Oxford Road in Fern Park is not one of Seminole County’s prettiest streets. The sidewalks are cracked and broken. The landscaping is either bare or filled with weeds. And empty parking lots are littered with liquor bottles, beer cans and other rubbish. Fernwood Boulevard, which runs alongside the Jai-Alai fronton and crosses Oxford Road, is…
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik isn’t ready yet to unveil a gleaming architectural drawing of how everything in the new Channelside Bay Plaza will look, partly because that plan won’t exist for many more months. However, on Friday some of his lieutenants sketched out a timeline for when they hope some of the major…
Mercury Advisors is moving forward with its latest Channelside development, finalizing a joint venture with an Atlanta group and planning a fourth-quarter groundbreaking. Mercury will partner with Daniel Corp. on the apartment-and-retail development proposed on the block between East Twiggs and Madison streets, along Meridian Avenue, Principal Ken Stoltenberg said Friday. The project has been proposed as Martin at Meridian,…
The fight for Channelside Bay Plaza is officially over. Now begins a new challenge: remaking downtown Tampa’s Channel District. Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is Channelside’s new owner, thanks to the last-second settlement that ended the yearlong court fight over downtown’s outdoor mall. The deal was hammered out Sunday night and approved Monday by…
SARASOTA – Software entrepreneur Jesse Biter says his plans to build affordable apartments downtown have been stymied and he intends to either take on a partner or sell the rental site altogether. Biter’s decision comes months after he publicly touted a “new urbanist” vision involving apartments and retail space for the former United Way building…
SARASOTA – When Sarasota’s police chief was hired 18 months ago, she portrayed her strength as developing creative solutions to law enforcement problems. Bernadette DiPino said she prefers to reduce the need for arrests, when possible, by making changes at chronic trouble spots. That could involve better lighting, for instance, or zoning code changes, or…
ORLANDO, FL, (July 28, 2014) – Seminole County, Fla. recently approved a Master Plan for the redevelopment of the Oxford Road area identified as a key “catalyst” site for redevelopment and reinvestment along the U.S. 17-92 corridor. It is a catalyst site because of its pivotal position on the Seminole County transportation network. The plan…
As Rudy Tomarchio, 28, peers from the window of his 11th-floor Brickell apartment at the high-rises and construction cranes poking up from the horizon, he says there’s one thing missing from his view: a decent public transportation system. Though Tomarchio’s commute to work consists of a couple of blocks’ walk to the Metromover station and…
PALMETTO – As crews worked to finish a multi-million-dollar project aimed at cleaning some of Palmetto’s storm water before it reached the Manatee River, someone heard a clink. Then, a thud. Unbeknownst to construction crews, city planners and neighbors, an aging metal kerosene tank was buried under eight inches of dirt and concrete along 5th…
Since Lily Zhong entered the City Center scene nearly a year ago with promises to build Port St. Lucie’s first downtown filled with bustling businesses and happy homes, her past has been shrouded in secrecy. A Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers investigation found that Lily Zhong, who also goes by two other names, has a record…
DELTONA — With more than one in five Deltona homes facing foreclosure in recent years, and about half of them still active, city commissioners agree one of their biggest post-recession fights is blight. On Monday, they are scheduled to vote for final approval of three ordinances they hope will address their concerns. The three are:…
SEBRING — For most downtown store owners, there’s simply not enough time to operate their businesses and plan events, said Beverly Branam, owner of Galleria 301. But, at the same time, she said, such events can bring needed customers to the downtown areas. “We need more events,” she said. Last year, Casey Wohl, who does…
BELLEAIR — The St. Petersburg developer pursuing the purchase of the Belleview Biltmore filed applications Friday asking the town to approve his requests that the hotel be demolished, the site rezoned and his vision for condos, townhomes and a boutique hotel approved. Attorney Ed Armstrong filed six computer boxes, each containing a copy of the…
ZEPHYRHILLS — Main Street Zephyrhills staff and board members say the organization will close if city council members reduce an annual city grant from $50,000 to $30,000. Supporters of Main Street Zephyrhills appeared before the Community Redevelopment Agency this week to oppose reducing the Main Street grant by $20,000. City council members, acting as the…
LAKE PLACID — After a year and half of planning and developing ideas to revitalize the downtown, Ken LeBlanc hopes to get started early next year on a $1 million residential project. He will be going before the Lake Placid Local Planning Association on Monday, with his plans for a “pocket neighborhood,” on a .57…
Brooksville’s cobblestone streets and preserved historical homes hint at a history grounded in classic conservative southern charm. And its intrigue is only intensified with a trip to the Heritage Museum or the Historic Train Depot in downtown Brooksville, where authentic pieces of a historic and exciting past provide a colorful walk down memory lane. Both…
If city leaders get their way, Dunedin — home of Honeymoon Island, craft beer, baseball and many things Scottish — could soon add another identity: arts capital of Florida. After years of talk, the city has moved on road improvements, and approved the creation of grants, permit fee reductions and other incentives aimed at turning…
OLDSMAR — The City Council voted Tuesday to allow tattoo and piercing businesses downtown. “I’m excited,” said resident Jillian Langley Santiago, who has been working with the city to open a shop on St. Petersburg Drive E, where she has paid rent on a storefront since February. “I’m ready to open my business. We just…
CRESTVIEW — The Main Street Crestview Association and Community Redevelopment Agency are close to finalizing a plan to hire a dual program director. But first, the CRA needs more information. “My concern is exactly the same as it was in the previous meeting which is, we have not received proper notification of what request we…
CityPlace, the West Palm Beach dining and entertainment center, continues to get tough with restaurant and bar tenants it says aren’t paying the rent. The latest target: Blue Martini Lounge, the sleek, popular bar. On July 11, CityPlace filed a lawsuit in Palm Beach County Court seeking to evict the longtime tenant from its second-floor…
Construction could start next year on an $8.3 million pedestrian bridge over traffic-clogged Colonial Drive near Interstate 4 in downtown Orlando. With new apartment buildings and condominiums sprouting throughout downtown, city officials are looking for ways to encourage walking and bicycling. They think the bridge could get more people out and about — and across…