While other Broward County coastal cities boom, downtown Dania's streets are lined with aging storefronts that see few pedestrians. Empty buildings stay empty.
The city seems to have the right ingredients: It's minutes from the beach, has easy access to two interstates and Florida's Turnpike, and is minutes from downtown Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale.
So why not Dania Beach?
The answer, says the article, has to do with "a combination of antiquated building rules, an anti-growth reputation and a lack of organized efforts to help developers rebuild downtown."
Hmmm. A lack of organized efforts to redevelop downtown. Sound familiar?
From everything I've read over the years, Framingham has given developers carte blanche to revitalize the downtown. From the Arcade, to the Kendall, to the huge tax break given Rosewood. And none of it has done any good.
ReplyDeleteCarte blance is not the same as organized efforts. In Framingham it feels like it's all piecemeal, without a plan to attract specific types of businesses for a defined vision of what the downtown center should be. "We'll take any development of any type" is not a recipe for a successful revitalization.
ReplyDelete