Margate City Center to engage developer talks
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 36-acre "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.
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Margate owns Carwash. Tentative plans to Demolish
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 along State Road 7 last August 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.
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Fresh Fried Donuts at the Green Market
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.
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The Margate Green Market is Back
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.
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Public Opinion of Margate CRA is Low
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.
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Comments from residents.
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Margate Green Market and Street Festival Return
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.
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Business Incubator may fuel progress in Margate
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: shared equity ownership
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Margate CRA brings update to public
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.
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A Decade of Decline - Part I
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.
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?
Why was it that during the boom years 2003-2006, when businesses were moving into neighboring cities – businesses were moving out of Margate?
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.
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