Waiting for development in DeBary

Transportation planners have always envisioned the SunRail station in DeBary as a magnet for economic development, much the way other depots along the train’s route through Seminole and Orange counties have attracted billions of dollars in new projects. Unfortunately, it could use some juice. A year after the commuter rail service began in the rural…

Downtown tax district may annex Rosemary

SARASOTA – The Rosemary District, having already proved itself attractive to developers, now has the attention of downtown business owners. The Downtown Improvement District, an association of commercial property owners in Sarasota, is laying groundwork to annex the Rosemary District into its territory. That move would roughly double the area of the DID special taxing…

Redevelopment of Hogans Creek area needs more support

What the St. Johns Riverkeeper has done for Northeast Florida’s major natural resource, Groundworks Jacksonville hopes to do for redevelopment. That means aggressive advocacy and rallying support for restoring Jacksonville’s ignored and forgotten urban gems. The best illustration of this is something called the Emerald Necklace, the network of creeks and riverfront property that link…

Brownfields grant to assist with redevelopment along U.S. 41 in Bradenton, Palmetto

MANATEE — As the U.S. 41 corridor is targeted for redevelopment, some developers may have a perception that there is an environmental problem on potential sites. Manatee County, in partnership with Bradenton, Palmetto and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, has received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA awarded the…

Redevelopment of Hogans Creek area needs more support

What the St. Johns Riverkeeper has done for Northeast Florida’s major natural resource, Groundworks Jacksonville hopes to do for redevelopment. That means aggressive advocacy and rallying support for restoring Jacksonville’s ignored and forgotten urban gems. The best illustration of this is something called the Emerald Necklace, the network of creeks and riverfront property that link…

Sarasota leaders ponder future of CRA

SARASOTA – Sarasota’s main redevelopment agency faces elimination next year, and its leaders have begun sketching out a final budget. The Downtown Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency seeded downtown and Newtown neighborhood projects with more than $95 million over the past three decades, according to a financial update on Thursday. Among them were the Palm Avenue…

Bartow Community Redevelopment: Agency Focusing on Increase Housing

BARTOW | Bartow’s Community Redevelopment Agency shifted focus Wednesday in funding for non-profit groups, directing its attention toward housing development while maintaining its commitment to community events. That shift came when Jeff Bagwell, president and executive director of the Lakeland-based Keystone Challenge Fund, offered Wednesday to partner with the CRA to build two houses for…