Ground breaking for Oakland Park’s new City Hall
From David Volz
The future home of Oakland Park’s City Hall, the Sky Building project, broke ground at 12:30 p.m. today at 3701 North Dixie Highway. The Sky Building is an innovative mixed-use, public/private partnership between the City of Oakland Park and developer NR Investments and represents $48 million in private investment to the City.
“The Sky Building jumpstarted the revitalization of our downtown. We are excited for the economic development opportunities it will bring as well as being a catalyst to create a walkable downtown area and help support local businesses,” said Mayor Aisha Gordon.
Designed by Zyscovich Architects, the project encompasses two five-story buildings connected by a skybridge, which will include 136 residential units ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments. One hundred nineteen units are residential and 17 are “live/work” spaces. There will be 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and more than 300 total parking spaces. The developer will designate at least 20% of the units affordable at 120% of the area median income (AMI) and 80% of the units within 140% AMI.
“As we approach our centennial in 2029, the addition of the Sky Building demonstrates our commitment to providing an outstanding community for all to enjoy while maintaining and building on the small-town charm that we love about Oakland Park,” said City Manager David Hebert.
The City of Oakland Park will be the building’s landmark tenant with City Hall offices located on the first and fifth floors of the south building. Public parking will be on the second through fourth floors. Moving City Hall is a symbolic step to relocate services across Dixie Highway to the west side of Oakland Park to strike a greater balance of operations where more of the City’s population resides. The City is making significant investments in the west to demonstrate commitment to the broader community and a desire to provide resources and opportunities to help all residents and businesses thrive and succeed.
“It’s been a great privilege to partner with the City of Oakland Park to design a transformative project that we hope will become a new civic, residential, and commercial center for the community. Getting to this groundbreaking ceremony was a hugely important milestone, and now we can’t wait to see the project completed,” said Nir Shoshani, Principal of NR Investments.
“The groundbreaking today will allow the transformation of the ‘old’ City Hall into a vibrant mixed-use development that shows the rapid evolution of Oakland Park into a diverse and exciting city where people can live, work and play,” said Ken Krasnow, Vice Chairman of Institutional Services for the Florida region of Colliers. “The City’s vision and leadership have been key in taking the bold move to move City Hall and by bringing a transit-oriented development that will improve residents’ quality of life by promoting the use of mass transit, walkability and sustainability.”
| First Church Coral Springs offers Bethlehem Revisited People who want to see what Bethlehem was really like when Jesus was born have come to Bethlehem Revisited at First Church Coral Springs. Members and volunteers of the church have worked very hard to build a town as it would have appeared in ancient Israel. There are 16 shoppes that provide necessary products such as herbal medicine, musical instruments, fish, blacksmithing, vegetables and fruits and bread. Bethlehem was known as “house of bread.”At the time of Jesus, Bethlehem was under the control of the Romans and so there are Roman soldiers who act harsh at times, like modern occupiers. The atmosphere is like a main street in a small Mideastern town. When you enter Bethlehem, you are in a Census room. At the time of Jesus’s birth a Census was been conducted. Then you enter the Bethlehem business district where you can see a main street environment and live animals. There is also a well area where you can chat with a friend. As you move along, you come to an inn where you are told there is no room. And then you come to the manger scene where you see Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus occupying a stable area of the inn.Admission to Bethlehem Revisited is free and thousands of people visit. Janet Brockway, a leader of the event is pleased that many people in the congregation and also from other church communities have come together to work on the project. Volunteers begin working on the project in mid-October on Saturdays.Bethlehem Revisited was not offered the past two years because of the pandemic. Matt Brown, a participant in the event said, “I am excited to be a part of Bethlehem Revisited. It is good that we are back.” |
| Coral Springs Commissioner Shawn Cerra is named Vice Mayor Newly re-elected Commissioner Shawn Cerra was unanimously appointed by his fellow Commissioners to serve as the city’s Vice Mayor during a recent meeting. Elected to office in June 2019, Cerra has been a Coral Springs resident and active member of the community and a resident since 1993. Cerra is an advocate for neighborhood unity, school safety, local athletics, and recreation. He served as Principal of J.P. Taravella High School, one of Broward County’s largest schools, for 14 years before his promotion to his current role as Director of Athletics and Student Activities for the School Board of Broward County. “My job is to make sure that I’m representing 134,000 strong, Cerra said. “As Vice Mayor, I look forward to growing the Neighborhoods with Integrity program that was started last year, creating a greater sense of community and capacity in schools, and, ultimately, building a bigger and better City of Coral Springs.” An active member of the community, Cerra serves on the Coral Springs Principal Education and Parent Education Groups and as Chair of the Coral Springs Museum of Art Board of Directors. He also serves on the Sports Coalition Group, Sports Grant Committee, and Charter School Advisory Board. As a father and educator, one of Cerra’s most significant priorities as City Commissioner is school safety. Cerra utilizes his partnerships with the Broward County School Board, law enforcement, community members, and policymakers to improve the safety of our schools and address student mental health.  |
