SOFA District Creates A Buzz in Delray Beach
“This up and coming area will bring about the same vibrancy South OF Atlantic as Pineapple Grove has generated north of Atlantic,” expresses Jim Knight of the Knight Group.
Delray Beach, FL (PRWEB) June 27, 2014
In partnership with the City of Delray Beach and local developers, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) gathered residents and businesses together on Thursday, June 19th at the Delray Beach Library to launch and discuss the creation of a newly minted district – The “SOFA District”, with an estimated groundbreaking of August 1, 2014. This district consists of the area from SE 1st Avenue east to SE 5th Ave and from SE 2nd Ave north to the Alleyway just south of Atlantic Avenue.
With over 2 dozen attendees at this meeting, Marjorie Ferrer, Executive Director of the DDA and Jim Knight, owner of the Knight Group, delivered an informative, engaging, presentation; showcasing all of the approved projects within The SOFA District and providing key information to those who will be impacted the most, the surrounding businesses and residents. “This is the first of many meetings to come as construction begins to take place,” says Marjorie Ferrer. “It is very important that the community stay abreast of the progress and construction impact that will take place throughout the upcoming month's, even years, the DDA will be one of the resources for communicating this information.”
The district South of Atlantic has been an unnamed area and has been stagnant for years and the businesses within have been waiting patiently for new development to take place and extend Downtown Delray Beach to the southern side of Atlantic Avenue. “This up and coming area will bring about the same vibrancy South OF Atlantic as Pineapple Grove has generated north of Atlantic,” expresses Jim Knight of the Knight Group. “And to have 7 of the 10 private development projects that are schedule within the Downtown DDA district taking place within the SOFA District, totaling over 1 million square feet in new construction, is incredible.” There were many questions raised about the different projects regarding the parking that will be provided, the amount of office and retail space available as well as potential for road closures. This forum allowed both residents and business owners to get those questions answered, first hand.
For a full list of the projects, the contact information and timeline, the DDA produced a brochure that contains both the private development projects as well as the public development projects. The brochures are available at City Hall, the CRA office and the DDA offices. It is also available online at http://www.downtowndelraybeach.com. The next meeting with the SOFA community will be held in August, the date is yet to be determined. For details and information please contact the DDA at 561-243-1077.
The investment into revitalization is tremendous and extremely important to the growth of Downtown Delray Beach and by bringing this group together, receiving such positive feedback, the DDA is extremely excited to begin a new point in the Downtown’s history. “I am honored to collaborate with Marjorie Ferrer & Laura Simon with the Downtown Development Authority to bring the SOFA District to the forefront of responsible development”, says Jim Knight, The Knight Group.
About the Downtown Development Authority: For the past 43 years, the Downtown Development Authority has assisted in successfully branding Delray Beach as the Village by the Sea. The Delray Beach DDA was created by Resolution 9-71, which became law on March 22, 1971, as a dependent district of the City of Delray Beach. The DDA Mission is to enhance and stimulate balanced economic growth through position marketing activities that engage Downtown businesses, residents and visitors while creating a clean, safe, physical and experiential place to live, work and invest.
The main areas of involvement in downtown include: Marketing and Promotions; Economic development programs; Place Making within the DDA boundaries. The DDA also works closely with merchants to develop seasonal retail awareness campaigns to generate traffic sales and has created a powerful website http://www.downtowndelraybeach.com and Facebook site that attracts thousands of visits weekly.