After previous estimations targeted the start of this month for when a defunct, multi-parcel property in downtown Pensacola could officially transfer ownership to a development group seeking to revitalize it, several more weeks must pass before the transaction can take place. The Escambia County School District’s former headquarters at 213 W. Garden St. still awaits remediation before the school district…
Davis Camalier has owned the land at the southeast corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Federal Highway for years, and is finally ready to build. He hopes to start with an eight-story apartment building and retail stores, and later add a hotel and condos. But some residents, a former city commissioner and another developer see…
Hours after officials cut the ribbon on Orlando City Soccer Club’s new stadium last week, business was steady at J. Henry’s Barber Shop across Church Street. Wearing an Orlando City cap and shirt as he worked, the shop’s namesake boasted of the construction workers he’s turned into regular customers. He’s hoping to find more clients among the game day crowds.…
Three companies submitted qualifications for planned downtown streetscaping improvements and all three will be invited to entertain questions on Tuesday morning from the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority’s selection committee. The committee met Thursday to outline goals of the project and how the process will move forward. DDA board member Mike Carter said there is no…
Downtown Bradenton’s riverfront is about to experience another surge of redevelopment. On Tuesday, the Bradenton City Council selected the construction firm NDC to construct a parking garage at what is now the parking lot behind City Hall at Third Avenue West and Main Street. The council also chose the architectural firm Fawley Bryant to design…
County officials are whittling down the list of possible areas to improve railroad crossings as train traffic is expected to rise with increased freight transportation and the addition of All Aboard Florida’s Brightline passenger trains next year. The Community Redevelopment Agency board on Monday prioritized improvements at crossings near schools, Golden Gate and downtown Stuart after hearing recommendations for…
As one of the few major cities in the region without city-funded ways to get around downtown, Boca Raton is one step closer to adding services to help residents get around without having to drive. Boca Raton’s Community Redevelopment Agency is scheduled on Monday to weigh proposals for alternative transportation in an effort to reduce downtown traffic. According to…
The cost of creating a “quiet zone” for train horns in downtown Tampa started at $2.7 million, but now has risen to more like $3.17 million. And City Hall is covering much of the difference. The City Council recently approved spending $320,000 more for the project. The money comes from downtown redevelopment funds, a slice…
Downtown’s 22-story One Enterprise Center is for sale. An offering flier circulated Friday says the 317,571-square-foot tower is 51.2 percent occupied. Built in the mid-1980s, the structure is on 1.15 acres at 225 Water St. John Bell, managing director of Transwestern in Miami, is marketing the property. “We are expecting strong turnout,” he said, citing…
Although the City Council formally approved the 10-year, potentially $55 million downtown waterfront revitalization plan this week, a centerpiece of the design will immediately be stalled in legislative red tape. The Imagine Clearwater plan calls for converting Coachman Park into a garden and relocating its concert band shell to a new 4-acre open green space,…
Two prominent views emerged during the public forum on the proposed restructuring of South Florida Avenue at the Polk Museum of Art Thursday evening. The plan is to reduce the number of travel lanes from four to two, while keeping the center turn lane, from Pine Street to Ariana Street. On the side of proponents,…
The northbound Business U.S. 41 gateway into the city of Palmetto is now redeveloped with an entirely fresh and inviting look. Known as the Riverside Multimodal Project, the expanded park flanking the main road into downtown features towering palms, lush landscaping, wide brick and paver pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists to share, old-fashioned streetlights, 1,000…
As two architectural firms compete to design a new downtown parking garage, Bradenton officials believe its design will set the standard for future downtown development. “We are pretty frugal here but also very entrepreneurial,” said Mayor Wayne Poston. “We understand how iconic this building needs to be, and we are concerned about design in everything…
The owner of the Aquamarina Hidden Harbour and surrounding land in Pompano Beach is seeking a development partner should it receive approval for the property’s mixed-use redevelopment plan. Aventura-based Aqua Marine Partners has a pending comprehensive plan amendment for its nine-acre site on the east side of Federal Highway from Northeast 15th Street to Northeast…
For more than a decade, New Port Richey city officials have tried to walk the walk and talk the talk about attracting prosperous residents with a walkable community downtown. Begun in 2004, the Main Street Landing project will restart construction after a public ceremony 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the site at 5500 Main…
Boynton Beach Boulevard is the city’s entryway, but the buildings that line it are outdated — the only destinations that might attract an interest to stop are City Hall and the post office — and the street’s structure emphasizes vehicle use over walking or riding a bike, the Community Redevelopment Agency says. And it’s time…
The late A. Quinn Jones Sr., a legendary and revered Gainesville educator, meticulously kept documents related to his civic, personal, professional and religious life. Those documents and other materials will be displayed inside galleries at the new A. Quinn Jones Museum and Cultural Center at 1013 NW Seventh Ave. The museum is in the house…
The 2011 groundbreaking for Vilano’s Publix was an especially joyous event for the 5,000 residents living east of the Intercostal. No longer would the need for a few groceries require a trip to the mainland. The Publix was also celebrated as the start of a planned commercial center of shops, sidewalk cafes, upper-level residences and…
In hopes of gaining the City Council’s support during its Wednesday, February 15, meeting, the Apopka Community Task Force on Violence presented a document that the group called a community biopsy, urging for a five-pronged approach to solving violence in the area, especially in South Apopka. First unveiled in December 2016 at a press conference, the…
Why does the legislature want to kill CRA’s Way back in 1969, the Florida Legislature passed the Community Redevelopment Act. The new law was designed to prevent and eliminate slum and blighted areas by designating tax dollars from the neediest communities to go back into those areas. In 1993, Apopka created its own Community Redevelopment…
The Florida Economic Consortium on Violence and Crime (FEC) hosted a lunch forum to discuss the role of community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) and how they can be leveraged to address blighted areas and slums in Apopka. Attended by city and county officials and community members, the lunch forum took place at the Fran Carlton Recreation…