Report 2: Downtown Palmetto Bay Project

It's been nearly six months since Palmetto Bay's Village Manager Ron Williams initiated a project to revitalize the Franjo Triangle area of Palmetto Bay. Soon after inception, Williams asked Building and Capital Projects Director Ed Silva to form a task force that would help guide the Village on the ambitious project to create a vibrant, walkable live-work-play environment for Palmetto Bay.

Since then the Downtown Redevelopment Task Force (DTRF) has grown to 43 members comprised of Palmetto Bay residents and businesses. Having met more than 50 times since inception, the DTRF has created a living plan that will entice the private sector to invest in the area.

On December 17, the initiative to create a Downtown Palmetto Bay took another positive step, as the DTRF held a workshop of sorts during a regularly scheduled Committee of the Whole meeting for the Village Council.

The Council had already approved a general budget for the project, but allocation of funds was slow in coming. The meeting allowed the Council to ask questions, interact with the drawing and hear the voice of residents in the hopes they would become more comfortable with the project and streamline support for the task force.

One task force member, Stanley Stanczyk, made an empassioned plea to the Council saying it was their duty to improve the lives of its residents.  He went on to explain that the brain trust of the task force comprised of highly regarded professionals which represented over a billion dollars in business acumen.  Those members had already donated more than a quarter million dollars of time to this worthy cause.

Tim Schaffer expressed his strong support, while others were less vocal on their position.

Regardless, resident support and knowledge of this project is also paramount to its success. It should be noted that this will no be an overnight success.  Large in scope, this will likely take more than 20 years to mature.  However, in the not too distant future, Palmetto Bay families should be able to shop, eat and be entertained without every leaving their Village.

For more information, please visit the special page on the Village website. 

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