downtown development authority - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T12:32:15Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/downtown+development+authorityDelray Beach: Cultural council may emerge as city moves past Old School Square spathttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-cultural-council-may-emerge-as-city-moves-past-old-s2023-05-31T17:16:22.000Z2023-05-31T17:16:22.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Larry Barszewski</strong></p>
<p>With the exception of Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia, a May 9 meeting between city commissioners and Old School Square’s former operators featured everyone singing from the same page.</p>
<p>“Excuse me if I don’t feel warm and fuzzy,” said Petrolia, the only remaining member of the commission majority that in 2021 kicked out the nonprofit Old School Square Center for the Arts from its decades-long role of running the city’s downtown cultural centerpiece.</p>
<p>But even Petrolia supported the recommendation of Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston that the city investigate creating a city cultural council that was referenced in a 2006 report but never materialized. The council, which the Coletta & Company report called the Delray Beach Creative City Collaborative, was to be an umbrella organization for arts and culture in the city.</p>
<p>“We have so many plans, so many things that we didn’t do. We really need to go back to them as a city,” Boylston said.</p>
<p>Boylston quoted from the 2006 report, saying the primary function of the Delray Beach Cultural Council would be “to strategically target culture as a competitive advantage and increase funding to enlarge the cultural scene, trigger innovation and creativity strategies, fund existing cultural groups and champion new initiatives to claim Delray Beach’s unique niche.”</p>
<p>Commissioners agreed to hold a future workshop meeting on the proposal.</p>
<p>Overall, there didn’t appear to be any clear objective to the meeting, other than to begin a healing process between the two sides. Commissioners expressed a desire to see the nonprofit group continue to be a force in the community, though it wasn’t clear what that role would be.</p>
<p>“I did not agree with the way the whole incident with Old School Square was handled,” said Angela Burns, who was one of two new commissioners elected in March who switched the commission’s leanings on the issue. “But I look forward tonight to mending fences and some open dialogue so that we can move forward in our city. We have a great cultural center and I would like to see it continue so that it is serving everyone in our community to the best of its abilities.”</p>
<p>The settlement to the lawsuit filed by the nonprofit in November 2021 — and the city’s countersuit — was approved in April. The only issue the settlement did not cover was the nonprofit’s efforts to acquire a trademark for the Old School Square name, which the city is challenging. That decision is before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.</p>
<p>Patty Jones, chair of the nonprofit, told commissioners, “We look forward to being a resource for the city of Delray Beach and the community to make Old School Square the best it can be.”</p>
<p>Jeff Perlman, a former mayor and a member of the nonprofit’s board of directors, said the group had no demands. Both sides acknowledged that the Old School Square campus is now being run by the Downtown Development Authority — which was not invited to be part of the workshop — and expressed no desire to see that change.</p>
<p>“We are not here with an ask other than we would respectfully request a seat at the table,” Perlman said.</p>
<p>The tensions in the room were highlighted by testy exchanges between Petrolia and Perlman and between Petrolia and Frances Bourque, the nonprofit’s founder and the original driving force behind the transformation of the city’s Old School Square campus.</p>
<p>Petrolia, who said the campus was in the good hands of the DDA, questioned why the city would move forward reestablishing a relationship with the group given the city’s past concerns over its finances and a continuing federal investigation into the group.</p>
<p>After the meeting, Petrolia said she was referring to investigators looking into the possible misuse of Paycheck Protection Program funds by the nonprofit to cover salaries that were already included in grants to the nonprofit. Petrolia said she has not been interviewed in the matter, but she knows of others who have regarding the pandemic-related funding.</p>
<p>While Petrolia did not approve of the settlement, Bourque said Petrolia needed to live by the will of the majority on the commission and stop disparaging her organization.</p>
<p>“You as the leader of this group agreed to settle, as did we. It’s over. It’s over, and it’s not fair for you to continue to espouse one side, while our agreement is firmly implanted in accepting the fate of a dual agreement by which neither party is supposed to malign the other,” Bourque said. “And there is no way we can be invited to a table in which that climate continues to exist.”</p>
<p>But Petrolia said she would not be silenced, especially since she was limited in what she could say while the litigation was pending.</p>
<p>“I will continue to express my opinions as I feel fit, moving forward. I’m not bound by anything,” Petrolia said. “I didn’t make any agreement. I will continue to do that because I think it’s just as important for those that basically are going to be holding the ball here, to understand how we got to this point. We have not had that opportunity until today. So, it’s very important that the public understands what happened.” </p></div>Delray Beach: New commission decides to settle Old School Square lawsuithttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-new-commission-decides-to-settle-old-school-square-l2023-04-01T16:20:00.000Z2023-04-01T16:20:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p> </p>
<p><strong>By John Pacenti</strong></p>
<p>A newly transformed Delray Beach City Commission decided March 31 to settle litigation with the ousted nonprofit that previously ran Old School Square, ending a contentious 18 months that split the city’s power structure.</p>
<p>The decision comes just weeks after the city, in an email obtained Friday by <em>The Coastal Star</em>, added to the controversy by alleging that the nonprofit – “with felonious intent” – took three glass sculptures by famed artist Dale Chihuly worth about $18,000 belonging to the cultural arts center, a claim the nonprofit disputed. The email demanded the artwork be returned or the city be compensated triple its value, or $54,000.</p>
<p>Attorney Marko Cerenko, the attorney for the nonprofit Old School Square Center for the Arts, Inc., said that under the proposed settlement, both sides will surrender their legal claims.</p>
<p>“My client felt that with the breath of fresh air with the new commission, that their resources were far better served in serving the community,” Cerenko said.</p>
<p>The old commission, in one of its final acts in power March 28, tried to insulate the Downtown Development Authority, which was just given control in February over managing the downtown cultural center. The commission removed from the DDA contract a 180-day “without cause” cancellation clause that the new commission could have used to change the management back to the nonprofit.</p>
<p>After the March 14 elections, only Mayor Shelly Petrolia is left on the dais from the 3-2 majority that removed the nonprofit in August 2021 for its failure to disclose its financials and for a mishandled renovation of the Crest Theatre.</p>
<p>Discussions about the settlement were not public because of attorney-client confidentiality, but when commissioners emerged from their special, closed-door session held Friday morning, March 31, they opened the door to reestablishing a relationship with the nonprofit. All of this was done without Petrolia, who had a prior commitment.</p>
<p>The nonprofit sent the proposed settlement to the city the day before, after the prior commission’s final meeting on Tuesday, leaving the city’s decision on the proposal to the new board.</p>
<p>The commission voted 4-0 Friday to have the city attorney go ahead and negotiate a final agreement and execute a settlement. Then Commissioner Adam Frankel – long an ally of the nonprofit – said commissioners should meet in a workshop with Old School Square Center for the Arts representatives to make amends and find ways to work together.</p>
<p>When City Attorney Lynn Gelin suggested that the DDA be present at a workshop, Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston shot that idea down and it was agreed that the commission will meet only with the nonprofit.</p>
<p>“I clearly recognize that Old School Square did make some mistakes here but I don’t think they were fatal mistakes,” Frankel said.</p>
<p>He said that he wanted to sit down with the nonprofit to “try to reestablish some kind of partnership, not only with the DDA, who we asked to do things at the campus, but also with the city.”</p>
<p>Boylston said the DDA will be brought in after the workshop with the nonprofit.</p>
<p>“We’ll bring in our established partner that we’ve already made a decision on, which is the DDA, and they are out there and doing their thing and we have a partnership with that,” he said.</p>
<p>“But I think first we’ve got to mend fences more than we did today and have a conversation about what does the future of our relationship look like between these two entities.”</p>
<p>Frankel could not be reached for comment after the meeting.</p>
<p>Laura Simon, the executive director of the DDA, said she had not heard about the commission bringing the former managers back into the fold.</p>
<p>The turnaround by the commission was remarkable but not surprising.</p>
<p>The commission voted 3-2 in August 2021 to oust the former operators for failing to turn over its financial records and for mishandling the renovation of Crest Theatre.</p>
<p>Petrolia and Commissioners Juli Casale and Shirley Johnson voted to throw out the nonprofit. But in the city’s recent elections, Casale lost to Rob Long; Angela Burns won the seat that Johnson had to vacate because of term limits.</p>
<p>Both won their seats by less than 400 votes and both campaigned on wanting to return the management of Old School Square back to the nonprofit.</p>
<p>Five former mayors backed Long’s candidacy, as well as board members of the nonprofit.</p>
<p>Casale said on Friday that “handing the keys back over to a group that mismanaged Old School Square to fulfill campaign promises seems like collusive government at its worst.”</p>
<p>An internal auditor found that the nonprofit had missing records, including an annual budget report, an annual audit report and two IRS forms that pertain to nonprofits.</p>
<p><em>The Coastal Star</em> discovered the nonprofit reported more than $746,000 in net income for the fiscal year 2018-2019.</p>
<p>The auditor also found the nonprofit may have inadvertently “double-dipped” by using a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan to pay for the same payroll expenses already covered by Community Redevelopment Agency money.</p>
<p>The CRA demanded a return of $187,500 and stopped the flow of taxpayer money to the nonprofit.</p>
<p>Long and Burns said during the campaign they want to reorganize the CRA, taking it away from the commission, which comprises five of the CRA governing board’s seven seats.</p>
<p>The decision to oust the nonprofit enraged not only the entity but its well-monied supporters. The nonprofit filed suit in November 2021 against the city, Petrolia and others for allegedly breaching the lease, violating the state’s Government in the Sunshine open meetings law and civil conspiracy.</p>
<p>The city countersued, claiming breach of contract for, among other things, leaving the Crest Theatre in a demolished state.</p>
<p>Regarding the missing Chihuly artwork, Cerenko said the art always belonged to the nonprofit, not the city, and the letter was just attempted leverage by “certain commissioners” in the litigation.</p>
<p>He said the nonprofit is “hoping that the new commission is going to be significantly more supportive of what they have done and what they continue to do, as opposed to the old commission.”</p>
<p>Boylston, in a text message to <em>The Coastal Star</em> on Saturday following the meeting, said it was time to mend fences.</p>
<p>"Ending these lawsuits is the right thing to do for the taxpayers and four our community; paying endless lawyer bills to prove a point is just wrong," Boylston wrote. "It's time for a long overdue public workshop with the board of Old School Square Inc. to address whatever issues are outstanding, because only then can we move forward with any decisions on the future management model of the Old School Square campus."</p>
<p><em>Note: This story has been updated to include additional comments.</em></p></div>Delray Beach: Cornell Art Museum reopens under reins of Downtown Development Authorityhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-cornell-art-museum-reopens-under-reins-of-downtown-d2023-01-04T16:30:26.000Z2023-01-04T16:30:26.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>The historical Cornell Art Museum, closed for about 15 months in a dispute between the city and its previous operators, hosted a grand reopening reception on Dec. 28.<br />The Surfing Florida Museum has an exhibit on the top floor. On the ground floor is the #LoveDelray collection of artworks from Delray Beach-area artists. <br />The museum will be open and be free to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.<br />It is now being operated by the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority under a $25,000 agreement approved by the City Commission.<br />At the Jan. 10 commission meeting, an overall agreement between the city and the DDA to oversee the Old School Square campus will be discussed. That deal would replace the DDA’s current Cornell agreement with one that covers all five venues on the 4-acre campus: the Fieldhouse, the Pavilion, the Cornell, the Crest Theatre and associated arts classrooms. <br />The Surfing Florida Museum has been searching for a permanent home since it started 14 years ago, said Tom Warnke, its executive director. The Cornell exhibit will stay through June. “I’m hoping the exposure will lead to something permanent,” Warnke said. “I’m beyond excited.”<br />In late February, Surfing Florida also will open a 12-month exhibit at the renovated Lantana Public Library. <br />Separately, the commission agreed to pay $1.2 million to finish the renovations of the Crest Theatre building. The city did not put the work out to bid but used a job-order process to speed construction and have a guaranteed price, Public Works Director Missie Barletto said at the commission’s Dec. 6 meeting. It selected Harbour Construction Inc. of Miami.<br />Vice Mayor Adam Frankel said the commission did not like the previous contractor hired by Old School Square Center for the Arts — the former longtime operator — because the renovation was not put out for bids. He voted against the contract because there still was no bidding process for the work. Commissioner Shirley Johnson, who pulled the item from the Consent Agenda for discussion, also voted against the contract.<br />The Crest building renovations were started without expressed city approval as required in the lease and — combined with long-standing concerns as to how OSSCA was spending taxpayer dollars — led to the City Commission terminating its lease with OSSCA. The lease termination came on a 3-2 vote in August 2021. <br />Then, in November 2021, OSSCA sued the city and its elected officials for wrongful termination of the lease. That lawsuit is still pending.<br />OSSCA also filed papers in November 2021 to trademark the Old School Square name. After the city found out about the trademark application almost a year later, it hired an outside law firm to contest the trademark in November. <br />OSSCA filed its response to the city’s challenge on Jan. 2. It claims the trademark is not tied to the Old School Square campus owned by the city.<br />The reply, done by attorney Allen Bennett, said the group is entitled to use the name, because it continues “to offer services in the vicinity of the historic, generally known geographic location referred to colloquially as the ‘Old School Square.’” <br />OSSCA also filed papers to amend its November 2021 application to eliminate museum services from the list of services it provides — since it no longer controls the Cornell Museum space — and focus on arts education classes and rental of performing arts theaters.<br />The response said OSSCA’s application didn’t misrepresent its address as Old School Square’s, because its lease was still in force when it applied for the trademark. </p></div>Delray Beach: DDA gets shot at running Old School Square’s Cornell museumhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-dda-gets-shot-at-running-old-school-square-s-cornell2022-11-30T15:30:30.000Z2022-11-30T15:30:30.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Auto dealership rezoning denied for second time near Place Au Soleil</span></p>
<p>By Jane Smith</p>
<p>The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority moved closer to its takeover of the Old School Square campus in November when city commissioners gave the DDA $25,000 to run the Cornell Art Museum. <br />“It’s a short-term agreement,” City Attorney Lynn Gelin said at the Nov. 15 City Commission meeting. It will terminate when the overall deal, called an interlocal agreement, between the city and the DDA is signed. The larger deal will cover the entire campus with its five venues: the Pavilion stage, the Fieldhouse, the Cornell, the Crest Theatre and the Creative Arts School.<br />Known as the heart and soul of the city, the Old School Square campus is mired in a lawsuit filed in November 2021 by the former operators. <br />The new overall agreement with the DDA is expected to be ready in December.<br />The Cornell deal began on Nov. 16 and calls for free admission to the museum. <br />Exhibits will be a collection consisting of a Surfing Florida display, a historical retrospective of the campus and Delray Beach, and a Love Delray art exposition by local artists, DDA Executive Director Laura Simon wrote in a Nov. 21 email to <em>The Coastal Star</em>.<br />The prior tenants criticized the Cornell deal in a Nov. 16 email blast, saying the DDA was a taxing authority, “which means that you as a taxpayer will be paying 100% of this cost.” <br />Simon said she had not heard that criticism.<br /> “We have a big job to do and are staying focused on moving forward,” she wrote. “We are also moving forward with establishing a [nonprofit] arts foundation to collect donations from those who want to contribute to the campus directly, just as it was originally intended back in 1987.”<br />The former tenant, the Old School Square Center for the Arts, continues to hold events that raise money for scholarships and mentoring, but not for the buildings because the city owns them. Its lease ended in February. <br />In October, the organization held LunaFest, featuring films for and about women, at the iPic Theater in downtown Delray. Nearly 400 people attended the event, which raised about “$50,000 for arts and cultural programming for local youth in our community,” according to an Oct. 19 Old School Square Facebook post by the organization. <br />“We are NOT back in the buildings, but we are continuing our mission to bring arts to Delray by supporting one of our partners,” the organization’s board wrote in a Nov. 5 email blast.<br />The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed on Nov. 17 to enhance the Old School Square campus lighting by spending up to $10,000 on lights.<br /><strong>In other news</strong> from the Nov. 15 commission meeting, commissioners:<br /> • Denied for a second time the rezoning of property on the east side of North Federal Highway next to Gulf Stream’s Place Au Soleil neighborhood. Property owner John Staluppi Jr. wanted to put a Hyundai car dealership there.<br /> The 11 people who spoke during the quasi-judicial public hearing opposed the rezoning, including former City Commissioner Gary Eliopoulos, who said the 8-foot wall separating the dealership and the Gulf Stream residents would limit air circulation. The other 10 live in or represented the town of Gulf Stream. <br />When land use attorney Bonnie Miskel gave the presentation for Staluppi, she stressed that North Federal was the preferred location for auto dealerships in the 2020 update of the city’s comprehensive plan. That point was hammered home during witness cross-examinations by Beth-Ann Krimsky, a partner in the Greenspoon Marder law firm in Fort Lauderdale.<br />The commission vote again was 3-2 against the rezoning, with Commissioners Adam Frankel and Shirley Johnson supporting the rezoning.<br /> • Approved a nearly $1 million budget amendment to cover increased payroll costs to police after new collective bargaining agreements were signed at the Oct. 25 City Commission meeting. The expenses will be offset by an unexpected $990,000 increase in the state sales tax revenue.<br /> • Approved a fee increase for the first time in six years at the recently renovated city marina on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway south of Atlantic Avenue. The fees for people who want to live aboard their boats at the marina increase from $23 a linear foot to $29 a foot for city residents and to $33 a foot for non-residents. For people who want only to dock at the marina, the fees rise from $22 a linear foot to $26 a foot for city residents and to $30 a foot for non-residents. <br />The day rate stayed the same for city residents at $60, but it increased 25% for non-residents, who will pay $85.<br />The marina makeover cost about $4.6 million, including consultants’ fees. The work included 23 new floating docks, a raised sea wall, drainage and lighting improvements and installing Wi-Fi. </p></div>Delray 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: City scrambles to find new management team for Old School Squarehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-scrambles-to-find-new-management-team-for-old-s2021-12-29T17:49:44.000Z2021-12-29T17:49:44.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>With a lawsuit looming and no suitors to manage Delray Beach’s historic arts and culture center, the city is trying to cobble together a team to manage the Old School Square campus once the lease — canceled last year by the city — expires Feb. 9.<br /> No company responded last month to the city’s “invitation to negotiate,” a process that allows the city to enter discussions with interested firms. <br /> “With a pending lawsuit against the city, it’s not surprising,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said last month. “We continue to keep the campus active with events organized through our Parks and Recreation Department. <br /> “Once we get on the other side of the lawsuit, we will see some interest,” Petrolia said.<br /> In the interim, the city will use its parks department, which has managed several weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events during the past several months, and back it up with the Downtown Development Authority and Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, City Manager Terrence Moore wrote in a Dec. 17 weekly roundup.<br /> Moore added that he would update the City Commission on Jan. 4.<br /> OSS managers sued the city Nov. 5 and claimed the City Commission’s Aug. 10 vote to terminate the lease was improper and did not allow the OSS managers to remove their equipment, paintings, furniture and accessories acquired by the nonprofit organization over the past three decades. <br /> It further alleges the city stopped a $1.2 million renovation of the Crest Theatre and failed to allow them “to quietly hold, occupy and enjoy the premises.”<br /> The city countered on Dec. 9 that the suit should be dismissed “with prejudice” because it was little more than a “shotgun pleading,” throwing more than 200 allegations against the wall and hoping something would stick.<br />The response notes the suit is “comprised of 206 factual allegations, with each of the fifteen Counts incorporating and re-alleging all of the Complaint’s 206 factual allegations, leaving the defendants to speculate as to which allegations relate to which Count,” the response notes.<br /> Petrolia and commissioners Shirley Johnson and Juli Casale voted to terminate the contract because OSS managers had repeatedly failed to provide accounting of how they had spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars given to OSS over the years.<br /> The city contends Petrolia and Johnson were entitled to immunity for decisions made in their official roles.<br /> Casale hired her own attorney “that is personally known to me,” who contends in court filings that she, too, is entitled to immunity.<br /> OSS supporters claim the vote was taken without public notice. The city contends the commissioners followed the terms of the lease.<br /> The vote, and the resulting public outcry orchestrated in no small part by OSS directors and supporters, prompted eight former mayors to write a letter that the OSS publicist sent on Dec. 8 to media outlets. <br /> “While the Old School Square termination is what’s on everyone’s mind, we see a similar pattern in the general culture of division and polarization in our city politics that has led to costly turnover and litigation,” the former mayors wrote. “It’s not the ‘Delray Way.’”<br />They suggested holding “a charrette to gain public input on the future of Old School Square.”<br /> Petrolia declined to comment on the letter because of the pending suit.<br /> Joy Howell, a former OSS board chair, also was named in the suit. Her attorney contracted COVID-19 and received an extension to file a response, as did Shannon Eadon, a former OSS executive director. Neither response was available at press time.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Hearing set</span><br /> A Jan. 18 hearing is scheduled before Circuit Court Judge John Kastrenakes to decide whether OSS managers can receive expedited mediation in the case.<br /> Delray Beach taxpayers own the nearly 4-acre OSS campus. It is deed restricted and must remain an arts, cultural and educational center. If it does not, the property reverts to the Palm Beach County School District. <br /> The campus has five entertainment venues: the Field House, the Crest Theatre, the Creative Arts School, the Cornell Art Museum and the Pavilion.<br /> Sam Metott, the city’s parks and recreation director, wrote in a Dec. 16 email that his department can oversee the Field House events. <br /> “We may require some assistance with the Cornell Art Museum as that involves a more distinct set of capabilities for curation and the daily functions,” Metott wrote. “Lastly, outdoor events” — such as concerts on the Pavilion stage — “involves additional planning, scheduling, and on-site logistics. Any support in that area would be beneficial.”<br /> Toward that end, the DDA is expected to host its annual Fashion Week in February on the OSS campus instead of the Colony Hotel, Petrolia said.<br /> “We are looking forward to helping guide and bring more community events to our downtown and city,” Laura Simon, DDA executive director, wrote via a Dec. 21 text message in response to a <em>Coastal Star</em> question about the DDA’s role.<br /> Meanwhile, even though its lease expires in less than six weeks, the OSS board sent out a pre-Christmas email seeking contributions, noting that “with your help we will rise stronger than ever to bring generations of friends and patrons all the joy Old School Square has to offer.” </p></div>Business Spotlight: As owner retires, Farmers Market closeshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/business-spotlight-as-owner-retires-farmers-market-closes2021-06-02T14:34:58.000Z2021-06-02T14:34:58.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025584284,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025584284,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025584284?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>After working 60 to 70 hours a week at Woolbright Farmers Market for the past 20 years, Jesse Goldfinger wants to spend more time with his wife and three kids.</em> <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p><strong>By Christine Davis</strong></p>
<p>Woolbright Farmers Market, a longtime produce stand and garden center at 141 W. Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach, closed in May. The closing came as owner Jesse Goldfinger, 40, who took over the business from his parents, Howard and Michelle, retired. <br /> “It’s time to move on,” Goldfinger said. “I’ve been working 60 to 70 hours a week for the last 20 years, and my kids don’t get to see me enough.”<br /> A year after his parents bought the market, he joined them right out of college in running the business, he said. “Then, my father bowed out in 2007, and my mom worked with me up until COVID.” <br /> The 800-square-foot center carried local vendors, including Lake Worth Beach’s Upper Crust pies and Delray Beach’s Old School Bakery. Fruits and vegetables accounted for the bulk of sales, with about half of them organic. <br /> In later years, the market also sold smoothies, cold-press juices and milkshakes. <br /> “We also made a mean guacamole, and we sold fresh-cut flowers, Christmas trees and pumpkins,” Goldfinger said. “We sold the good stuff. That was the key.”<br /> The property, which had been owned by members of the Neumann family since the 1980s, originally had a house as well as the market. They lived on the site and farmed out west.<br /> Over the years, the property changed hands. It was also owned by Harvey E. Oyer Jr., a descendant of one of South Florida’s pioneer families, as well as Ridgewood Groves of Palm Beach.<br /> Goldfinger, who plans to hold onto the property, recalls that it was a farm market before his family owned it. <br /> “The emotional part of me says, I would love for it to be carried on as a farm market, but the business part of me says, ‘He who pays the rent gets to choose,’” he said.<br /> Goldfinger and his wife, Jessica, have sold their house and are ready to hit the road, maybe eventually settling back down in upstate New York, closer to Jessica’s family. In the meantime, they, with daughters Kate, 12, and Quinn, 5, and son Collin, 10, are preparing to take off in an RV.<br /> “We plan to take a long trip,” Goldfinger said. “It’s an opportunity for us to see the country together and offer our children this educational opportunity.”<br /> He is going to miss the “fresh stuff,” though, he said. “We like it and believe in it, so, of course, we use it. We have great tomatoes when we want them.<br /> “My wife texts me what she needs, and I bring it home. That is a convenience we will also miss.” <br /> <br /> After a year and a half of dealing with the ramifications of the coronavirus, local chambers of commerce predict a rosier summer.<br /> Some businesses were hit harder than others, said David Arm, president of the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce. <br /> Lantana Fitness, 700 W. Lantana Road, which Arm owns with his wife, Renee, “was shut down by the state early on, but reopened with stringent COVID protocols, and is only now seeing business improve as vaccination rates increase and people feel more comfortable about going to the gym,” Arm said.<br /> As an example of a business that managed better than most, Arm points to the Old Key Lime House, 300 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana. <br /> “Its entire facility is outdoors, which made people feel more comfortable than going into an indoor restaurant,” Arm said. “Mario’s restaurant, on the other hand, moved from 225 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana, to 707 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Beach, because most of its dining was indoors, and they didn’t have enough business to sustain a facility of that size. After they moved to the smaller location, they are doing very well.” <br /> Other developments that Arm noted: After finishing renovations, Uncle Louie G Lantana, an ice cream shop at 204 E. Ocean Ave., opened during the pandemic.<br /> After American Spirit Cheer & Dance closed at 211 S. Third St., Superior Window Treatments and Installation constructed a new showroom and opened there. <br /> Saglo, owner of the Kmart Plaza site, 1201 S. Dixie Highway, and the Morgan Group, a national residential real estate developer, have resumed discussions on plans to build about 200 upscale rental units.<br /> At Water Tower Commons, 1199 W. Lantana Road, the Related Group has completed the first phase of residential units and has begun work on its second phase. The commercial segment, owned by Lantana Development LLC, with Kenco Communities and Wexford Capital, is moving along with road improvements, Arm said. Commercial businesses there will include Aldi and Wawa.<br /> <br /> Stephanie Immelman, president and CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, said, “As of now, the season won’t be ending anytime soon.” <br /> According to her members, “the pent-up demand is driving hotel stays, attraction visits and high restaurant capacity. The booking pipeline for hotels is stretching out past July 4.” <br /> Delray is booming, she said. “Florida is the place to be right now, because many other states are opening up more slowly. Cruises are not opened yet either. Even if our part-time residents go back up North, there will be significant demand from the drive market and local patronage of our businesses. For now, it’s good news.”<br /> Immelman points to Crane’s Beach House, at 82 Gleason St., as an example.<br /> Cathy Balestriere, Crane’s general manager, said: “After a difficult and challenging year for our industry, we are happy to report that we are seeing a very strong return of both new and loyal guests here at Crane’s, whom we are welcoming back safely and with new services. …<br /> “We’ve seen many weeks of very high occupancy” even with in-season prices “and continue to see positive bookings even into the summer. <br /> “We were fortunate to be able to remain open throughout the pandemic and retain our entire staff, thanks to a lot of very rigid precautionary measures and flexible stay options and are incredibly grateful to see our hotel filled with happy and satisfied guests once again.” <br /> <br /> “Boca is well on the road to recovery,” said Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. “The general economy in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and south Palm Beach County is much healthier than when the floor fell out from under us.”<br /> He said government funding helped businesses, so much so that some were doing well enough financially that they did not need to apply for more recent government funding options, such as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. <br /> However, his members are having a hard time finding employees, and he predicts that will continue until September. <br /> “That’s unfortunate, because summers are challenging for businesses,” he said. “They are paying more and incentivizing” in an effort to attract workers, “but that’s not a sustainable strategy to identify, recruit and retain their workforce. Almost all of our member hotels — Boca Marriott, Renaissance Boca and Wyndham Boca — as well as our member restaurants are looking for workers.”<br /> <br /> Owners of Under the Sun products, Delray Beach residents Lauren Donald and Julie Peyton, have offered their hair-care line at salons as well as online since 2012. Today, three of their products, Shampoo Treatment, Conditioning Treatment, and Leave-In Conditioner, are also offered on Amazon Prime, with a percentage of their sales donated to local charities. <br /> Their products can be purchased at Amazon.com or alwaysunderthesun.com. Products are also available curbside at Bond Street Salon, 25 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. To find other stores that carry them, call 855-888-4247. <br /> <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025659300,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025659300,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025659300?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="101" /></a>Alison Kirsten has joined Eau Spa as director of spa and leisure at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. Previously, Kirsten was spa director of the Peninsula Hotels in Beverly Hills, and prior to that, she ran spa and fitness operations at Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons hotels. <br /> <br /> As of June 1, Van Williams is provost and dean of student services of the Boca Raton campus of Palm Beach State College. He is a member of President Ava L. Parker’s executive leadership team. <br /> Williams joined the college in 2009 as director of TRIO programs before becoming assistant dean of student services on the Lake Worth campus in 2013 and dean in 2017. He serves as an adjunct instructor of “Introduction to the College Experience.”<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025666268,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025666268,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025666268?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="204" /></a><br /> <br /> Kaufman Lynn Construction, a Delray Beach-based builder, recently added two executives to its leadership team. Russell Anderson became the firm’s executive vice president of preconstruction and Jason Patrizi became senior vice president of operations.<br /> Anderson has received industry awards that include the Design-Build Institute National Award for Best Overall Project. His portfolio covers more than 300 projects. Patrizi has extensive knowledge in the multifamily, hospitality, criminal justice, public works, entertainment, and industrial market sectors. <br /> <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025667066,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025667066,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025667066?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="102" /></a>Bonnie Heatzig has joined Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s Boca Raton office at 444 E. Palmetto Park Road. Focusing on waterfront real estate, she has sold more than $80 million in the past two years and has more than $100 million in contracts with the Boca Beach House development in Boca Raton. Heatzig is also a licensed attorney in Florida, Massachusetts and Connecticut. <br /> <br /> Thomas and Michelle Marra, individually and as trustees of a land trust, sold the home at 1111 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, for $21.1 million to 1111 Ocean LLC, a Delaware corporation managed by Randal Perkins, according to public records dated May 20. Records show that Perkins’ entity borrowed $10.55 million from First Horizon Bank, and that he owns the house next door at 1141 S. Ocean.<br /> The seven-bedroom estate is sited on 1.14 acres with 120 feet of ocean frontage, according to its listing on Realtor.com, which said that Nick Malinosky, an agent with Douglas Elliman, represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction. The home was originally listed in February for $23.5 million. The Marras bought the 13,712-square-foot mansion in 2015 for $15.45 million, records show. <br /> Perkins in 1992 founded Deerfield Beach-based AshBritt Environmental, a national rapid-response disaster recovery and special environmental services contractor that has managed and executed more than 230 disaster recovery missions as well as special environmental projects, according to the company’s website.<br /> <br /> A property at 1800 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, sold for $14 million, according to public records dated May 17. The estate was owned since 1996 by entities linked to the late pharmaceutical entrepreneur John D. Copanos. Mercedes Chaves sold the estate as a successor co-trustee of a trust in the name of Copanos, who died in 2019. Her co-trustee was Carol H. Bilotti, president of All Florida Tax Consulting Inc. in Broward County. <br /> The buyer was a Georgia-based limited liability company, ADE 925 LLC, which lists Ron Raitz as its agent. Raitz, a real estate entrepreneur, is president and founder of Atlanta Deferred Exchange Inc. <br /> The 1976-era house with a beach cabana is sited on almost two acres with about 152 feet of water frontage on both the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. <br /> Real estate agent Shelly Newman of William Raveis South Florida handled both sides of the sale. <br /> Newman also just listed neighboring properties. A four-bedroom estate at 1860 S. Ocean Blvd., listed for $29.9 million and sited on 2.5 acres with 200 feet of water frontage on both the ocean and Intracoastal, is offered for sale for the first time since 1978, according to Newman’s listing. <br /> The property at 1840 S. Ocean Blvd. is listed for $29.5 million. It sits on two acres with 150 feet on both ocean and Intracoastal, has a 11,953-square-foot residence with terraces and a pool, and room to build a 1,200-square-foot cabana. <br /> <br /> Louis Campisano and Jeanette Frankenberg, individually and as trustees of the Gulf Stream Family Trust, sold the home at 3813 N. Ocean Blvd. in Gulf Stream for $11 million to the 3813 N. Ocean Trust. The sale was recorded April 23.<br /> While it’s not clear who owns the latter trust, Ronald Kochman, an attorney at Kochman & Ziska PLC in West Palm Beach, is listed as trustee. <br /> The 5,813-square-foot, five-bedroom house was designed by Randall Stofft and built in 2001.<br /> Campisano is president of New Jersey-based Louis Campisano Insurance Agency, according to his LinkedIn page.<br /> Frankenberg, an attorney, is the managing member of the New Jersey firm Stern, Lavinthal & Frankenberg LLC. According to Zillow, Corcoran agent Thor M. Brown represented the seller, while Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates represented the buyer. <br /> <br /> Kevin and Doris Mattus Hurley sold the Boca Raton waterfront home at 4400 Sanctuary Lane as trustees of the Doris Mattus Hurley Living Trust for $8.65 million to Darielle Singerman, according to public records dated April 22. Doris Hurley is the daughter of the late Reuben and Rose Mattus, the founders of Häagen-Dazs. Singerman is the wife of Aaron Singerman, founder and CEO of the sports supplement company Redcon1. <br /> The Hurleys purchased the 1985-era, 12,974-square-foot mansion in 2003 for $4.6 million and extensively renovated it in 2017. <br /> John Poletto and Mark Nestler of One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller, and Brad Schwartzman with Vue Real Estate represented the buyer.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9025647700,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9025647700,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9025647700?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>Delray Beach’s Downtown Development Authority celebrated its 50th anniversary during a reception that included past and present board members. FRONT ROW: Rocco Mangel, board member; Dr. Alan Costilo, board member; Frank Frione, board member; Dr. John Conde, board member; Mavis Benson, board member; Bonnie Beer, past board member; Fran Marincola, past board member; Roy Simon, founder and past board chairman; Laura Simon, executive director. BACK ROW: Sandy Zeller, past board member; Peter Arts, board chairman; Ryan Boylston, past board member; Rita Ellis, past board member; David Cook, past board member; and Albert Richwagen, past board member.</em> <strong>Photo provided</strong></p>
<p>The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 22 with a reception. <br /> The DDA was created in 1971 at the request and unanimous vote of the merchants and property owners downtown, with the goal to establish a governing body to increase the parking and commerce for the district. The DDA was founded by then Chamber of Commerce President Roy Simon, who is the father of Laura Simon. She was hired as assistant director in 2010 and promoted to executive director in 2015.<br /> The Florida Legislature passed a law establishing the DDA and authorized that 1 mil of its property value be taxed to fund redevelopment and promotional efforts in the DDA district. It mirrored Delray’s central business district at that time, including businesses from Swinton Avenue to the Intracoastal Waterway. <br /> In 1993, the DDA boundaries were expanded eastward to include properties along Atlantic Avenue to State Road A1A and north and south blocks along the original Central Business District area. <br /> The boundaries were expanded again in 1998 to the west from Swinton Avenue to I-95 to include the newly designated West Atlantic Redevelopment Area. <br /> Over the years, the DDA has invested tax dollars back into downtown through the creation of the public parking lots, the downtown bypass, beautification programs, marketing materials, the DowntownDelrayBeach.com website, merchant promotions, tourism efforts, economic development and by helping facilitate the Clean & Safe program with the Police Department, Community Redevelopment Agency and the city. <br /> Its office is at <span style="color:#1f1f1f;background:#FFFFFF;">350 SE 1st St</span>reet.<br /> <br /> <em>Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.</em></p></div>Delray Beach: City moving forward on Atlantic Avenue parking metershttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-moving-forward-on-atlantic-avenue-parking-meter2017-08-30T15:51:20.000Z2017-08-30T15:51:20.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> After more than 10 years of discussion, city leaders are inching their way toward paid street parking in downtown Delray Beach.<br /> In mid-August, the five city commissioners each presented their wishes for downtown parking on Atlantic Avenue between Swinton Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway. After more than an hour of discussion, here’s what they decided:<br /> • Parking will be free but limited to two hours on Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton Avenue and the Intracoastal, between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. The time limit will be enforced.<br /> • Between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., meters will go into effect at the rate of $2 per hour on that stretch of Atlantic and one block north and south of Atlantic.<br /> • Parking in the two city garages will be free during the days. Users will pay $5 to park Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. Employees can park for free on the top floor of each garage, using a hanging card from the rearview mirror. <br /> • The city’s five surface lots, with approximately 314 spaces, will be free between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. and have a two-hour parking limit. Meters will be enforced between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. at the rate of $2 per hour. <br /> • The Gladiola Lot at 51 SE Fifth Ave., with eight-hour time limit, will not have meters. Its 74 spaces will be free for employees and downtown patrons to use. The Railroad Lot at 25 NE Third Ave., which also has eight-hour spaces, will not have meters installed in those spaces. They will be free. <br /> • City staff did not know how many of the Railroad Lot’s 190 spaces had the eight-hour time limit. <br /> • Even with signs, drivers will be confused and enforcement complicated, said interim City Manager Neal de Jesus.<br /> • Residents can purchase an annual parking permit for $100.<br /> • The valet fee will be increased from $7 to $10.<br /> Using that input, city staff will bring back a parking management proposal to the City Commission in September.<br /> Commissioner Shelly Petrolia worried that the city was pushing drivers into the neighborhoods to find free parking spaces. “Downtown businesses are willing to pay an extra $100 annually, if we don’t put in the meters downtown,” she said, suggesting no changes be made until the city replaces the spaces lost to construction at the iPic project and adds more parking with a garage nearby.<br /> “Meters will generate turnover and generate revenue to keep the area clean and safe,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said. <br /> The mayor also wants city staff to explore building a city garage on the Gladiola Lot using the in-lieu parking fees that downtown restaurant owners have paid. When a restaurant opens where the previous building use was retail, the restaurant owner identifies available parking spaces nearby to follow city rules. When adequate parking is not available, the owner pays a fee per space, called in-lieu parking fees. About $2 million exists in the accounts, Glickstein said.<br /> He also is thinking of the long-term needs of the city. “I suspect the city will lose about $1.5 million when voters agree to the extra homestead exemption in 2018,” Glickstein said. <br /> Vice Mayor Jim Chard began the Aug. 15 discussion by touting the results of three days of enforcement by Lanier Parking staff. “Two hundred citations were issued, and 10 percent were paid in one day,” he said. At that rate, he estimated the annual amount the city would generate from fines would be $416,000.<br /> Before Lanier Parking took over parking enforcement in June, enforcement was done inconsistently by volunteers, de Jesus said. The volunteers worked during the daylight hours.<br /> In June, the city and its Downtown Development Authority seemed to be in agreement on the need for parking meters downtown. <br /> But in early August, after a change in leadership on the DDA board, the new mantra for parking became: Start slow and grow. Just a few hours before the City Commission meeting on Aug. 2, the DDA’s executive director took the opportunity to drop off the organization’s unrequested parking management plan. The DDA recommended putting meters on only 245 spaces, instead of the 2,577 the city staff had proposed. <br /> The commission directed its staff to come back with an analysis of the DDA parking plan.<br /> DDA Executive Director Laura Simon said the central core merchants were concerned about employee parking. She requested the eight-hour parking spaces remain free in the Railroad and Gladiola lots.<br /> Employees can park for free in the garages with a card that hangs from the rearview mirror, the mayor said about his new proposed option for staff parking. <br /> He questioned the DDA’s priorities that put parking for workers before patrons. “You’re far more worried about employee parking than spaces for customers,” he said.</p></div>Delray Beach: City moves closer to metered parking on Atlantic Avenuehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-moves-closer-to-metered-parking-on-atlantic-ave2017-06-28T16:34:18.000Z2017-06-28T16:34:18.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Free parking along Atlantic Avenue west of the Intracoastal Waterway is about to become a thing of the past.<br /> Delray Beach city commissioners directed staff to look into installing meters along the avenue to increase turnover for retailers and restaurateurs, especially between Swinton Avenue and the Intracoastal bridge.<br /> “Because the spaces are free, employees park there all day,” said Dale Sugerman, assistant city manager, when presenting a parking management plan to the commission at a mid-June workshop.<br /> Peter Arts, a Downtown Development Authority board member and an insurance broker, said, “Metering Atlantic Avenue would preclude people from parking all day.”<br /> Nine members of the public spoke about the parking plan at the workshop. Eight were for it. Only one was against it.<br /> “Parking meters would devastate the downtown,” said David Cook, owner of Hand’s Office and Arts Supply on Atlantic Avenue. He’s also a former DDA chairman, who termed out of the position.<br /> Commissioners want to see a program that would allow residents to park for free after purchasing passes. That program also would cover seasonal residents.<br /> “It could be a pre-purchase program for the garages and surface lots,” Commissioner Mitch Katz said. <br /> Commissioners also want to see a breakdown of the revenue balanced by the costs of the new parking system, including meters and personnel. <br /> “I want to see revenue versus costs,” said Commissioner Shelly Petrolia. Previous staffers have said, “An army would be needed to make this work.”<br /> Her fellow commissioners agreed that they want to see the options available for the city lots and on side streets before approving the parking management plan. They want to see a range of rates and new hours that the meters will be enforced.<br /> The city has 3,277 parking spaces in the downtown and on the barrier island, Sugerman said.<br /> Smart meters already are installed in the city’s six surface lots on the barrier island and on Atlantic Avenue east of the Intracoastal. The meters, which can take various forms of payment, will be installed along Ocean Boulevard after the beachfront construction is completed in the fall.<br /> The barrier island has a total of 700 spaces, Sugerman said.<br /> Smart meters recently were installed in the city’s two garages, which have 727 spaces. Parking is free there most of the time. The city charges a flat rate of $5 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday after 4 p.m. and during special events.<br /> In June, Lanier Parking Management took over as the parking manager. Its duties include collecting revenue from the meters, issuing citations, staffing the garages and maintaining the meters. <br /> Patrons can download a ParkMobile application that will allow them to pay the meter by using a smart phone. People who downloaded the app reported on social media that it was easy to use.<br /> An employee program did not go over well, according to Sugerman’s report.<br /> Earlier this year, the city worked with the DDA to set up an employee parking program in the South County garage for $20 a month. Parking hours were 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. and a Downtown Roundabout Trolley would provide free rides to the garage.<br /> But no employee passes were purchased, according to the report. Employees said they could park much closer to their job sites for free, were afraid of entering the garage late at night with a day’s tips in their pockets and were inconvenienced by waiting for a trolley.<br /> Commissioners were not interested in setting up an employee parking program. They pointed out that parking is free in the city garages until 4 p.m.<br /> As to the rates, Sugerman told commissioners that no other town charges more than $3 per hour.<br /> Some commissioners want higher rates for Atlantic Avenue.<br /> “We are a hot spot,” Petrolia said. She would like to see the higher rates during weekend night hours for Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton and Northeast/Southeast Fifth avenues. <br /> Mayor Cary Glickstein agreed. “Friday and Saturday nights, when it is impossible to find a space along Atlantic Avenue,” he said, “people should pay for the convenience of parking close to their destinations.”</p></div>Delray Beach: DDA approves new package for Simonhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-dda-approves-new-package-for-simon2015-11-04T19:33:45.000Z2015-11-04T19:33:45.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Downtown Development Authority board will give new Executive Director Laura Simon a salary increase to coincide with her promotion. <br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960614682,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960614682,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="97" alt="7960614682?profile=original" /></a> At the Delray Beach authority’s Oct. 12 meeting, the board agreed to increase Simon’s base salary to $75,000 from $61,800 she made as associate director. She also will receive a $250 monthly car allowance and an $85 monthly cellphone allowance.<br /> Simon was named executive director at the September board meeting of the Delray Beach agency. She took over on Oct. 1.<br /> At a specially called meeting in August, the board voted not to renew the contract of Marjorie Ferrer. Her contract as executive director ended Sept. 30. She had led the DDA since 1993. At the time of her departure, Ferrer’s base salary was $94,003 with a $3,600 annual car allowance.<br /> The board felt pressure from Simon, who said she was hired five years ago as Ferrer’s replacement and had a job offer. It also was under scrutiny from the City Commission as a tax agency that receives $1 for every $1,000 in taxable property value in its 340 acres. In the summer, Mayor Cary Glickstein pointed out the DDA spent 40 percent of its budget on administrative costs.<br /> Ferrer has since established her own consulting firm, Downtown Management Consulting, where she will help cities manage their downtowns.<br /> Simon’s contract will be approved at an upcoming board meeting. It will be retroactive to Oct. 1.</p></div>Delray Beach: DDA in need of new executive directorhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-dda-in-need-of-new-executive-director2015-09-02T17:10:39.000Z2015-09-02T17:10:39.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Downtown Development Authority board members will discuss how to search for a new executive director at their Sept. 14 meeting. <br /> The Delray Beach board voted 4-3 to not renew Marjorie Ferrer’s contract as executive director at a specially called meeting on Aug. 13. If the vote had not been taken by Aug. 17, her contract would have renewed automatically on Oct. 1. <br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960591467,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960591467,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="104" alt="7960591467?profile=original" /></a> She wanted another year to oversee the organization and was planning to retire in 2016, said new Board Chairman Mark Denkler. He was one of the three who voted for Ferrer staying one more year. The other two were Seabron Smith and Albert Richwagen.<br /> Just three days prior, the board was deadlocked on that vote taken after Smith left the meeting. Bonnie Beer sided with Denkler and Richwagen.<br /> At the Aug. 11 City Commission meeting, the DDA executive team did not fare well. Ferrer, executive director since 1993, and Associate Director Laura Simon gave a presentation on how the DDA helps attract people to downtown stores and restaurants while creating an attractive place to work and visit. But they did not mention the organization’s budget as the mayor had requested.<br /> Mayor Cary Glickstein took issue with that omission. <br /> “Last year you showed up without any budget,” he said. “This year your presentation made no mention of your budget and you are a taxing authority.” <br /> He pointed out the DDA spends 40 percent of its revenues on general and administrative expenses, which includes salaries, benefits and office space. He considers that percentage “bloated.” <br /> He also reviewed the minutes of the board meetings and found them “devoid of any critical analysis towards its executive team, which represents close to 40 percent of its budget. It’s as if the executive team is running the board, not the board leading the staff.” <br /> Ferrer said the DDA salaries are 30 percent of the budget, lower than the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative’s 36 or 37 percent.<br /> “It’s not a taxing authority, part of that is lost in this conversation,” the mayor said. “I’m not going to belabor it, but I made my point.” <br /> Few board members were left when more than three hours later the city commissioners discussed the results of the DDA survey. Most respondents gave positive views to the DDA. <br /> Vice Mayor Shelly Petrolia, who requested the survey of DDA property owners and renters, said she noticed a split in the responses between those who were very satisfied with the DDA and those who were less satisfied or didn’t respond. She also said parking was mentioned as the main area where property owners want to see the DDA spend its money. <br /> During the next budget year, the DDA will be involved in a pilot program for employee parking at the South County Courthouse garage. <br /> At the DDA meeting on Aug. 10, board member Ryan Boylston raised the succession issue because Simon said she had a job offer. When Simon was hired in 2010, she was told that Ferrer would be retiring in three years, Simon said. <br />“We can’t keep floating along,” Boylston said. “We have to notify Marjorie that we won’t be renewing her contract in October. We have to do that 45 days before that date.”<br /> Because of the tied vote, the board members scheduled a special meeting for Aug. 13 after asking new board attorney Max Lohman about how much notice they had to give. He said 24 hours. <br /> Denkler agreed to talk with Ferrer and Simon prior to the vote. <br /> At the Aug. 13 meeting, some board members took issue with the mayor’s comments about the staff being in charge and not the board. The six members who were on the board last year agreed that the commission presentation did not address the financials as the mayor had asked. Lohman reminded them that they had “segued from the agenda item.” <br /> Board members and Ferrer each will bring their own ideas for the transition to the Sept. 14 meeting. They may send those ideas via email to the organization’s administrative assistant, who will forward them to Denkler, but Lohman warned them against emailing each other. That would be violating the Sunshine Law.<br /> After the vote to not renew Ferrer’s contract, Denkler said, “We have some soul-searching to do on what is best for our organization.”<br /><br /></p></div>Delray Beach: City dives into budget to justify minor tax rate decreasehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-dives-into-budget-to-justify-minor-tax-rate-dec2015-07-29T16:19:00.000Z2015-07-29T16:19:00.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong> Delray Beach is undergoing a cultural shift where departmental silos are breaking down and city employees are working together in hopes of saving taxpayers money.<br /> The enthusiasm of city staff was palpable when department heads talked about their budgets before the City Commission in mid-July. But staff at two of its agencies — the Downtown Development Authority and Community Redevelopment Agency — feverishly reviewed their budgets, knowing they would have to justify expenses.<br /> “It’s a very good news story,” said Jack Warner, the city’s chief financial officer, when talking about the 2015-16 budget. “But we are not finished yet.”<br /> From its $110.3 million budget, the city spends about 62 percent on personnel and an additional 10 percent goes to its CRA and nonprofits. With those restrictions, Warner recommended keeping the operational rate flat, while the debt service rate fell by 9 percent, to give taxpayers an overall reduction of 0.4 percent.<br /> Because property values rose this year by 10.2 percent, most taxpayers will pay more under the $7.44 rate approved unanimously by the commission. Public hearings will be held in September, when the commission may lower the tax rate.<br /> Commissioners wanted to be able to give residents reasons for not reducing taxes. <br /> “There are a lot of ideas thrown out there on how to reduce our millage. Some people say stop funding nonprofits, some people say get rid of the CRA, some people say consolidate the Fire Department with the county and some people say charge for parking,” Commissioner Jordana Jarjura said. “It would be helpful to know the cost of each of those and then the residents would say, ‘You know what, I am comfortable paying the 7.1 percent (without debt service) because I want to keep all those things.’ ” <br /> In May, a divided commission voted 3-2 against adding downtown parking meters, which would have generated $3.6 million annually. <br /><br /><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><strong>CRA pays for nonprofits</strong></span><br /> The CRA board selected Munilytics Inc. on July 23 to analyze the effect of losing tax increment revenues in each of its eight areas, as requested by the City Commission. The results are expected in October. <br /> For the next budget year, the city asked its CRA to pay the total cost of the revamped Clean and Safe program at $2.3 million, a 27 percent increase, and cover an additional $100,000 of the Delray Beach Public Library operating budget, or slightly more than 20 percent. The agency is limited by a 25 percent cap for nonprofits. It also will donate $275,000 (18 percent) to the Creative City Collaborative, the group that runs the Arts Garage.<br /> EPOCH, the organization that runs the Spady Museum, will receive 25 percent, or $59,425, of its operating budget from the CRA. Delray Beach Center for the Arts, which runs programs at the Old School Square complex, will receive $289,900, or 14.5 percent, of its operating budget. The Delray Beach Historical Society —included for the first time — will receive $45,000, or 21.8 percent, of its operating budget.<br /> The CRA has a proposed $28.2 million budget next year, which includes $8.9 million in city tax increment revenues, $6 million from the county tax increment revenues and $5.6 million in carry-over money for projects that are unfinished. <br /> The leftover projects aggravated CRA board members because they pay $97,557 for a project engineer who is part of the city’s Environmental Services Department. <br /> “We are carrying 20 percent of our budget because nothing gets done,” said CRA board member Paul Zacks. He wants to meet the engineer the CRA pays for, “call him into the principal’s office.”<br /> Instead, Randall Krejcarek, his supervisor and department director, will be asked to attend the CRA August workshop.<br /> The agency’s top capital improvement item weighs in at $2.8 million for the Arts Warehouse construction. <br /> The CRA tallied the amount it will pay for city projects, services and nonprofit programs to be $14.7 million, nearly $5.8 million more than it receives in city tax revenue. <br /> “How could they survive without us?” incoming CRA Chair Reggie Cox asked at the group’s budget meeting on July 22. <br /> The agency will borrow from a $6 million line of credit if it can’t sell the former library and chamber site to the iPic developers. The iPic project will come before the City Commission on Aug. 18.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><strong>DDA proposes tax increase</strong></span><br /> The DDA presented its proposed budget of $759,929 to the City Commission on July 14. Commissioners agreed to the proposed tax rate of 1 mill, which would give the DDA $689,989 in tax revenues. The tax rate can be lowered in September. The city is surveying property owners and renters in the district; results will be given in August. <br /> The proposed budget includes $15,000 for West Atlantic to do a small research project on the target audience and how to reach it. The DDA initially had budgeted $5,000 before hearing a presentation from a West Atlantic consultant on July 13.<br /> That increased allocation pleased Vice Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “The branding was brought out in the Delray Meets Delray event,” she said. “It’s very important and so key to what is happening in West Atlantic.”<br /> In other action, commissioners asked the city manager to explore the cost of constructing a prefab facility on city land to store its 100-foot Christmas tree, instead of spending $1 million to buy a replacement tree.</p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><strong>Delray Beach</strong></span><br /><strong>Proposed tax rate: $7.44 per $1,000 of taxable value*</strong><br />2014-15 tax rate: $7.46 per $1,000 of taxable value*<br />Change in property value: 10.2 percent increase<br />Total budget (operating and capital): $110.3 million<br />Public hearings: 7 p.m. Sept. 3 and Sept. 15 at City Hall<br />*Debt service included.<br />2015-16 tax rate may be lowered, but not raised at the September hearings.</p>
<p></p></div>Delray Beach: DDA working out restaurant employee parking planhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-dda-working-out-restaurant-employee-parking-plan2015-07-01T17:32:46.000Z2015-07-01T17:32:46.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Downtown Development Authority will spend about $25,000 of its approximately $750,000 budget next year on a pilot parking plan for downtown Delray Beach restaurant workers. Starting in October, the agency will run its proposed parking plan at the South County Courthouse garage, its board decided in early June. <br /> The agency is estimating the six-month cost for security for the free-employee parking program to be $25,000. The agency plans to split that cost with the downtown restaurants. The cost for a shuttle service for employees will be extra.<br /> The garage has 343 spaces available between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m. <br /> But what incentive would employees have to park in the garage after meters were nixed recently for the downtown?<br /> “As a business owner, you tell your employees this is where you park,” board member Frank Frione said. “If your car gets parked somewhere else, you are out of a job … I don’t let my employees run my company.” <br /> The parking program will work if it is safe, easy and reliable, said associate director Laura Simon. <br /> Enforcement is essential to making this work, said board Chairman David Cook. “Right now, employees pull in at 4:15 p.m., they are there all night. If the city changed the hours to end at 7 p.m., the 4-o’clock crowd would find where they are supposed to park,” he said. “But there is no parking enforcement right now.”<br /> Executive Director Marjorie Ferrer said she would need to get a commitment from the restaurants to make the parking program work.<br /> The agency also will spend about $15,000 this budget year on cleaning sidewalks in its 340-acre district, based on a city request. <br /> The tax-supported agency has the money remaining (after it purchased twinkle lights and banners) that it could put toward pressure cleaning the sidewalks, Ferrer said. Restaurants are responsible for cleaning their own sidewalks, she added.<br /> But how many square feet is that? Right now, no one knows. The agency has estimates varying from 130,000 to 226,000 square feet in its area that starts at the interstate and goes east to the beach. <br /> Cost estimates came in at a range between 9 and 11 cents per square foot. Using the higher price and higher area, the total cost would be approximately $24,680. <br /> “The question is: Do we step up to the plate and help the city,” Ferrer said. “The city has asked us eight times to help.”<br /> Board member Frione offered to find a software program to determine the square feet, similar to one used by roofers.<br /> As to city’s 100-foot Christmas tree, the city manager suggested asking the supplier, Brandano Displays in Margate, whether it is willing to create an aluminum version with stainless steel screws and arms, and store it. Then, the city would lease it. <br /> The agency proposed spending $20,000 in next year’s budget for Christmas tree maintenance, basically removing rust from the current steel tree. If the city gets a new tree, that money can go toward meter maids, or another board priority, Ferrer said.<br /> “There are a lot of unknowns in the budget,” she said. <br /> The agency’s district has primarily small businesses, Ferrer said. About 93 percent have fewer than 30 employees. She would like to focus on customer service by engaging the 6,000 employees in an ambassador program. Each employee would wear a button that says: I love my downtown. <br /> The agency makes the bulk of its money from a tax of $1 per $1,000 of value on properties in its district. For the coming budget year, that revenue source is projected to grow by 10.9 percent to $689,869. Sponsorships will add another $62,000, and Ferrer says the agency is still soliciting more. Payroll expenses remain 30 percent of the total budget. <br /> At the end of the goal-setting/budget workshop, Ferrer talked about the ideal board member and misunderstanding of how the agency differs from others in the city. <br /> “Each one of you needs an elevator speech of who we are, what we do, why we are doing it,” she said. “Things are moving pretty fast in the city right now. The tree just happened, and the parking garage. We’ll keep you posted.”<br /> Next, she talked about her “working together notes.” <br /> “At some point there was a comment made that we do not work well with others,” Ferrer said. Her notes, presented to the city manager in February, contained a list of meetings attended, items collaborated on, data shared and financial support provided to the city and four organizations: Chamber of Commerce, the Community Redevelopment Agency, Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative and the Center for the Arts.<br /> “I want us to be the proactive ones,” said board member Frione. “And ask them: How are we doing for you?”<br /><em> The Delray Beach City Commission is surveying property tax payers (renters and owners) on the effectiveness and value of the DDA to the city. The online survey is available on the city’s website or at <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XVC72FG">www.surveymonkey.com/r/XVC72FG</a>. Responses are due July 15.</em></p></div>Delray Beach: City seeks clarity from its marketing agencieshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-seeks-clarity-from-its-marketing-agencies2014-10-30T14:30:00.000Z2014-10-30T14:30:00.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>Comparisons</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>Delray Beach: <a href="http://thecoastalstar.ning.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-marketing-agencies">Marketing agencies</a></em></strong> <em><strong>|</strong> <strong>Boynton Beach: <a href="http://thecoastalstar.ning.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-community-redevelopment-agency">Community Redevelopment Agency</a></strong></em> | <strong>Boca Raton:</strong> <strong><a href="http://thecoastalstar.ning.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-community-redevelopment-agency">Community Redevelopment Agency</a></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Delray Beach has an alphabet soup of marketing agencies, three city commissioners say. They want to see a clear division of the agencies’ roles so that residents can tell what each one does.<br /> In September, Mayor Cary Glickstein chastised the Downtown Development Authority for not sending a representative to explain the authority’s budget when it involved a tax levied on downtown property owners. Commissioner Shelly Petrolia echoed his concern. <br /> The DDA board members took that rebuke seriously and practiced a presentation boiling it down to 30 minutes. They chose board member Ryan Boylston, founder of the Woo Creative marketing agency, to deliver it in mid-October.<br /> But the City Commission gave him only 10 minutes because its agenda was lengthy that night.<br /> “I can’t tell you how many times, people have come into this chamber, not understanding what you are, the DBMC, the CRA and the city’s economic development role is,” Glickstein said to Boylston.<br /> “Ever since the DDA split in recent years, there has been mission creep and duplication of services.”<br /> He was referring to the division over two years ago, when the DDA board voted to pull most of its money from the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative. The cooperative is a multi-agency partnership that now includes the city, the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce. The DDA still gives $30,000 annually to the cooperative for the 100-foot-tall Christmas tree.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960546462,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="250" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960546462,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960546462?profile=original" /></a> Marjorie Ferrer, the DDA executive director, said at the time her agency wanted to focus on its mission of marketing downtown merchants and keeping the area clean and safe. <br /> The cooperative, which had been known as the Downtown Marketing Cooperative, changed its name in 2010 to the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative. <br /> Seven percent of the cooperative’s current budget of $689,280 goes to destination marketing. Also in the current budget year, the cooperative will receive 68.3 percent of the total from the city, its CRA and the chamber. The CRA is the biggest contributor, with $326,980 going to the cooperative.<br /> At one time, Ferrer also was the executive director of the cooperative, but in 2010 the cooperative’s board voted not to renew her contract. Following that split, the DDA board asked the commission to contract with it to put on the special events for the city. Commissioners voted against that proposal and stayed with the cooperative to market its events, including the Christmas tree, Fourth of July fireworks and First Night, a family-oriented New Year’s Eve.<br /> That is why the mayor said in October that he would like to see “all of your (DDA’s) marketing dollars go to the DBMC. It’s our events agency … everything they are marketing is in the downtown. <br /> “I would like to see the DDA focus more on retail promotion and recruitment. That is what West Palm’s DDA does. In fact, I saw their staff in town this week recruiting our retailers,” Glickstein said.<br /> Commissioner Jordana Jarjura praised the group for reducing its marketing costs by 25 percent and added, “But I’d like to see it go down further. It’s not my job, but up to your board. I see other areas where that money could be used.”<br /> The mayor explained his thinking, “The CRA provides our facade improvements and business grants; they are funding clean and safe economic development. The DBMC is our events agency. I just don’t see anyone dedicated to the success of downtown retail. I know that you think you are, but I see a budget diluted by marketing, economic development, place-making, grants, sponsorships, and I think it’s an agency struggling for relevancy.”<br /> He wants the DDA to update its cluster retail study and consult with Robert Gibbs, an urban retail consultant in Birmingham, Mich. Gibbs has achieved a guru-like status among downtown planners and visited Delray Beach in May. He spoke about “downtown retail and merchandising in the 21st century.”<br /> Glickstein also suggested using the services of Joan Goodrich, the city’s new economic development manager. She was just hired in June from Broward County, where she led a recruiting team that helped attract, expand or retain 52 companies in Coral Springs. Her $78,000 salary is split 50-50 between the city and its CRA. She will reveal her business plan this month to the City Commission.<br /> For now, the DDA seems to be charting its own course.<br /> The DDA will update its retail cluster study next year using the same consultant, H. Blount Retail and Real Estate Research Consulting of Norfolk, Va., that did the 2005 study, said David Hand, DDA chairman, in written replies to emailed questions. The study will add new growth areas, such as SOFA (south of Atlantic) and West Atlantic Avenue, Hand said.<br /> “The DDA has a professional relationship with him (Gibbs) and respect for his expertise,” Hand said. “The Delray Beach DDA board will keep him in mind for his expertise and will discuss opportunities as they arise moving forward.” <br /> As to the city’s economic development manager, Hand said, the DDA “works with and has a professional relationship with Joan Goodrich and will continue in this regard.”<br /> At the October workshop, Glickstein asked the DDA to return in six months “and tell us what we are doing in terms of a targeted retail strategy to really protect what we have, as opposed to being overrun by something we don’t want.”<br /> Hand said the DDA “will update the City Commission every three months on the progress of board-approved goals and objectives, which center on the DDA’s three main focuses: economic development, place making and position marketing of the DDA district.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Redevelopment a long-term process</span></p>
<p><br /> Delray Beach also has a Community Redevelopment Agency with a $25.7 million budget. About half of its revenues are from <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960546700,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="250" class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960546700,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960546700?profile=original" /></a>property tax income. Another 33.5 percent, or $8.6 million, was carried over from the last financial year. <br /> The agency recently received an extra 30 years to finish its job. “Many areas in the CRA district are still in transition, with substandard housing conditions, blighted commercial buildings, incomplete sidewalk networks and poor street conditions,” said Diane Colonna, executive director. “Redevelopment is a long-term process, and it has to be accomplished as the funding becomes available.”<br /> The CRA also contracts with the Buzz Agency for its public relations and social media campaigns. The Buzz Agency and Woo Creative recently redesigned the CRA’s website. The CRA and its GreenMarket also received upgraded logos, with the GreenMarket getting a tagline that reads: A project of the CRA. <br /> Two other South County cities rely on their CRAs to develop and market their downtowns.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><br /> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Cities vary in approach</span></p>
<p><br /> In Boca Raton, the Community Redevelopment Agency is nearing the end of its life, said Mayor Susan Haynie, who as a council member also sits on its board. Created in 1980, the agency floundered until 1988 when it issued a Downtown Development of Regional Impact order, which limits the CRA’s life to the approval of 8 million square feet. As of last year, the area had 15 percent left to develop, Haynie said.<br /> The city is exploring setting up a downtown development district, Haynie said.<br /> In Boynton Beach, the 31-year-old agency is having a harder time attracting developers. Its board, which consists of the City Commission and two community members, reluctantly agreed to give incentive financing to the 500 Ocean project on the premise that it would jump-start the stagnant downtown.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>INSETS ABOVE: </em></strong><em>Marjorie Ferrer; Dianne Colonna</em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>All figures from 2014/15 budgets</strong><br /> <strong>Sources:</strong> Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency, Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative, Downtown Development Authority</p></div>