Lakeland Downtown Proposals in the Works

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…

Longboat Key- Town center a go

As 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…

Downtown DeLand housing project pushed back

DELAND — 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…

Panama City- DIB could ditch debt

PANAMA 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…

A Sarasota building boom, but how big?

SARASOTA – 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…