Currents
February 2016
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it: Long thought of as a sleepy neighbor where not
much changes, Pompano Beach is riding a wave of
successes amid ambitious development plans.
“[W]hen a Whole Foods Market opened in Pompano
Beach, it didn't pass by unremarked. “That in and of
itself is such a huge thing,” says Amy Ballon, sales
director for Sabbia Beach Condos, a planned 19story, 72-unit luxury development less than a mile
from the Pompano Beach pier where the “inexpensive” residences start in the low $900,000s, check
out the plans for the nearly $20 million city building
nearby that will feature a 625space parking garage as well as
ground-level shops and cafes
anchoring the pedestrian-friendly
beachside area already being created. If nothing is being done to
make a city better, then I don't
believe the growth potential is
going to be quite as riveting,”
you're seeing a trend north, and
you're seeing cities taking the
time to create this walkability and
these communities. I think that's
what people want.”
The City of Pompano Beach
has the infrastructure to move
forward: a beach, a crucial-tothe-regional-economy industrial
area, a ripe-for-renovation old
downtown and trains. Pompano
Beach is home to something rare
- a spur line linking South
Florida's current passenger rail
tracks to the FEC tracks now
being readied for the private venture “All Aboard Florida', and possibly Tri-Rail.
Mayor Fisher and others attribute much of the improvement to
the millions the city has invested
in a new beachside streetscape, a
beachside garage and, coming
soon, a re-opened pier. Commissioner Barry Dockswell, said his
constituents don't want to watch
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