Take Notes, Leaders of Jacksonville

[oskeewowow]

Jacksonville Officials, please... contact your counterparts in Delray Beach and learn all you can about courting developers to downtown.  Even in a down economy it can be done.  Hell, Delray only has a population of +/-65k!


http://www.frej.net/news/south-florida/2009-06-09/atlantic-plaza-ii

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
$325M development to begin 
Atlantic Plaza II is a project of CDS International Holdings Inc. DELRAY BEACH - With approvals in place, Atlantic Plaza II is poised to transform two city blocks here into a suburban downtown mixed-use destination, according to Bill Milmoe, president of CDS International Holdings Inc. Sitework for the initial phase of the $325 million project is set to begin this summer.

Atlantic Plaza II is expected to bring together a specialty retailing opportunity, Class A office space, and upscale residences in a pedestrian-oriented environment. The 8.5-acre site is at Atlantic Avenue and Federal Highway, and next to the city's Veteran's Park along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Vander Ploeg & Associates of Boca Raton designed Atlantic Plaza II to take advantage of the urban infill location, with six distinctive three- to five-story buildings to include:

- An outdoor lifestyle center component: 132,000sf of shops and restaurants, including a 50,000sf two-story retail anchor space.

- The downtown's first Class A office space: 106,000sf.

- 197 apartments, townhomes and lofts.

- Underground parking for more than 1,000 cars.

Milmoe said the company assembled the property over the past two years and will be working with joint venture partners to develop the site. Infrastructure work is projected to take approximately 18 months, with development to occur in three phases over the next five to seven years.

CDS International Holdings originally owned the existing Atlantic Plaza retail center on the east side of the site and planned the project with extensive community input, Milmoe said.

CDS International Holdings is an international private equity firm with diverse business interests, including commercial office buildings, shopping centers, real estate development and liquid nutritionals. In addition to Milmoe, principals include Carl DeSantis, who was the founder and chairman of Rexall Sundown Vitamins, which was sold in 2000 to Royal Numico for $1.8 billion. He is also well known for creating Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a unique Relais & Chateaux eco-resort.