[June 01, 2008] Developers propose plan for Atlantic Plaza in Delray Beach Tweet (South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jun. 1--DELRAY BEACH -- Redevelopment plans for Atlantic Plaza in downtown Delray Beach are stirring up once again. Developers have proposed an estimated $300 million project on two city blocks on Atlantic Avenue just west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Proposals include approximately 202 residential units, 110,000 square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail space, and about 1,160 underground parking spaces. "The biggest goal is [for the project] to tie into the existing Atlantic Avenue and make it all-encompassing so that Atlantic Avenue doesn't end at Federal Highway," architect Derek Vander Ploeg told a crowd of about 80 at a meeting where the project was unveiled. The meeting in May was the first time the architect and developers, Boca-Raton based CDS International Holdings, displayed the plans for the two-block, 8.9-acre redevelopment. Included in the plans are potential renovations of neighboring Veterans Park. The developer held numerous workshops with groups who use the park, including veterans' associations and the Delray Art League. Susan Sabin, who is a member of the art league, participated in many of the workshops about the park. "When they said they wanted to redo the park and beautify it, we said 'Yes!'" Sabin said. "Right now, this plaza is a white elephant." The plans, which Vander Ploeg stressed were preliminary, include green space and pedestrian-friendly walkways. "We want this to be the Boston Commons of downtown Delray, just on a smaller scale," Vander Ploeg, of Boca Raton-based Vander Ploeg and Associates, said. This isn't the first time developers have tried to change the plaza. In late 2005, a previous developer submitted proposals that would have included 280 condos, but those plans fell through after residents and city officials said the building would have been too much in too little space and that it didn't incorporate Veterans Park. "It's irresponsible to not consider Veterans Park," Vander Ploeg said. To address that issue, developers opened up the plaza to face Veterans Park. They also purchased a former gas station at Atlantic Avenue and Federal Highway to reduce density to the plaza. The project, if passed, could take seven years to complete. Rachel Hatzipanagos can be reached at [email protected] or 561-243-6621. To see more of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]