http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/ Margate CRA Copyright � 2008-2011 MargateNews.net All Rights Reserved Solupress News - www.solupress.com http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article1017.asp [bold]Chevy Chase Plaza to Get Sign on Margate Boulevard[/bold] To increase visibility to passing motorists, shops in the Chevy Chase Plaza at the SW corner of Margate Boulevard and 441 will be getting a monument sign located on the south side of the street approaching the plaza from the west. Margate Boulevard is much traveled by morning commuters looking to avoid Atlantic Boulevard school zones, affording Plaza businesses exposure in the a.m. hours. Community redevelopment officials say the sign should be up by February�s Street Festival (Feb 18-19). The cost per business is $30 to be on the sign. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article1017.asp[linkclose]More News Briefs�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article1010.asp After months of back and forth to determine whether the Margate Car Wash is worth keeping or demolishing, carwash owners, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA), made its final decision last week... [italic]...Knock it down.[/italic] At the January MCRA meeting, Margate City Manager and MCRA Executive Director, Yolanda Rodriguez, said the date to close and demolish the carwash would be set in the near future. In the meantime for Margate residents who use it... [italic]...Find another carwash.[/italic] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article1010.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] [italic][bold]Article updated 1-26-2012[/bold][/italic] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article982.asp Margate redeveloper Aldo DiSorbo bought a vacant building at the SE corner of Copans Road and State Road 7 in Margate last year. He fixed it up, introduced more than 100 new jobs to the city and was approved to receive fa�ade and landscaping grants offered by the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency in the amount of $25,000 each. DiSorbo met obligations for the fa�ade grant and will be reimbursed in full for the $25,000 as determined by city officials at the December MCRA meeting. He was denied, however, the landscaping grant for not removing mahogany trees from the property as seen in the original plans his company submitted to the city. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article982.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article952.asp The Winter Solstice, Margate�s premiere seasonal event sponsored by the city�s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), will take place Friday December 16 from 6-10 pm. Live music, pictures with Santa, snow piles, craft and food vendors will be featured. For those interested in a vendor spot call Margate Parks and Recreation at 954-972-6458 or click [linkstart href=http://www.margatefl.com/parks/11%20vendorapplication.pdf [linkclose]Download Application.[/linkend] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article952.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article912.asp A week after the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) voted 3-2 in favor of engaging Tampa-based developer Debartolo in constructing phase one of the Downtown Margate City Center project, the MCRA Board decided to terminate their handshake agreement with the developer. Margate Mayor and MCRA board member, Pam Donovan, an advocate against signing with Debartolo, said she doesn�t agree with the developer�s vision for apartment rentals downtown, nor does she appreciate the way the City has been treated by the company. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article912.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article906.asp The much-awaited Margate Green Market will return again this fall at the corner of State Road 7 and Margate Blvd. Now in its fourth season, the city is considering outsourcing the management and promotion of its green market to Community Farmers Markets of South Florida, a for-profit collaborative of business professionals and vendors who will not only increase the number of Green Market days each month from two to four, but save the city money while doing it. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article906.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] [bold][italic]Date of first Margate Greeen Market changed to November 2nd.[/bold][/italic] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article901.asp In what has amounted to a year of handshake negotiations with Tampa-based developer Debartolo, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) voted 3-2 last week to include apartment rentals in the first phase of downtown Margate city center development. Voting against the proposal, MCRA board members (City Commissioners) Le Peerman and Pam Donovan (acting city Mayor) favored starting construction with an entertainment complex on the old Swap Shop property, which Debartolo said couldn�t be financed given current economic conditions. Voting for apartments, Commissioners (MCRA board members) David McLean, Frank Talerico and Joseph Varsallone agreed that the city center project needs a catalyst to get downtown Margate off the ground. [linkstart href=http://margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article901.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article893.asp You�ll hear people say in conversations about the housing market and economic development: �Did you read in the paper today how the rental market is booming?� Statements like this result from articles such as [linkstart href= http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-apartment-building-boom-20110925,0,892327.story[linkclose]Wave of apartment construction set to sweep South Florida[/linkend] recently published in the Sentinel. This article and similar ones are vital in perpetuating a trend for developers to spur need for rentals where indeed there may be none. When newspapers report in such a way, they can be guaranteed advertising dollars down the road from construction companies, real estate agencies, mortgage brokers and banks for years to come. Is it a conspiracy? No, it�s just how business is done. And with newspapers desperate for advertising dollars these days, they�ll print just about anything for a buck. They know it, and now you do. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article893.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article894.asp [linkclose]Reader Email[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article851.asp It got a good review from the Sun-sentinel�s food correspondent Judith Stocks. It has a full bar featuring a 2-for-1 happy hour and a deliciously cheap Wednesday lunch buffet ($5.95).There is comedy, live music, dinner shows and earlier in the month an autism benefit where Jose Feliciano made a guest appearance. When former Florida Governor Charlie Crist was in Margate he ate there and loved it. The place is listed on beaucoup restaurant deal websites and promoted heavily in social media. Why then can�t Trattoria Bella Cibo pay its rent on time? Pursuant to a July meeting of the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA), the restaurant�s landlord, it may be an integrity problem. [linkstart href=http://margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article851.asp[linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article774.asp What started out as a Landmark Downtown Margate Restaurant has slowly become a white elephant on the back of the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA), a quasi-governmental bureau that collects rents from commercial tenants in the Chevy Chase and Ace Hardware Plazas on the east end of Margate Boulevard. The MCRA is supported by tax revenues and owns the two plazas. Trattoria Bella Cibo, an Italian Bistro tenant in the Ace Hardware Plaza now in its third year of business continues to struggle to make timely rent payments to the MCRA. Bella Cibo owners have been noticed more than once to make good on rent in arrears or deliver possession of the restaurant to the Agency. [linkstart href=http://margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article774.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article778.asp[linkclose]Read email[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article736.asp Just months after the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) was declared a Brownfield district as a means of attracting investment to the city, one large employer, Saveology.com, took the bait. The multi-million dollar Internet�based marketing firm announced at a Special Commission Meeting Monday that it�s moving its International Corporate Headquarters from Fort Lauderdale to Margate where it will retain a workforce of 550 and grow an additional 700 new jobs through 2013. Saveology.com will occupy the former Wyndham Vacation Resorts location at 5259 Coconut Creek Parkway. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article736.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article676.asp The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) voted unanimously at their January meeting to pay half of a $27,000 market study aimed at determining what type of mixed use development would best be suited for the northwest corner of Margate Boulevard and State Road 7 - ten acres known as �City Center North� in the [linkstart href= http://www.debartolodevelopment.com/p_crpii.php[linkclose]MCRA Master Plan.[/linkend] The other half would be paid for by DeBartolo Development, the developer currently negotiating with the MCRA to build-out Margate�s city center. [linkstart href= http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article676.asp[linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article541.asp For the second time this year, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) has been confronted by two different owners of Margate�s Payless Foods at 1031 N State Road 7 who were unable to pay the city rent and whose lack of credibility and capital has resulted in the closing of the discount supermarket. The MCRA is currently negotiating with another grocer who may bring promise to a plaza plagued by bad operators. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article541.asp[linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article530.asp In a day and age when land developers don�t knock on the doors of South Florida cities like they did before �the crash,� the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency selected, in July, the one developer that sufficiently answered the organization�s Request for Qualifications to partner in developing Margate�s City Center. Two months later, developer DeBartolo Development / RGA Group, may be asking for more than the city bargained for. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article530.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article501.asp In considering budgetary constraints for Fiscal Year 2011, Margate residents can rest easy in that Margate Community Redevelopment Agency officials (MCRA) have set aside monies to fund the city�s Fall Festival, Winter Solstice celebration, �Sounds at Sundown� concert series, and next year�s Fourth of July festivities. In addition, the MCRA increased its contribution to Margate�s 3rd Annual Street Festival by $2,500 and has budgeted $20,000 to sponsor miscellaneous events throughout the year. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article501.asp [linkclose]Read more�[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article459.asp After purchasing the 17-acre home to the Margate Swap Shop three years ago, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency has been buying up land parcels surrounding the property as part of compiling a "City Center" development portfolio to best attract a Master Developer qualified to construct Margate's future. For the first time since the housing market went bust, a development company is interested in building in downtown Margate. [linkstart href=http://margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article459.asp [linkclose]Read more...[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article328.asp You probably don�t know that Margate owns its own car wash. Now you do. The Margate Community Development Agency purchased the Star & Stripes carwash at the corner of Park Drive and State Road 7 last October for $650,000 as part of a larger plan to move businesses that attract riff raff out of the city, said Margate Commissioner David McLean at a recent city meeting. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article328.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article215.asp At first I found it odd - donuts and tacos under the same roof. But out-of-the-ordinary was good and my taste buds weren�t complaining. The smell of dough frying drew me in from the parking lot and upon seeing Juanita making tortillas from scratch I knew I had to have one. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article215.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article212.asp If you like fresh produce and flowers, comfort foods, hand-made crafts and home-spun entertainment, then the Margate Green Market is for you. Scheduled for two Sundays a month between now and May 2, the open-air event on the NW corner of Margate Boulevard and State Road 7 promises to improve quality of life and leisure. [linkstart href= http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article212.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article177.asp Another grassy knoll is in the works at the end of Margate Boulevard as residents and business owners look on in amazement at the demolition of a once landmark shopping center. The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency is 13 years old and the consensus among locals regarding agency performance is poor. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article177.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/sections/section16.asp[linkclose]Comments from residents.[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article145.asp The Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) committed $5,000, at their last meeting, to the 2010 Margate Street Festival scheduled for February. Sponsored by the Margate Chamber of Commerce, the MCRA and the City of Margate, this year's Margate Street Festival was a huge success drawing crowds in excess of 5,000 police officials said. [linkstart href=http://margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article145.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________ http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article112.asp Small business incubators have been around since the late 1970s. They sprouted up in the Northeast U.S. in response to job losses resulting from plant closures, downsizing and companies migrating overseas. By 1980, 12 small business incubators were in operation in areas of the nation hard hit by joblessness. Back then, the main objective of the incubator was to attract select small business startups and ongoing concerns by publicly subsidizing bargain rents and by providing managerial and technical assistance, fully-equipped offices and vital access to venture capital and funding. In return, these businesses were expected to stimulate local economies by providing jobs and expanding the local tax base. Today, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) is proposing something similar for Margate, but with an innovative twist: [italic]shared equity ownership[/italic] [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article112.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article71.asp On Thursday, April 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (MCRA) will hold a workshop at City Hall to update residents on development activities and the revised goals and objectives of the MCRA. The public is asked to attend. Current market and economic conditions will be discussed, along with City Center and TOC (Transit Oriented Corridor) projects, programs and implementation plans. The city has contracted with consultants, Place Planning and Design Inc. to evaluate CRA plans last updated in 2001 and to take a fresh look at the project moving forward. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article71.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article54.asp Sweeping the past under the carpet is nothing new. Wounds heal quicker this way and new beginnings are much easier to jumpstart. However, one can hardly ignore the fact that the Margate small business economy has been in decline for more than a decade, which beckons a question or two. [bold]Why was it that back in the mid and late 1990s, when cities grew up around Margate and the Florida economy was thriving, Margate was in decline?[/bold] [bold]Why was it that during the boom years 2003-2006, when businesses were moving into neighboring cities � businesses were moving out of Margate?[/bold] The answers depend on who you ask. From city officials to Margate residents and business owners, everyone has their own spin on Margate�s shattered economy. Some agree and some don�t. Some are fast to point fingers while others are more insightful and analytical in their assessment of �who is to blame� or how or why it happened. [linkstart href=http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article54.asp [linkclose]Click here to read more.[/linkend] __________________________________________