LAKELAND | Development of the 14 acres near the Lakeland Police Department that city officials took by eminent domain and then left sitting after the 2008 recession could soon be back on track. Two Polk County developers have submitted proposals to City Hall to turn the blocks into a downtown residential area. But the public…
DetailsProblems at the West Palm Beach Housing and Community Development Department, ranging from alleged corruption to rampant mismanagement, stretch back years. So when Mayor Jeri Muoio abruptly fired Pembroke Pines consultant Community Redevelopment Associates on Wednesday, the news landed with a thud. It shouldn’t be this way. But it is, and it needs to change.…
DetailsAs of May 2, the town of Longboat Key owns the 2.8-acre parcel behind Longboat Key Publix that the town commission hopes can become a town center for the key. The town agreed to purchase the property earlier this year for $1.5 million, in an effort to make a town center concept on the land…
DetailsDELAND — A project that would add lofts, townhomes and brownstones to downtown DeLand has been pushed back a year, as its developer works with a new business partner to finalize plans and secure financing. In February, developers Chris Challis and Jack White of the White Challis Redevelopment Co. informed the city they wouldn’t meet…
DetailsPANAMA CITY — Members of the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) heard signs of a positive outcome for their debt woes during a special meeting Thursday. Board members originally discussed selling downtown parking lots owned by the DIB to pay its $58,789 in outstanding debt. About $50,000 of the debt is accruing interest at 4.75 percent. DIB members…
DetailsWhen you see Fort Lauderdale’s new free downtown transportation, you might do a double take: It could be a bus masquerading as a trolley. It’ll have bigger windows and a boxier shape more typical of a standard bus. It’ll also include a cupola, bell and design finishes typical of a trolley. The trolley-style bus also…
DetailsOn a ragged stretch of downtown Fort Lauderdale straddling the railroad tracks, a rebirth is coming. All Aboard Florida, the company that plans to launch Orlando-to-Miami roundtrip passenger rail service, has been quietly assembling land in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The scope of its deals — covering a large swath north of Broward Boulevard near the…
DetailsSARASOTA – A building boom unlike any the city has seen in almost a decade could soon be underway in Sarasota’s urban core. Some two dozen potential developments in or adjacent to downtown’s Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) are in some stage of construction or planning — and many are stalled projects from the housing bubble of…
DetailsIf all goes according to plan, Homestead’s somewhat forlorn downtown will get a $60 million facelift in the next decade or so, with a new city hall, police station, library and parking garage, and a restored Art Deco movie theater. In addition, there is talk of building a 556-foot observation tower, akin to Seattle’s Space…
DetailsLAKE ALFRED | The downtown business district in Lake Alfred is getting closer to hav ing long-desired signs to help guide people around both sides of the business corridor. The City Commission will be asked to choose a sign design and accept proposed sign locations when it meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Since U.S. 17/92…
DetailsVENICE – Business and city leaders regard Venice’s vibrant downtown shopping district as their city’s centerpiece. If downtown experiences an economic decline, they believe the consequences will be felt citywide. That is why City Council member Emilio Carlesimo says he wants a public discussion about the concept of a “community redevelopment area” for downtown. When…
DetailsMOUNT DORA — A mound of dirt and a handful of shovels lay in the middle of the historic downtown area where city officials, residents and merchants joined Mayor Cathy Hoechst today in a ground breaking ceremony to kick off phase two of the streetscape construction project. The $3 million construction effort calls for updates…
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