ST. PETE BEACH – After an initial turn down, city of St. Pete Beach officials are optimistic they will receive Pinellas County Commission approval for a Community Redevelopment Area plan by the end of June. City Manager Wayne Saunders said Feb. 23 that one-on-one discussions with county commissioners are ongoing and the target date for…
DetailsPORT ORANGE — The city is expected to come into $1.3 million from a pending land sale, and council members seemed to lean toward the Riverwalk project when asked where they think that windfall should be directed. The city recently entered into a contract to sell a chunk of its land located behind the Lowe’s Home…
DetailsHere’s a very, very simple question for all the hand-wringers who seem to regard the decrepit, old Pheil Hotel and Theater building as an historic edifice looming over the city as if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had been transplanted to Central Avenue. If you succeed in preventing the owners from selling the property in…
DetailsTemple Terrace is putting redevelopment back on its drawing board in a major way. After years of delay due to a sour economy and a court settlement with a prior developer, plans to redevelop the city’s downtown are on track for a future with real possibilities. And the city’s efforts are part of a broader…
DetailsUpon declaration of an area as blighted, the CRA works to improve conditions. As property tax values rise, most of the increase is funneled back into the redevelopment area for further improvements. An estimate provide by Escambia County showed Century might, in a best case scenario, receive about $5,300 in tax funds for the first…
DetailsWhen it comes to solving the shortage of workforce housing in Key West, city Planner Thaddeus Cohen says it’s time to look up. The allowable height for buildings, which in Key West is limited to 40 feet for certain homes in the flood plain and lower in other neighborhoods, may need to rise to 60…
DetailsVisit our beaches and stores, but don’t stay too long. That’s the message Treasure Coast governments are working to convey as they try to decongest crowded downtown streets and oceanfront parking lots. For the last decade, local downtowns have been thriving and packed spaces aren’t a bad problem to have, according to Jim O’Connor, Vero…
DetailsSanford commissioners have selected Torre Companies of South Florida to begin turning 5.4 acres of city-owned property in the downtown district into a development of townhomes, restaurants, shops and a hotel. The property — which is bordered by East Seminole Boulevard, Sanford Avenue, First Street and Palmetto Avenue — is considered to be one of the…
DetailsNEW SMYRNA BEACH — The Outback Steakhouse in New Smyrna Beach closed last week and its parent company also announced plans to shutter 14 of the more than 200 Bonefish Grill restaurants it operates nationally. Tampa-based Bloomin’ Brands Inc., which owns both chains, intends to keep its other two Outbacks in Volusia County and has not…
DetailsST. PETERSBURG — The city sounded the call Tuesday for urban planners: Deliver a vision of how to transform 85 acres of parking lots and an aging domed stadium into a powerful economic engine for the city. And do it fast. The city issued a request for qualifications that has a quick turnaround. Bids for the project…
DetailsPerceived lack of parking in the downtown business district, especially during season, is a perennial issue for city officials and business owners. But an unofficial audit of public parking by council member Bob Daniels suggests that the real problem may be lack of awareness of available spots rather than a shortage. Daniels said that in…
DetailsLeon County Administrator Vince Long and Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez have created a plan to make the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency the area’s designated economic development organization, replacing the now-dissolved Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County. Under the plan, the IA — which is made up of the city and county commissions — would be…
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