News

23 Sep

On September 22, 2022, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners approved an additional  $416,900 in CRA incentives  for the renovation and expansion of the Robert Bethel American Legion Post #220, located at 1455 Sistrunk Boulevard. The expanded facility will include a large meeting area that can be rented by veterans  and the public for special events. The Board of Commissioners also waived the maximum funding amount and percentage of funding eligible for project costs under the Property and Business Improvement Program (PBIP). The PBIP is a CRA incentive  used to attract and grow businesses located within the Northwest, Progresso, and Flagler Village neighborhoods.  The forgivable  loan is available to assist with capital improvements for the interior and exterior of properties. The  Robert Bethel American Legion Post #220, will undergo a substantial renovation that...

15:55 / News
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22 Sep

When Blue Tree Café opens in Fort Lauderdale, expected to happen in September or October as a takeout/delivery-only restaurant, the two want to also use their expansive new kitchen as a launching pad for other small food and beverage purveyors. Family as well as business partners, King and chef Sharon Allen say they know the difficulty of developing a food business from the ground up. They initially planned to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in February 2020, but then the pandemic shut down everything. A timely grant from United Way of Broward County (the Microbusiness Recovery Program) and the pair’s shift to a “cloud kitchen” saved the day. And now mother and daughter want to pay it forward. “We’ve been through so much over the past few years working on this restaurant,” King tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “And it would be...

14:12 / News
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07 Sep

On September 6, 2022, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners approved CRA funding in the amount of $285,000 to Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Inc. for streetscape improvements for the Seven on Seventh mixed use affordable housing project located at 920 NW 7th Avenue. Seven on Seventh is a mixed use affordable housing development that is currently under construction in the City of Fort Lauderdale, specifically targeted for low-income and formerly homeless individuals and families. The development, which is over 50 percent complete, will consist of an eight-story residential tower with  seventy-two (72) rental units ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, case management and workforce program offices, ground floor commercial space and a parking garage. The building will also include amenities for its residents such as:  a community room, fitness center, game room,...

14:21 / News
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19 Aug

On August 16, 2022,  the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners approved to award a Development Incentive Program (DIP)  forgivable loan in the amount of $1,125,000  to Food Friends Catering, LLC to renovate a blighted two-story building into a new restaurant on the Historic Sistrunk Corridor. The Board of Commissioners also approved a  resolution waiving the minimum project cost requirements and minimum developer’s contribution requirements under the  (DIP) program. Food Friends Catering, LLC  plans to establish the “Food Friends Southern Comfort Kitchen & Bar” (Food Friends) at 1310-1312 Sistrunk Boulevard. The proposed  restaurant will  focus on Southern comfort foods and feature a catering hub specializing in serving Latin, Asian and Caribbean cuisines. The restaurants menu will entail  traditional dishes such as fried cheese grits with shrimp, lobster mac & cheese, cornbread, pulled porksliders,...

16:33 / News
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19 Aug

On August 16, 2022,  the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners approved a Property and Business Improvement Loan in the amount of $293,000 to Optimal Health Pharmacy, LLC for the build-out of a community pharmacy at the newly opened L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center. The Pharmacy will provide customers with convenient access to prescription medications while offering education, resources and counseling services. The pharmacy’s central location in the newly constructed L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center makes it easily accessible to all area residents. The top-tier retail pharmacy, will offer quality, reasonably priced, pharmacy products and supplemental health services that promote medication adherence. The pharmacy will  also fill prescriptions under the 340B program which would greatly benefit consumers managing chronic conditions. The CRA’s Property and Business Improvement Program (PBIP) is an incentive used to attract...

14:40 / News
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