PALMETTO — The Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency celebrated Florida Redevelopment Week from Sept. 14-18 with a community event reflecting on 40 years of improvements to the city of Palmetto.
The event at the CRA office, 324 Eighth Ave. W., marked 40 years since the Palmetto CRA was established on Nov. 4, 1985.
Among the CRA’s projects are cleaning up contaminated properties and returning them to productive use, opening new public spaces and assisting local businesses.
The city has welcomed new businesses, such as the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa, supported through a CRA incentive intended to spur jobs, tourism and economic activity, and assisted businesses such as Casa Ruiz that utilize CRA programs to invest in Palmetto (see related story).
On the environmental front, the CRA assists with the Palmetto Oyster Bay Restoration Program to improve water quality, converted Connor Park, a former railroad property with contaminated soil, into a public park that helps clean water before it gets to the Manatee River, and operates a brownfield remediation project, creating opportunities for future redevelopment.
Other highlights include developing the 10th Avenue streetscape plan, a temporary pocket park in conjunction with Manatee County designed to encourage pedestrian traffic at businesses, the Mosaic residential development plan and the Gray Development apartment plan.
Palmetto CRA Director Rowena Young, who took over from her mentor, Ed Johnson, two years ago, said she plans to use her affordable housing background to launch housing in the City of Palmetto, such as the ReEnvision Project for seniors and veterans.
Young also described her support for historic preservation.
“I don’t want to tear everything down,” she said, citing the 1930 Palmetto Woman’s Club, now under renovation and expected to be completed in November.
“That is a huge historic redevelopment, a very delicate situation to meet historic preservation standards,” she said. “It’s an amazing space. We’re trying to hold on to everything we possibly can.”
Several community partners received awards at the event, including Liaquat Allarakhia of Hawa Enterprises LLC, Park Coastal Surveying, CRA board members, Palmetto Mayor Dan West, the CRA’s presiding officer, the City Attorney’s office of Blalock Walters, CRA Advisory Board members Tyrone Shinn, John Sidor, Deborah Iaboni and John Bessey, Stellar Development, Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, Tim Lester, International Realty, Tim and Linda Jeffcoat, Berman Studios Inc., Applied Sciences and CareerSource Suncoast.