TRI RAIL TO PBIA?? UNDER CONSIDERATION AGAIN

TRI RAIL TO PBIA?? UNDER CONSIDERATION AGAIN

Boy this would be a big one for us. Instead of a proposed stop that would leave passengers going to Palm Beach International Airport a half mile from the terminal thus requiring shuttle buses, a direct link to the airport has finally been proposed. This would be the home run of mass transit, and also hopefully become the new normal when proposing a tri-rail station. You see I don't think I am alone in thinking that I am not talking tri-rail and shuttle buses. I actually tried it once with a friend to go to a Marlins game in Miami. We had to take the Tri-Rail, then a Metro Mover (it is the Dade County subway but it is above ground) to a shuttle bus. It wasn't easy and not something I would do again. No I think people are with me in believing that each stop should be directly at the location that is intended. And this would help tourism for sure, and bring us inline with Miami. They just got a $2 billion dollar transportation hub that will have tracks for Tri-Rail, Amtrack, intercity and future high-speed rail service. Sadly, this direct link to PBIA is not a current priority for Tri-Rail, only something that is being studied more closely. It would be amazing to get something like this done, to be on the forefront of mass transportation (a dream indeed in South Florida), to achieve something that even New York doesn't have - a direct rail link to the airport. I will be watching this one closely and hope that South Florida can evolve into a mass transit friendly place that would be the model for other cities to follow. Ambitious I know but one must have hope. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

BOCA RATON INDUSTRIAL PARK TO BECOME MIXED USE

BOCA RATON INDUSTRIAL PARK TO BECOME MIXED USE

This was an interesting article that I couldn't resist. There is one large office and industrial park in Boca Raton called the Arvida Park of Commerce, known as APOC for short by those in the real estate industry. It should also be noted that this park is currently undergoing a brand transformation (because of it becoming mixed use) and will shortly be known as "The Park At Broken Sound." Anyway, this has always been home to the businesses in the area and even was the former headquarters location for Siemens and Washington Mutual. Given the recent recession it has fallen on hard times, with increased vacancies and many properties available for sale. A creative idea has been hatched to cure these ills, in a word, residential. 370 residential units are coming in a couple of phases. The first will feature four 2 story buildings designed like townhomes. Apartments there will range from 1,609  to 1,716 SF. The 2nd phase will feature six 5 story buildings with apartments in the 770 to 1,543 SF range with pricing from $1,400 - $3,000. Amenities will include a putting green, clubhouse, tot playground, dog park and even something called a "pocket park." I have mixed feelings about this new project. On the one hand I am afraid this is a sign of desperation from the developer, doing this since he knows he cannot fill the park with office and industrial tenants as it should be. On the other, I am thrilled that there is another mixed use project coming online. There is a recent push to make South Florida more pedestrian friendly and that starts with people working in close proximity to where they live. The only thing missing here to really make it work is the shopping component, but maybe they will add that down the road. Very interesting development and I really hope it works out. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

NEW JUPITER DEVELOPMENTS COULD SIGNAL REBIRTH FOR ABACOA TOWN CENTER

NEW JUPITER DEVELOPMENTS COULD SIGNAL REBIRTH FOR ABACOA TOWN CENTER

This is a fun one to write about! It also is the return of the extremely popular 2 for 1 blog that has not been seen in some time. The articles are about the Abacoa Town Center, which is the mixed use development of housing, stores and businesses that surround Roger Dean Stadium, and the new growth taking place there. While Abacoa is perfectly designed, the lack of population in the area has led to the project struggling from the outset. It is very sad to see, since I love coming here and am a devoted spring training baseball fan. Now there are several projects that are planned that could finally make the project viable. The largest is the new CineBowl & Grille that is planned for 2015 by the Frank Group. The same company did one of these at Delray Marketplace in Delray Beach last year. I have been to this place many times and it is really first rate and could be the missing anchor that has been missing. It will provide an IMAX theater, bowling and a good restaurant. The CineBowl & Grille will go on the site of the former Crown Theaters and will be 75,000 SF. This announcement follows the opening a few weeks ago of the new 128 room Courtyard Marriot that is in the same area. Which brings us to the 2nd article, about a new residential project there called Allure, scheduled to open this fall. This will be a 300 apartment project in four buildings that will each be 4 stories. Allure will also have a dog park, fitness center and unfortunately 27,000 SF of retail space. I say that because there is plenty of retail space available there now, the majority of which is vacant, what they need is more residents. The new bowling/movie theater will definitely become the entertainment hub in the area as there is nothing like it anywhere in the City. I can't wait to check it out and see the progress. I have high hopes and my fingers are crossed. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

$350 MILLION DOLLAR SUN LIFE STADIUM RENOVATION FINALLY TO TAKE PLACE

 

$350 MILLION DOLLAR SUN LIFE STADIUM RENOVATION FINALLY TO TAKE PLACE

 

This one could be big and it is well overdue. Miami Dade County agreed to a $350 million dollar deal to renovate Sun Life Stadium, which should be complete in 2016. It provides for the Dolphins staying put for another 30 years, and will protect fans from the sun and rains which have been a longtime problems there. Seating capacity will decrease from 76,000 to 65,000 with added video boards. Concourses and parking lots will also be renovated and more seats will be added closer to the field. Stephen Ross, the owner of the stadium and the Miami Dolphins, will immediately fund the project and will be compensated by Dade in an interesting way. Ross will get money or credits every time the stadium lands a major event, and there are agreed upon amounts for each event that is landed. For example, if they land a Super Bowl or World Cup championship game they get $4 million, college football championship game or World Cup semifinal game $3 million and college playoff $2 million. So why aside from the fact that I am a huge sports fan do we care about all of this? Because it makes the stadium once again a candidate for the Super Bowl, as soon as 2019. If Miami isn't awarded the game in 2019 (Atlanta is also competing for it) it is a virtual certainty they would get it in 2020. And the economic impact of landing that game is tremendous and well worth this relatively small investment. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

 

RUSSIAN OIL DRILLING OFF CUBA POSES HUGE RISKS TO SOUTH FLORIDA

 

RUSSIAN OIL DRILLING OFF CUBA POSES HUGE RISKS TO SOUTH FLORIDA

I couldn't believe this one and just had to share it. The Russians have eagerly accepted the challenge of oil exploration off Cuba's coast, despite little experience in deep water drilling or any safety measures in the event of a spill. To imagine the impact to South Florida from an oil spill from an economic and environmental standpoint one need only look to the recent oil spill disaster that took place in the Gulf of Mexico courtesy of British Petroleum. In the event of a spill it is estimated that the oil would reach the South Florida coast in 6 to 10 days. If the beaches are damaged, so will the fishing and boating industry, and you are talking about tourism which is the lifeblood of the Florida economy. If it goes away or is damaged it would be an absolute catastrophe. This inspired the writing of the book "Black Horizon," by James Grippando, a local attorney. It examines this scenario exactly, and he says that 8 days is all the response time there would be to respond to a spill. Given the renewal of the Cold War, it is not unthinkable that the Russians could intentionally create an oil spill to damage our economy. Right now the U.S. is going against Russia in virtually every global hotspot such as Iran, Ukraine, Syria, and China to name a few. Given their vast energy supplies, this is surely a reason to tweak America, since they don't really need the gas. I will be keeping a close eye on this one and will be hoping for the best. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.



JUPITER TO GET NEW MOVIE THEATER AND BOWLING – A REBIRTH FOR ABACOA?

JUPITER TO GET NEW MOVIE THEATER AND BOWLING – A REBIRTH FOR ABACOA?

This is some great news for Jupiter, specifically for the long struggling Abacoa Town Center. Frank Theaters, who just opened a CineBowl & Grille at the Delray Marketplace in Delray Beach, is planning on building another one in the center of Abacoa in late 2015. It is hoped that this is the missing anchor tenant to make the project work. This one is personally heartbreaking to me since I truly love this area and complex. It is where the Roger Dean Stadium is situated, and I have spent many afternoons in February and March watching the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. It is one of the only communities in South Florida that has an urban environment, meaning you can walk to work, shop, dine, etc. The problem has been lack of population and businesses, as well as shopping options. While it is close to I – 95, it is far from the water and malls or lifestyle centers. I live near the Delray Marketplace and have been to this CineBowl & Grille there many times. It is pretty awesome and it will definitely draw people from the whole region as there is no other bowling options, and it is probably the only IMAX theater in the region. A brand new Courtyard Marriot just opened in the past few months so hopefully this is the missing piece to make the whole Abacoa project work. Of course the one thing they need more than anything is more people, and those people need jobs. Jupiter used to be a quiet little place but the growth here is coming fast and is inevitable. I wish them the best with it and look forward to returning there soon. Spring training is only 8 months away! As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

 

ROSENFELD RESTAURANT REVIEW – 20 / 20 Grille

ROSENFELD RESTAURANT REVIEW – 20 / 20 Grille

Last weekend I went to a great new place I wanted to let you all know about. It is called the 20/20 Grille and it is located in Royal Palm Plaza in Boca Raton. It is very tough to find, but I am really glad I did eventually get there. I read about this place in the newspaper, which gave it a mixed review. The reason it was mixed was due to service not food. I mentioned it to a friend of mine who lives East and they said they had been there a few times and it was one of their favorite places. They are pretty reliable and I was sold.

The place is owned by a husband and wife, he does the cooking and she does the greeting. It is called 20 20 because there are 20 tables inside and 20 outside. The place was pretty crowded and they said they have been doing well. They have a corkage fee here, not sure what it is but rest assured you can bring your own wine here. The food here is very inventive, which I really like. I went with the duck tacos first, which were prepared with an orange gastrique and roasted tomato pico de gallo. I am not sure what all was in there but it was fantastic! Wife went with the spinach salad which she enjoyed. I went with the halibut next, which was prepared with dried strawberry dusting, beet greens, crispy onion rice, porcini mushrooms and a hot and sour beet emulsion. It was amazing! Wife had steak which was a special and she enjoyed it. Our friends had the same thing as we did. Unlike them, we insisted on desert (of course). Wife went with the chocolate cake with raspberry puree and I had the profiteroles. They were OK, tough to measure up to what we already had there. Since we already had some wines my friends brought I do not know what they have for dessert wines or port. I would strongly recommend this place and look forward to returning. I would love to know about your favorite place or a place you have been lately that you enjoyed. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.