BRADENTON — In its first workshop since assuming control of three community redevelopment agencies, the Bradenton City Council inched forward this week with the transition, focusing mostly on creating a new economic development department. The goal is to create the department and hire an economic development director to work closely with the CRAs and the…
CRYSTAL RIVER — So this is what Main Street looks like. Quaint downtown shops and restaurants, signs along a landscaped-divided U.S. 19 that point out parking and areas of interest, a boardwalk along the bay that intersect with bike trails, and decorative crosswalks to get visitors safely from one side of the highway to the other.…
ST. PETERSBURG — For decades, the three vacant buildings have been encased in aluminum grillwork that makes them look like enormous cheese graters. As the rest of downtown roars back to life, the block they sit on remains a dead zone in the heart of the city. But that soon could change. Once-warring owners of…
ST. PETERSBURG — The frontiers of condominium development in downtown St. Petersburg continue to push farther south and westward. With Beach Drive condos in short supply and extremely pricey, the proposed eight-story, 20-unit Vela near Fourth Avenue S and Seventh Street will bill itself as a more affordable, if less central, alternative. “There’s not a…
TAMPA — Strategic Property Partners went out to bid Friday for a contractor to do up to $35 million worth of work on roads, utilities and amenities for its $2 billion downtown redevelopment project. “To get the master infrastructure in place” is “going to be the first tangible sign of major progress that you’re going…
ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Rick Kriseman is confident that his tentative deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to allow them to look for a new home outside of St. Petersburg will eventually persuade the team to stay. And with City Council chairwoman Amy Foster, a key swing vote, announcing Friday that she supports the deal,…
NEW PORT RICHEY — The city has taken another step toward its goal to redevelop downtown into a vibrant mixed-use residential, commercial and recreational hub. During a meeting Tuesday night, the New Port Richey City Council approved changes to the land-use and zoning designations for 18 acres in the heart of downtown, allowing increased residential…
The residential real estate boom in downtown St. Petersburg is going strong as two new buildings get ready to rise along the ever growing skyline. This month the NRP Group, which built Beacon 430 on Third Avenue, started construction on a nine-story residential building. Situated across the street from the Tampa Bay Times building, the new structure…
MOUNT DORA – After more than four years, Bowersock Gallery is closing its Mount Dora store, but the business will continue with online sales, national art shows, and its flagship location in Massachusetts. “The gallery, itself, is still moving forward,” said owner Steve Bowersock. He said the decision to downsize to one brick-and-mortar site was…
Walk the streets of downtown Clearwater and you will see cranes in the air, traffic cones lining the streets and the feeling that a lot of change is coming to the neighborhood. “The city and the community redevelopment agency’s (CRA) redevelopment strategy emphasizes the creation of a significant residential concentration in and around the downtown…
The Riverwalk project continues on schedule, though some Crystal River council members would like to hurry it up. City Manager Dave Burnell told the council on Monday night that groundbreaking for the King’s Bay boardwalk could start within six months. Burnell is still negotiating with a property owner for access. Similar negotiations with other property…
WINTER HAVEN — Downtown Winter Haven is on fire. Not literally. But that’s the “best way” Joe Dunham can describe the “resurgence of nightlife.” “It’s huge from what it was a decade ago,” he said. “We used to only have Jessie’s (Lounge) — it was the go-to place and it still is — but now…
Paris has the Eiffel Tower defining its skyline. Chicago has the Sears, make that the Willis Tower, and New York certainly has its Empire State Building. Tampa even has the iconic University of Tampa minarets for its unique calling card. And then, there is historic Temple Terrace, a city closely identified with … uh ……
MOUNT DORA — For five years, Alexandra and Jim Gunderson have practically torn the long-neglected Lakeside Inn apart and put it back together again. “The first year and a half were rough,” Jim Gunderson said. “There was so much to do and not the easy stuff. There was so much structural stuff, so much water…
The wildly successful Riverwalk will mark another milestone Monday when construction begins on the final downtown stretch along the Hillsborough River’s eastern shoreline. Workers will begin constructing a path that connects the Straz Center to Water Works Park to the north, where the renovated public park and Ulele restaurant have infused new life into that…
Yet another plan is aiming at redeveloping an entire block on Orlando’s west side, this time for a retail building that would include a drive-through Dunkin’ Donuts. Plans for the new Dunkin’, and two additional retail spaces, are taking shape on the south side of West Colonial Drive, where the current Ultimate Auto car dealer is located.…
You wouldn’t think what sounds like a simple question would carry so much weight for a city’s future, but that may be the case for West Palm Beach. As a Post editorial earlier this week pointed out, city officials are trying to get an early read on whether they should cut the closing times for bars and…
BUNNELL — A house on Moody Boulevard that stirred passionate debate about the city’s past, present and future is gone. The property, which includes a bungalow-style house built in 1930 and adjacent land, was the subject of debate a couple of years ago when developers wanted to build a Dollar General store on the site. While…
In sci-fi movies, a shape-shifter transforms itself from one body into another so swiftly and convincingly, you wonder who its real self is. West Palm Beach’s transformation won’t be that dramatic in the year ahead. But the city contours are shifting rapidly as global forces that drive economic growth turn the city into a busy…
As 2015 comes to a close, more small businesses are encouraged to see Tallahassee’s economy strengthening and that will likely lead to more new hires, expansions and relocations. Owners may also decide to invest back into the business with major purchases. Key economic factors point up. Business are seeing increased sales. There’s more population. Property…
BELLEAIR — The demolition of an iconic hotel and the legal battle waged to try to save it has put the Belleview Biltmore Hotel on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s top 10 Wins and Losses List for 2015. Built in 1897 along Clearwater Harbor, the 400-room Biltmore played host to royalty and business magnates…