CRA Workshop Meeting - Tonight - 7/28 - 6 p.m.

Click title for back-up.

One local blogger doesn't this think that the highest joint priority of the City Commission and the CRA, as determined at the joint February and April meetings, addresses the key reason for the CRA's existence - addressing slum and blight conditions. The Cultural Redevelopment Program is part of the leverage provided for in the CRA's 23.2 million dollar application for Federal Neighborhood Stabilization funds - and includes much more than just soft costs related to the promotion of Lake Worth as a cultural and artist destination. This is called making a small amount of local money do much more, especially in the grant's target area. Let's hope it's successful.

Also on the agenda is the review of a reuse of a building at in the 200 block of S. Dixie. This is one of the city's more attractive examples of Art Deco and Art Moderne architecture. Originally built as a motel, as seen in the post card below, it has been under-utilized as an office building in recent years.

This is the first redevelopment project I will have reviewed in the year since I've been on the CRA board. This was a process that I helped establish when I was chair of the Planning and Zoning Board in order to encourage communication between the CRA and P&Z. The fact that we have had nothing to review for a year speaks volumes about the state of our local and national economies. Not only is Lake Worth fighting the economic tide, we are still competing for redevelopment and investment dollars with other local communities. No physical changes to the building are forecast for this project, but it will propose a re-use of the building as a school. Since it is being leased, it will remain on the tax role. The CRA will not be voting on it tonight, just offering comments and suggestions that will eventually be incorporated into the the P&Z's review of the project.

This is the site plan that is part of the back-up material.

It's important to point out that this existing building, built sometime in the 40s + or - exceeds the currently required front setback by 2 feet. Not that it matters much, but it's an example of the built pattern already established here.