atlantic plaza - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T14:06:20Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/atlantic+plazaDelray Beach: Taking shape — Atlantic Crossing gets ready for its first openingshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-taking-shape-atlantic-crossing-gets-ready-for-its-fi2022-02-02T19:14:43.000Z2022-02-02T19:14:43.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10065905869,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10065905869,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10065905869?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></strong><em>Atlantic Crossing is at Atlantic Avenue and northbound Federal Highway in Delray Beach.</em><strong> Photo provided by Edwards Cos.<br /></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related story: </strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-bar-planned-for-atlantic-crossing-postpones-request-">Delray Beach: Bar planned for Atlantic Crossing postpones request for 2 a.m. closing</a></p>
<p><strong>By Larry Barszewski</strong></p>
<p>Atlantic Crossing is ready to make a splash in downtown Delray Beach.<br />There could be ripple effects for decades as the 9-acre project east of Federal Highway transforms a critical section of the city’s bustling Atlantic Avenue.<br />The $300 million project, in the works for more than a decade, will — by April, if the developer’s latest estimate is accurate — let people shop in its first stores, eat at its first restaurants, work in its first offices, live in its first apartments and stroll through one of the tree-graced plazas that its owners hope will make it a destination within a destination downtown.<br />“It’s a huge project for the downtown as it fills in a transitional gap that we’ve seen for a while, from our core historic downtown to the bridge,” says Laura Simon, executive director of the city’s Downtown Development Authority.<br />Where to begin?</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">The missing link</span><br />Atlantic Avenue is booming, with a restaurant and nightlife scene that rivals other famous South Florida destination streets such as Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale and Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. On the beachside, the avenue is a hot spot for visitors enamored with the “sea” in the city’s Village by the Sea moniker. <br />But the stretch of the avenue from northbound Federal Highway to the Intracoastal Waterway bridge has struggled over the years to find its identity.<br />The Blue Anchor restaurant and pub, with its imported façade from a 19th-century London establishment, made a home on the south side of the avenue there, along with a few other restaurants, shops and a bank. The north side was marked by a blighted vacant lot of a one-time gas station, along with an antiques mall and financial center. Atlantic Plaza, the main attraction, had a combination of restaurants, shops and offices geared more to drivers pulling in than to pedestrians strolling by.<br />Atlantic Crossing will take up the whole northern portion from northbound Federal to Veterans Park at the base of the bridge. It aims to attract both motorists and pedestrians — as well as have a built-in customer base of people taking up residence in its apartments and condos.<br />“We have always viewed Delray as a highly desirable location for residents, workers and retail/restaurant customers,” says Don DeVere, vice president of the Ohio-based Edwards Cos., which is developing the project.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Hidden parking</span><br />A key to integrating the project into the pedestrian-friendly nature of the downtown is its out-of-sight parking. While the surface layout is geared for walkers, the underground space accommodates the cars that will bring the visitors to Delray Beach.<br />There will be more than 1,000 parking spaces in the development when it’s completed. The single-level main garage, underneath the buildings along northbound Federal Highway, can be accessed from a street into the development from Federal Highway or by taking Northeast First Street and then entering the project.<br />The underground garage, with its 442 spaces, covers 3.6 acres. That’s almost the size of three football fields.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">By the numbers</span><br />When built out, Atlantic Crossing will have 261 apartments, 82 condos, 83,462 square feet of Class A office space, 39,434 square feet of restaurants and 37,642 square feet of shops.<br />It has been opposed over the years by nearby residents who fear it will create a traffic jam at the bridge and is too big to fit Delray’s village character.<br />Only a portion of the space is in the first phase — and only a portion of the first phase is getting set to open: just two of the six buildings that are part of the overall project which broke ground in 2018. The two buildings have ground-level shops and restaurants, with 85 apartments on the upper floors of one and two floors of office space over the shops in the other.<br />“For us, that corner has been dormant for a very long time,” Simon says. “To have those opening up for business and the additional parking that’s there, it’ll just continue to bring more pedestrians and spread the downtown out and really bring back life to that area.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">A different downtown vibe</span><br />While Atlantic Crossing doesn’t have the ambiance of the restaurant-lined, two-lane portion of the avenue between Swinton Avenue and Federal Highway, it’s ready to set a different mood. The narrower, oak-tree-canopied historic section of the avenue will now give way to a more open, palm-tree-lined gateway to the beach.<br />“Landscaping on both sides of Atlantic has been installed and the patio at the corner of Atlantic and Federal has been carefully detailed to entice customers,” DeVere says. “But most important are the buildings themselves, which have been carefully designed to contribute to the Atlantic Avenue streetscape.”<br />Walkways within the development will have plenty of trees, art and seating, and will connect to Veterans Park along the Intracoastal Waterway. <br />Instead of a monolithic project design, the buildings each have their own theme, to give the impression they developed organically over time. The styles range from Mediterranean architecture to the sleek look of Florida stone sidings, some buildings classic and others modern.<br />Simon appreciates the open space in Atlantic Crossing, but wishes it had more.<br />“Open space is very important in urban centers,” Simon says. “Our hope is we can really enhance the Veterans Park area to become an accessible area for people to be outside and take advantage of that open space in a denser area, because it’s going to be dense.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Economic impact</span><br />Data going back to 2014 estimates the construction itself will create more than 1,000 jobs exceeding $60 million in annual salaries, while there’ll be 600 permanent jobs once the project is finished, accounting for about $30 million a year in wages.<br />Atlantic Crossing is expected to produce $2.6 million in new annual tax revenues for the city and $2 million in building permit fees. <br />As for the people who will be living at Atlantic Crossing, it’s estimated they will be spending about $6.1 million a year in the city.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10065907079,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10065907079,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10065907079?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Construction crews work on Atlantic Crossing, a $300 million project that will span two blocks from northbound Federal Highway to Veterans Park. Two of the six buildings that are part of the first phase are expected to open by April and include apartments and a few restaurants and other businesses. </em><strong>Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Long-awaited opening</span><br />Projected completion dates for the first phase have come and gone, and now the developer is saying the initial openings are just around the corner, by April. “We expect at least one retail store, offices and the first set of apartments to be open the first quarter of this year,” DeVere says.<br />His company initially thought 2020 would see some openings, but that time line got pushed back to mid-2021, then late 2021. The more recent delays, the developer says, are directly attributable to labor, material and supply chain problems brought on by the pandemic. <br />“It’s hard to predict with so many variables,” DeVere says. In addition, even if construction is completed, it may take businesses or offices extra time to build out and occupy their interior spaces.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Signed and on board</span><br />A number of the businesses moving into Atlantic Crossing are coming from their previous digs at Atlantic Plaza, including Merrill Lynch financial services and Chico’s, a women’s clothing store that will now have full frontal exposure on the avenue.<br />“We have seen very strong demand for office [space] at this location and hope to have the remaining space leased within 60 days,” DeVere said on Jan. 25. “We already have significant interest in the phase two office space.”<br />Le Colonial, a Vietnamese restaurant with a French flair, has the prime spot at the corner of Atlantic and Federal, in the same building as Chico’s and Bounce Sporting Club, a high-end bar that combines sports and nightlife and plans to open in the summer.<br />In the building to the north are two other restaurants, The Hampton Social — a nautical-themed restaurant out of Chicago, with a coastal menu that aims to replicate the feel of the Hamptons in New York — and Ó·Ra Cucina and Bar. As many as eight first-floor suites are available in the two buildings for other businesses wanting in.<br />As for the new apartments, Atlantic Crossing plans to begin leasing in February.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Wide, but not so tall</span><br />Atlantic Crossing, when completed, will be the biggest project ever downtown.<br />It has a large footprint of two full city blocks, but it’s not reaching for the sky. Developers say the size of the buildings is more in keeping with the small-town vibe the city tries to exude, with two at three stories, two at four stories and two at five stories.<br />“The sun always shines here in Delray Beach. We’re not shaded by tall skyscrapers,” Simon says. “You’ll hear that from some of our long-standing retailers, that they enjoy being on the sunny side of the street. It makes a difference. People feel different, happy.<br />“Atlantic Crossing is on the sunny side of the street,” she says. “The good news is it’s not a 40-story building.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Farewell, Atlantic Plaza</span><br />Members of Delray’s Simon family designed and built Atlantic Plaza, with its easily remembered 777 E. Atlantic Ave. address next to Veterans Park and the Intracoastal, drawing customers from the beach to the east and the city to the west.<br />The plaza was a shot in the arm for Atlantic Avenue when it was built in 1985, the year before the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency was created and the renewal of Atlantic Avenue began in earnest.<br />“It was meant to be that catalyst for change, to also enhance that part of the district, to expand that district to the bridge,” the DDA’s Simon says. <br />Her father, Roy Simon, designed Atlantic Plaza, and her uncle, Sandy Simon, was its lead developer. The family is sad to see it go, but knows Atlantic Avenue is ready for a new catalyst, which the city hopes Atlantic Crossing will be.<br />“My father has lived here for 91 years in Delray Beach,” she says. “Our family has been here since 1912. So, there’s change. That happens. It’s part of life.”</p></div>Delray Beach: Granger’s looks to relocate; Doc’s parcel on the markethttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-granger-s-looks-to-relocate-doc-s-parcel-on-the-mark2016-08-03T20:00:00.000Z2016-08-03T20:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960665286,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960665286,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960665286?profile=original" /></a><em>Owners Timothy and Adriana McLarney (center) stand with their staff in front of Granger’s Grille</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>in Delray Beach. They hope to remain month-to-month after their lease ends Oct. 31.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong> Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Granger’s Grille has been priced out of its 21-year spot on the corner of Northeast Second Street and Federal Highway in Delray Beach following a March sale. <br /> “We would not have considered relocating if our rent was not tripled,” said owner Timothy McLarney. <br /> McLarney has found a temporary place in Atlantic Plaza, whose owners are locked in a lawsuit with the city. <br /> “It’s a stopgap measure,” he said. His current lease ends Oct. 31, but he is trying to remain on a month-to-month basis until a new tenant is found. Then he will reopen in the former Free House American Eatery & Pub location in Atlantic Plaza.<br /> McLarney had tried to buy his present site. He had both the longtime restaurant and nearby single-family house appraised, with a value of $705,000. But the then-owner wanted $300,000 more and found a buyer willing to pay slightly more than $1 million.<br /> The new owner wants McLarney to pay $12,000 monthly to rent both buildings — $4,000 for the 1,500-square-foot single-family home and $8,000 for the 960-square-foot restaurant. <br /> Granger’s serves lunch and dinner daily and has nightly specials Tuesdays through Saturdays. The barbecue ribs often sell out, McLarney said.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> Granger’s has 38 seats. The most expensive item is $22 for fried lobster on Fridays. <br /> The grill serves food that diners can recognize and is comforting, said real estate broker Cecelia Boone.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> “Something that does not have a quail egg on it,” she said.<br /> McLarney started looking for a new space in May 2015. At one location, the restaurant owner was asking $600,000 plus extra for the liquor license. A place that once held a coffee shop on North Federal Highway didn’t have enough parking, and he would have needed to buy four in lieu spaces from the city, costing $100,000. <br /> McLarney finds the rents on Atlantic Avenue prohibitive. Parking also is a problem for Granger’s. The salon owner in an adjacent strip shopping center often posts a sign, “No Granger’s parking.”<br /> And yet another Delray Beach landmark, Doc’s All American at the corner of North Swinton and Atlantic Avenues, faces an uncertain future. The owner of Doc’s and the neighboring Dunkin’ Donuts parcel has the 0.77-acre property back on the market. The listing on Loopnet, a real estate website, does not have an asking price. A recent multimillion- dollar deal fell through. <br /> Doc’s, which dates to 1951 when a Pennsylvania dentist opened the soft-serve ice cream spot, may be offered a smaller space in any new development that happens at that location, according to Boone, who has the listing. “It will be at least two years down the road,” she said. <br /> Generations of Delray Beach residents stopped for a cone after school or a root beer float after a day at the beach at the walk-up ice cream and burger place, which takes cash only.</p></div>Delray Beach: DeSantis sells Atlantic Crossing interest to partnerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-desantis-sells-atlantic-crossing-interest-to-partner2016-06-29T17:12:16.000Z2016-06-29T17:12:16.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> The stalled Atlantic Crossing project sold in mid-June to partner Edwards Cos., of Ohio, for $38.5 million. <br /> The nearly 9-acre property, which sits at the prominent corner of Federal Highway and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach, was sold in two transactions by a partnership controlled by Carl DeSantis, a real estate investor. <br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960663068,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960663068,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="100" alt="7960663068?profile=original" /></a> “We are making this additional investment because this is a unique site. Redeveloping two city blocks is a rare opportunity to create a distinctly Delray environment that will benefit the entire community,” said Edwards Cos. President Jeff Edwards. “We’re committed for the long term and are eager to get underway.”<br /> The eastern side, which houses the aging 78,768-square-foot Atlantic Plaza retail/office complex, sold for $22.7 million. <br /> Through a partnership, DeSantis, of Delray Beach, lent $16.5 million to Edwards that under the terms of the agreement can increase to $33 million. The four Edwards executives personally guaranteed the loan. <br /> The mostly vacant western side sold for $15.8 million. Edwards was able to secure a $16 million loan from First Financial Bank of Hamilton, Ohio.<br /> “As I grow older, I have realized that there is still much I want to accomplish, but only a finite amount of time in which to do so,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “We have decided to sell Atlantic Crossing to the Edwards Cos., so that we can focus on these opportunities and new ones that we are vetting on a weekly basis.”<br /> The statement also said that although DeSantis is an active real estate investor, he is not a developer and “certainly not of large projects that take many years to complete. It’s simply not our forte.”<br /> The sale translates to more than $4 million per acre, which real estate consultant Jack McCabe said was the going rate for vacant land in downtown Delray Beach. <br /> “Delray’s won the All America City title twice — that’s very prestigious,” McCabe said. “Some of the old-timers are worried about the traffic, but the area is ripe for redevelopment.”<br /> The sale is subject to the outcome of a $25 million lawsuit, originally filed by the developers in Palm Beach County Circuit Court and now in federal court with an October jury trial date. The complaint has been amended four times. <br /> The developers sued the city in June 2015 claiming Delray Beach has not certified its site plan that was approved in November 2013 and affirmed by a previous City Commission in January 2014.<br /> The court recently granted the developers approval to depose 16 individuals, exceeding the limit by six. Mayor Cary Glickstein will be deposed, although Commissioners Shelly Petrolia and Mitch Katz will not.<br /> The city filed a counterclaim on June 24, requesting the release from escrow of two alleys and parts of Northeast Seventh Avenue.<br /> When finished, Atlantic Crossing will contain 343 luxury condos and apartments plus 39,394 square feet of restaurants, 37,642 square feet of shops and 83,462 square feet of office space.</p></div>