07 Oct CRA Board Approves $290,000 CRA Incentive for Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant
On October 6, 2020, the City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners, approved a $290,000 forgivable loan to Junny Investment Group LLC for Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant (Donna’s) , located at 2012 NW 6 Street. The proposed restaurant will feature a 2,226 square foot take-out/drive-through area with a 688 square foot dining room, kitchen/service area and two bathrooms. An additional $35,000 may be awarded towards the project, at the discretion of the CRA’s Executive Director, for legitimate cost overruns.
Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant will, specialize in West Indian cuisine with exotic island fare, including curried goat, oxtail, jerk chicken, patties, ackee and saltfish, callaloo and escovitch fish, seasoned in special herbs and spices with fruit and vegetables of the Caribbean. The restaurant is slated to be a focal point for the Sistrunk area, bringing in customers from the surrounding residential community and government offices, and making the western side of Sistrunk Boulevard progressively more vibrant and inviting to new and existing businesses. In addition, the restaurant will remain open in the evenings until 11:00 p.m. and enhance neighborhood safety by providing additional street-level activity and a walk-to destination for surrounding residents.
The new restaurant will be an addition to its existing Caribbean restaurant chain, with 13 locations in Broward and Miami Dade Counties, as well as one in Jamaica. The restaurant chain began its operation in 1996, headed by Mr. Gordon, a Jamaican entrepreneur with extensive culinary training and experience in the restaurant, hotel and cruise ship industries.
The restaurant will be operated by Dr. Fidel S. Goldson, Jr., a chiropractic physician, licensed contractor, real estate agent and investor in the South Florida area, with the support and guidance of the chain’s owner, CEO Karl Gordon. The restaurant proposes to employ approximately 12 full-time employees from the Sistrunk area in various capacities, such as managers, chefs, drive through and take out personnel and cashiers. Donna’s also offers an intensive training program for all staff to ensure quality and compliance with required food preparation and serving standards, as well as compliance with all health requirements. The company describes itself as passionate about its restaurants preparing consistently top-quality meals at a low cost, with value and quality as its priorities, with the aim of developing a loyal repeat customer base.
In addition to the construction of Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant, plans include upgrading the entire site that includes an existing building on the westernmost lot, which will continue to be occupied by the longstanding and popular BG’s Soul Food Restaurant, and by a barber shop. Traffic calming measures will also be implemented.
Consistency with the NPF CRA Community Redevelopment Plan
The NPF CRA Community Redevelopment Plan is designed in part, to stimulate private development of areas planned for commercial development. The project is consistent with the NPF CRA Community Redevelopment Plan which provides for direct physical improvements to enhance the overall environment, improve the quality of life and attract sound business and commercial development that provide employment and job opportunities.
Per the CRA plan, the CRA will establish incentive programs to address redevelopment obstacles. The CRA Five-Year Program, which is incorporated as part of the Plan, identifies strategic objectives, goals and measurements that include targeting and attracting businesses, retail uses and industries to establish a presence in the redevelopment area. In addition, it calls for investing in development projects that create job opportunities for area residents, promote public private partnerships and investment in the redevelopment area.
For more information on CRA incentives, visit www.fortlauderdalecra.com