Some South Florida cities are thriving with cultural activity, new businesses and jobs. But many are not, and that’s when they often turn to a Pompano Beach company. Redevelopment Management Associates turns economically distressed cities into flourishing ones by creating a vision for redevelopment and carrying it out, piece by piece. RMA employs 40 professionals…
Back in June, county commissioners made a historic decision: They created the first community redevelopment area in unincorporated Pinellas County. It was a move that, for years, was unthinkable with Pinellas officials saying they would never sanction a CRA in unincorporated Pinellas. CRAs were something cities did. That changed under a county administration and commission…
It’s the weekend in downtown Plant City, a time when many an urban core sleeps, waiting for the business week to bring the streets back to life with shoppers and office workers. But on this Saturday as springtime arrives, the shops stay open late and the streets teem with young families pushing strollers, older couples…
TAMPA — Once they were popular. Then they were regulated out of existence. Now free electric shuttles will soon return to downtown Tampa. The City Council on Thursday approved spending $560,000 for a demonstration project to create a free electric shuttle service to provide short trips for downtown workers, residents and visitors. “The intention is…
High-rise waterfront condos won’t be coming to Crystal River anytime soon, but residents will likely see building heights rise downtown following Monday’s adoption of a new zoning district for properties near the city’s anticipated Riverwalk project. Board members of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), who also sit as the city council, voted Monday to…
During Thursday night’s Chipley Council Workshop council members held a serious discussion with Ted Everett, Washington County Chamber and Chipley Redevelopment Commission, concerning a multi-agency coalition to revisit a visioning plan for Downtown Chipley. Suggesting a task force be formed, to include the City Council, CRA, Code Enforcement, along with business and building owners, Everett…
City of St. Cloud has completed its 2015 End of Year Report and it is now available on the city’s website at www.stcloud.org, under the City of St. Cloud News section. The end of year report from the city manager offers details from all departments for calendar year 2015, including top accomplishments and statistics and…
With construction for All Aboard Florida’s MiamiCentral project and Miami Worldcenter underway, the blighted neighborhood of Overtown is poised for a boom during the current real estate cycle. And as gentrification begins to take hold in the area, officials with Miami’s Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency say they have work is well underway to…
From extending the baywalk to establishing mooring areas, Miami is seeking millions in grant funding for water-related projects in a series of applications that city commissioners recently approved to the Florida Inland Navigation District’s Waterways Assistance Program. The navigation district, known as FIND, is a special state taxing district for the continued management and maintenance…
The Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency decided on Monday evening to purchase a property near the downtown railroad crossing. CRA board members voted unanimously to offer a contract for the purchase of the property to the east of the passenger train depot at 206 Haines St. NE. The four acres of vacant land are owned…
John Workman had never heard of a Community Redevelopment Agency when he decided to open a chiropractic business in Live Oak. Now, he’s using grant money from the CRA program to help him renovate the building on Duval Street that will house his office. For every $10,000 Workman spends on renovating the exterior of the…
The operators of Tri-Rail overcame some obstacles at the state level and finalized their plans for a downtown Miami passenger rail station. The passenger line, which currently runs from near West Palm Beach to Miami International Airport, would share the downtown Miami station of the All Aboard Florida/Brightline passenger rail starting in 2017. Right now,…
When we undertook this piece, we had a simple goal. Tell someone moving out of a particular city the coolest potential smaller community to live in nearby. In doing so, we weighed three major factors: 1) A good (or at least respectable) food/drink scene, with enough places to go close to home to not always…
BRADENTON — Ward 5 City Councilman Harold Byrd has been named the first Chairman of the Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). City Council members, acting as board members of the newly-formed Bradenton CRA, voted 4-0 in favor of Councilman Bemis Smith’s nomination of Councilman Byrd as Chairman during a meeting on April 13. Read full…
ISLAMORADA — The roughly 40-acre Parmelee Key property, in the midst of a pending sale that hinges on its subsequent redevelopment into a high-end resort community, is awaiting the state’s OK of land-use and zoning changes recently approved by the village. If given the OK from the Department of Economic Opportunity, and then again by the Village Council,…
BOYNTON BEACH — Boynton Beach is getting more apartments. Construction will begin this month on two buildings called Santorini — the last residential phase of Congress Avenue’s Renaissance Commons. Santorini, which will be built by Verdex Construction, will have 226 luxury units in two six-story buildings. Residents will have a 325-space parking garage, according to a news release from…
No one wants a vacant Winn-Dixie blocking views of the Intracoastal Waterway, but residents aren’t pleased with what the plaza owner, Isram Realty, proposed: A 10-story building with 326 apartments. Why must it be 10 stories? More traffic? How are we going to be able to get around town? Those are some concerns community members voiced at…
Collier Commissioners rejected a request Tuesday to give part of the county’s casino revenue to the Immokalee fire district, and offered no insight on the future of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency. During an annual redevelopment workshop, commissioners didn’t act on hiring for the short-staffed redevelopment agency that seeks state and federal grants to improve…
TAMPA — The lunch crowd was stunned to read the note posted on the locked door of their go-to seafood restaurant on Wednesday. “We have been blessed to be here for almost 81 years,” read the note at the Colonnade Restaurant, a Tampa landmark on Bayshore Boulevard. “Through many tears and much thought we have decided…
Dade City, known for its quaint downtown and small town charm, is experiencing quite a development boom. New city hall and police station One of the biggest projects recently unveiled is a new municipal complex. The 22,000-square-foot building located on Meridian Avenue houses both city hall and the police department. Paid for with reserve funds,…
PLANT CITY The city has signed a $48,000 contract with an engineering consultant that will help find a developer for redevelopment of the 85-acre Midtown area. GAI Consultants, based in Orlando, has more than 55 years of experience in consulting and has offices in 10 states, City Manager Mike Herr said. He said GIA’s Thomas…