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…
Westgate CRA nominated for PBSC 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award The Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Awards were established by Palm Beach State College to honor organizations that have made major innovative contributions toward improving the lives of others, particularly the underserved, through leadership, service and/or programs. These contributions can include the areas…
DAYTONA BEACH — Investors thinking about opening a cafe or flower shop look over a lot of numbers, but in downtown Daytona Beach there’s one that jumps off the page. The five poorest U.S. Census tracts in Volusia County are all clustered around downtown. With annual median household incomes ranging from $14,500 to $21,000, even…
Belleair’s Belleview Biltmore renovation plans are dead BELLEAIR — Owners of the Belleview Biltmore say hopes of saving it from demolition are dead after an architect who had pledged to renovate the historic landmark missed his Oct. 31 deadline to buy the property. For more than a year, officials say, Richard Heisenbottle had been trying to…
Tampa University Area Community Development is a growing force Dan Jurman knew the workload that comes with helping a community in need. He knew the troubling statistics relating to health, economy and safety. He knew there were families to help, kids to feed and diseases to fight. His knowledge was personal — he grew up…
Pompano firm earns award for CRA study The Florida trade association for community redevelopment agencies has given an award to Pompano Beach-based Redevelopment Management Associates. The firm received the Daniel Burnham Award from the Florida Redevelopment Association for a CRA economic impact study. Burnham was a legendary architect who created the master plans for Chicago…
Boca Raton Real Estate Notebook: Former ADT, Grace building fetches $12.7 million An upscale Boca Raton office building that once served as the corporate headquarters for W.R. Grace & Co. and ADT Corp. sold recently for $12.7 million. An investment group based in New York and Miami bought the “Class A” property at 1750 Clint…