Belleair’s Belleview Biltmore zoning changes net tentative support BELLEAIR — Developers’ plans to bulldoze the Belleview Biltmore appeared to move forward Tuesday as town commissioners threw their tentative support behind proposed zoning changes that would allow the historic resort’s owners to erect condos and townhomes in its place. The Biltmore is currently zoned for only…
Historic Fenway Hotel proposal ties past to future in Dunedin DUNEDIN — The city says bank officials are slated to approve a developer’s bid to purchase the Fenway Hotel “any day now.” James and Christy Bower, a father and daughter real estate development team out of Pennsylvania, plan to tear down the deteriorating structure at…
Panama City CRA Moves to A.D. Harris Learning Village The Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency is hoping to reinvent A.D. Harris Learning Village by moving their offices from Jenks Avenue to right here on campus. The CRA is making themselves right at home in their new location. Complete with boxes, signs, and more boxes. “So…
St. Pete Beach commission hears Corey Avenue ideas ST. PETE BEACH — Ideas for transforming the city’s downtown/Corey Avenue district culminated Thursday with the City Commission endorsing a controversial roadway “couplet” that would dramatically change traffic flow. On Tuesday, the commission will vote on sharply restricting the types of businesses that could operate in the area.…
Revitalization of Leesburg’s Pine Street Children running to a nearby ice-cream truck gave the only sign of activity Friday afternoon along a stretch of boarded-up businesses near dilapidated structures and vacant buildings in the 300 block of Pine Street. Hoping to rejuvenate what’s left of the once flourishing black commercial section in the city, a…
1000 Friends of Florida is presenting its “Community Steward Award” to the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Consortium at the December 10 meeting of the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency. “Lake Worth is to be commended for its vision and creativity,” says 1000 Friends of Florida President Charles Pattison. “Thanks to a strong and effective partnership,…
Consultants recommend initiatives for revitalizing downtown Tallahassee Downtown Tallahassee, poised for a resurgence on several levels, can build on its current successes by maintaining that momentum and implementing six priority initiatives, consultants recommended this morning. The downtown area has been the subject of “reconnaissance and strategic assessment” the past three months by the Montreal consulting…
After decades of debate, South Miami breaks ground on public pool When former Harlem Globetrotter (and then-South Miami city commissioner) Leroy “Spike” Gibson proposed building a public pool in the city in 1968, the project seemed to fill a necessary void in the community. This month, South Miami finally broke ground on the Murray Park…
Rail company unveils plans for downtown Lauderdale station FORT LAUDERDALE — A largely ignored area at the north edge of downtown could be transformed into a new city center, with housing and retail rising around a landmark rail station that connects people to trains, buses and streetcars. All Aboard Florida, the private Miami-Orlando passenger rail…
First Ever Conference on Reuse of Closed Gas Stations We were excited to announce earlier this week what we believe is the first-ever national conference to focus exclusively on the redevelopment and reuse of closed gas station sites across the United States. The event, scheduled for May 20 – 23, 2014, and conveniently located in…
Fernandina CRA Advisory Board weighs strategies for success On November 14, 2013, the second floor conference room at Fernandina Beach City Hall was the setting for the first post-election meeting of the CRA Advisory Board. Members briefly discussed the resounding defeat in the November 5 election of the referendum to remove a 2% arbitrary size…
State CRA Audit Plans Change A Florida Legislature’s joint auditing committee is dropping its inquiry of Hallandale Beach’s questionable use of local redevelopment funds at the urging of two area state senators, one a longtime acquaintance of Mayor Joy Cooper. Democratic Sens. Eleanor Sobel and Oscar Braynon II, representing portions of Hallandale Beach, could not…
ORANGE PARK – A plan that would allow beautified gateway-like entrances to be established in the Town of Orange Park is up in the air. Vice Mayor Marge Hutton has been leading the discussion on what are called Community Redevelopement Areas or CRAs. The town’s Economic Development Committee has identified an area of town that…
Biltmore hotel’s days may be numbered BELLEAIR – Town commissioners gave tentative approval to create a new zoning designation at their regular meeting on Nov. 19 and it fits with what might happen on the 20 acres of land now occupied by the empty Belleview-Biltmore Hotel. In fact Belleair Commissioners seemed to be prepared to…
Developer plans 1,000-foot bayfront tower in downtown Miami A prominent Miami developer is getting ready to unveil a proposal for a colossal bayfront observation tower and vertical — not to say vertigo-inducing — amusement center in downtown Miami that he believes will become the city’s analogue to the Eiffel Tower. The SkyRise Miami tower would…
Finding a solid direction for Fairbanks Avenue – Winter Park Sometimes, Commissioner Steve Leary said, charting your future can be as simple as giving someone directions. When institutions in Winter Park give people directions to get here courtesy of a highway exit that goes through Orlando – and not through Winter Park itself – that…
Hollywood on verge of banning motorized vehicles on Broadwalk Citing safety concerns, Hollywood commissioners tentatively approved a ban Wednesday on high-speed motorized vehicles they say have turned the city’s popular beachside promenade into a danger zone. The ban could become law at a second hearing next month. Under the new rules, three-wheel Trikkes, electric bicycles,…
OPA-LOCKA Miami-Dade County commissioners approved a final step that will provide funds for the Opa-locka Community Redevelopment Agency, a move that springboards economic development within the city’s CRA boundaries. Our immediate focus is to address the processes that will ensure the CRA’s success, said Opa-locka CRA Executive Director Newall J. Daughtrey. Developing sound accountability measures…
Omni CRA selects winning movie studio proposal Contract negotiations are set to begin with top-ranked EUE/Screen Gems to construct the Miami Entertainment Complex. The Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency’s board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday for construction of the downtown Miami movie studio and related facilities. In September, the Miami Omni CRA announced it was…
DeLand Country Club redevelopment project approved Developers have received final approval to transform the former DeLand Country Club site into a sprawling mix of homes and shops, and expect to start work in mid-2014. The City Commission unanimously passed separate ordinances Monday night to rezone about 35 acres of the long-vacant property on the corner…
Advocate urges leaders to make West Palm Beach more “walkable” Encouraging people to live where they work, and walk or bicycle to their job sites instead of driving, is the preference of three fourths of “millennials,” people in their 20s and 30s, as well as middle-aged empty-nesters, a nationally-recognized city planner and author told the…