Atlantic Crossing breaks ground in Delray Beach

Garage is first project to be built

After six years of false starts, the developer behind downtown Delray’s Atlantic Crossing will begin building it.

The $300 million destination, near Veterans Park on the Intracoastal Waterway, is envisioned as a place where people will go to work, shop or grab a bite to eat. It will have 82 condos, 261 apartments, 83,000 square feet of office space and 76,000 square feet of shops and restaurants. It will have underground parking.

“This will fill in a blighted area that has been that way for decades,” Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, while under a white tent on the west side construction site.

Atlantic Plaza to the east eventually will be razed. “This is a long time coming and will revitalize this area,” she said.

All told, the 9-acre complex will take five years to roll out, starting now with the underground garage, said Don DeVere, a vice president for the Edwards Companies.

He expects the parking to take 15 months to complete. The first of six buildings will be office space. Residences and more retail and restaurants will go on the east side, he said.

The aim is to make it all go as smooth as possible, DeVere said. Seventh Avenue was closed at neighborhood Palm Trail’s request, he said, adding “we will