NEW SMYRNA BEACH — Most will say it’s the renowned beaches or the arts-infused atmosphere that comes to mind at the mention of this Southeast Volusia city. But among the beachside condos and frequent downtown festivals, golf courses and boat launches is a neighborhood struggling to deal with deteriorating buildings and lack of interest in…
DetailsVENICE – Twenty-five years ago, downtown Venice desperately needed help and its merchants and property owners knew it. Suburban shopping plazas had been siphoning off customers for some time. Already gone were many of the mainstay businesses that had made downtown Venice a place to shop for everyday goods and services — Dick & Meadows Pharmacy,…
DetailsState legislators Monday approved a request to audit the agency, which is in charge of eliminating blight and creating economic development in areas of the city. Sen. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Royal Palm Beach, presented the item during a committee meeting in Tallahassee and it was immediately unanimously approved. “It is my belief and intent to have…
DetailsThe City of South Daytona completed the first section (both Phases I and II) of their US1 Streetscape project in January 2013. This project transcends a simple beautification project by incorporating aesthetic, safety and sustainability features into its design. Innovative project elements are visually attractive while enhancing safety along the corridor including undergrounding of utilities,…
DetailsThe Community Redevelopment Agency decided it would be penny-wise and pound-foolish if it followed a recommendation by staff to discontinue funding of its major events. Therefore, the Community Redevelopment Agency will continue to spend $31,000 to fund events such as the four bike nights, the Arts Festival and other high foot-traffic events that draw upwards…
DetailsBOCA RATON — Before approving a development that would add more than 4,000 new car trips daily to downtown Boca Raton, most of the City Council members offered this concession: Yes, Boca traffic can be frustrating. Complaints that the area east of the 378-unit rental complex is already too congested are borne out in traffic…
DetailsIn the redevelopment debate, county, cities should get to ‘yes’ This past week, the Volusia County Council voted unanimously to continue the countywide discussion regarding Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs) for an additional 60 days. The main goal of this continuance was to ensure that all stakeholders involved — the county and municipalities — have accurate…
DetailsDAYTONA BEACH — After years of setbacks — hurricanes, economic crises, shuttered stores and crumbling husks of closed hotels — the struggling beachfront along State Road A1A might have found its way forward. A wave of new hotel construction and reopenings — including the building of a $150 million condo-and-hotel complex — is set to…
DetailsBRADENTON – Recession-battered merchants here are feeling more confident about the future as ambitious projects, such as the new theater, bring positive attention to the city’s urban core. The multimillion-dollar home for the Manatee Players caps off a string of new developments near downtown Bradenton that many officials and merchants believe can lift the community…
DetailsDeveloper Dan Bellows is asking Winter Park leaders to establish a community development district for his Ravaudage project. The districts, known as CDDs, have become an extremely popular mechanism for financing development since their creation under a 1980 state law. But is a CDD the right move for Winter Park? The City Commission is set…
DetailsOVIEDO — After years of delays, the long-planned new “downtown” for Oviedo is breaking ground. Oviedo on the Park will move off the drawing boards and into development during ceremonies Thursday afternoon at the site bordering Oviedo Boulevard, where dignitaries will turn the first shovels of dirt. City officials, who finally will see construction toward…
DetailsMayors and city representatives from across Volusia County drove to DeLand on Thursday to argue against a sweeping set of changes to Community Redevelopment Areas. Then they didn’t say a word. The County Council — hit with stiff opposition from cities in the days after the major CRA funding changes were floated earlier this month…
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