — for housing…
City considers setting up CRA that includes Koppers site
Gainesville is considering setting up a Community Redevelopment Area in a northwestern part of the city that includes the Koppers Superfund site, a move that could bolster efforts to improve that troubled sector. The Koppers site, Gainesville High School, Stephen Foster Elementary School, nearby shopping centers and the city’s Public Works Complex all fall within…
Mount Dora approves theater, loosens building rules
MOUNT DORA—The City Council approved ordinances Tuesday night needed for Epic Theatres to come to Mount Dora, but that also allow for taller buildings in part of the city. Structures as tall as 65-feet are now allowed in C3 zoning, the highway commercial zoning district that is allowed on U.S. Highway 441, County Road 19A…
ArtPlace America Community Development Investments in the Southeast
ArtPlace America has recently announced a new grant program, the Community Development Investments, designed to provide $3m in funding along with assistance to organizations interested in leveraging arts and cultural strategies to support ongoing and upcoming projects and plans in their communities of focus. ArtPlace America (www.artplaceamerica.org) is a ten-year collaboration of major foundations, federal agencies,…
Waterfront park plans press on
In the circles of Key West city government, two words have become shorthand for “Big plans talked about for years that never materialize.” Truman Waterfront — as in the grand park Key West officials have promised for well over 15 years. Read full article