UPTOWN ATLANTIC APPROVED AND COMING SOON TO DELRAY BEACH

 The long awaited renaissance of West Delray took a huge step forward with the approval of the Uptown Atlantic project. It is 6 acres on the South side of Atlantic Avenue and when complete will feature retail space, office space and residential townhomes. It will be between Southwest 9^th Ave and Southwest 6^th Ave. It has been in the works since 2013 and is still not fully approved. If it does here is what will be built: 112 residential rental units ranging from studios to three bedrooms, 17,000 square feet of office space, 6,000 square feet dedicated to restaurants and 45,000 square feet for retail use. It says one of the tenants will be a grocery store. This is both interesting and amazing news. It is interesting because the project is not yet approved, so it must be a tenant who has signed a contingent lease. The amazing part is that a grocery store has been the one thing missing from downtown Delray so it would fill a huge hole there. Twenty two of the residential units will be for workforce housing, something else that is badly needed in this area. Yes Delray Beach is finally growing up and I think it will work out well. I think you will see great stores and restaurants gravitate to this area to take advantage of lower rents and before long it will be just as desirable as the space to the East of it. Smart people can invest in this area before it changes and make a small fortune. Better act quickly as things look like they are about to take off. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.  

  

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/delray-beach/fl-delray-uptown-redevelopment-20150617-story.html

MEET JEFF GREENE THE KING OF WEST PALM BEACH

OK I have been in the real estate business since 1995 and since 2001 in South Florida. In all that time I have never seen one person or company effectively buy a portion of a city the way that Jeff Greene has in the Northwood section of West Palm Beach. So what is going on? One could say that this is a huge gamble, buying land in an area that has struggled in every way for years. Redevelopment plans have come and gone, all of them unsuccessfully. But none had the vision, scope and or money that Jeff Greene has. With one person buying all this area he will be able to fix the tangled streetscape and make it work. He will be able to take advantage of underutilized waterfront, on which he will build residential, office and retail space. And it will be less expensive than what can be had in the surrounding areas so it will be attractive to homebuyers and businesses. Yes if the economy holds up Jeff Greene is going to make out like a bandit here. While it is a story of the rich getting richer, you have to give him credit for his vision and risk taking. And really the city will be a big winner as well, finally getting a tough area turned around and making it into something everyone can be proud of. I think Jeff Greene is the best thing to ever happen to West Palm and I can’t wait to see how this all turns out. Don’t bet against him, this is going to finally happen. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Jeff Greene spends $31 million to buy prime WPB land

http://realtime.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/05/19/jeff-greene-spends-31-million-to-buy-prime-wpb-land/

OBAMA TALKS CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE EVERGLADES

I had to go back a couple of months for this one, but it is still worthy of discussion. While climate change is affecting the entire world, Florida is emerging as the poster child for it in the U.S. Why is that? It is very simple and comes down to one thing: rising water levels. While it sounds simple, as it continues at the current pace South Florida will be 2 feet under water in 2060. While this will cause billions in damages, it will also affect our water supply which comes from the Everglades. Obama used the time here in Florida to visit the Everglades in order to highlight the problem and urge people (Florida politicians, among others) to take steps to counter it. It was not a coincidence that the visit was on Earth Day. Obama has backed up these words with funds, to the tune of $2.2 billion thus far and another $240 million in this year’s budget. It is strange because despite all of this no one really talks about the issue here. But thankfully municipalities, especially in Dade County, are starting to take action now. Building codes are being rewritten to raise building foundations and the like. If you want to see what the future of South Florida will look like just look at the Florida Keys. They have already seen rising water levels and almost all homes are raised up, as are bridges, roads, etc. Since there is no way to stop climate change, we would do well to prepare for it. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

http://news.yahoo.com/everglades-obama-warn-damage-climate-neglect-100226134--politics.html#

ROSENFELD RESTAURANT REVIEW: CASIMIR BOCA RATON

I have always wanted to eat at this restaurant. Very few restaurants stay in business over 3 years and the ones that do are clearly doing something right. It must have been fate when I tried to eat at Sapphire, the Indian restaurant directly next store, on Monday and they were closed. Casimir is very busy at lunch. They draw everyone from workers in the area, to retired and or non-working people and tourists. They have a large patio in the front for outside seating, which I think attracts a lot of people. Although it is a French bistro, it has a balanced menu where there is really something for everyone. They have a large selection of salads, a substantial kid’s menu, entree types like steak, crepes etc. but what they seem to be known for at lunch is a salad with a protein on top of it. You can have fish, chicken or steak on it. My friend and I both went this direction, with me having a spinach salad, with quinoa, apples, cranberries, cherry tomatoes, almonds and topped with Arctic Char which was the fish of the day. My friend had the same thing but with chicken. After realizing that the fish was served with skin underneath, I removed it and it was delicious. Feeling confident after our salads, we decided to take a step further and try some deserts. I went with the highly recommended apple tart, called Tarte Tatin, which was served warm with vanilla ice cream. My friend went with the crème brulee, which is one of her favorite deserts. We were both very happy with everything. I will definitely return here and would strongly recommend this place to others. I would love to hear about your favorite place or a place you have tried recently and enjoyed. Don’t be shy, spread the love! As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.

Tesla Ventures Into Solar Power Storage for Home and Business

The Gigafactory, a $5 billion plant being built near Reno, Nev., by Tesla, the maker of electric vehicles, will produce lithium-ion battery systems designed to be used by utilities and homeowners. 

Well we all know that Tesla is the most recognized solar powered car company out there, and that their cars are very high quality. In fact, they have been the highest rated cars ever tested, despite their only having limited range. Other than that, we only think about solar as some panels on top of people’s homes. Sadly these homes are outside of Florida, given the restrictions in place from Florida Power & Light, our monopoly of a utility company. All that is about to change thanks to Tesla. They have developed a technology that can store solar energy in a battery format to provide power without sunlight. This application will be used for both home and business usage, but the possibilities are endless. It will lessen the power on the grid, and in turn will lower energy costs. And the energy used will be cleaner than from other sources like gasoline and natural gas. This energy battery storage is not theoretical at this point, it is being utilized now by companies like Walmart in California now on a relatively small scale. But it works and when this huge factory Tesla is building in Nevada is complete they will be able to roll this out on a much larger scale. This is the future and it is happening right now. It is very exciting since there is really no downside or risk. I predict that this will be widely used in homes and businesses within 5 years. I can’t wait to use it and will do so as quickly as possible. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/business/energy-environment/with-new-factory-tesla-ventures-into-solar-power-storage-for-home-and-business.html?_r=0

REDEVELOPMENT IN THE WORKS FOR 20TH STREET IN BOCA RATON

With the sudden rise of FAU to respectability and prominence, there is a new push to upgrade the area around the school. Riding off the success of building the new football stadium, both the school and City are turning their attention to 20^th Street. Formerly the location of the main entrance to the school back in 1964, the street is now a secondary entry. The current tenant mix there includes lots of industrial and retail, all of which is outdated and in poor condition. The new plan would replace all of that with pedestrian walkways, improved landscaping, stores, restaurants, apartments and maybe even a movie theater. Right now the school has commissioned a planning study which should be completed next year. The goal is to create something of a college town where the students have a place of their own. They are hoping to hang school banners there and hold football game day parades. Part of the reason for this redevelopment is to make the school more appealing for full time students. Former FAU coach Schnellenberger is doing his part, and hopes to open Coach Schnellenberger’s Steakhouse & Sports Theater this fall. It will be a sports themed restaurant much like the restaurants he had in the past. I think this is going to happen, and it is part of the natural evolution of FAU. As the school becomes more popular and grows it needs the infrastructure around it to grow with it to remain competitive. I think within 5 years FAU and 20^th Street will be things that everyone can be proud of and I can’t wait to see it happen. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/fl-boca-20th-street-redevelopment-20150717-story.html

TECH CONFERENCE PROMOTES SOUTH FLORIDA AS TECH HUB

After the 2^nd annual eMerge Americas conference in Miami there are some notable differences from last year. First is the increased attendance, up to 10,000 people from 6,000, an incredible jump of 66% in just one year. The second is the increased international reach, with this year seeing new visitors from China and the Middle East. South Florida has been trying to diversify its economy forever and making it into a place known for technology has always been one of the goals. We are making strides and this conference is really helping to promote and accelerate these efforts. Like the biotech industry, there is hope that these technology companies who located here will attract others. This is happening, and not just in South Florida but across the state. While I know California is cool and New York has everything, Florida has great weather and no income tax. Plus, compared with those state our housing is extremely affordable. Additionally, tech related projects are sprouting up and thriving all across Florida now, so there are even more choices for companies that are considering relocating here. I think we have a good tech foundation here and hopefully we can continue to build on it. It would be great to eventually become known for it, like a Silicon Valley, etc. What a great way to diversify the economy! Perhaps soon we will be known more for tech and our ports than tourism. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.  

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/careers/fl-emerge-americas-2015-advance-20150426-story.html