Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Shining a light on donations?
Developer proposes 10-story building with 279 apartments, retail
Proposal would require Florida Power & Light parent company to disclose more information concerning contributions to political campaigns.
POMPANO BEACH — A developer is proposing the first mixed residential and retail tower for Pompano Beach’s “Old Town” district of the city’s downtown.
Developer Adam Adache assembled a block on Northeast First Avenue at Northeast Second Street and Northeast Third Street and has submitted plans for a 10-story building.
The plan calls for 279 rental units — studios of 480 square feet, one bedroom units of 576 square feet and two bedroom units of 864 square feet.
Adache said his research shows millennials are content with smaller living areas because they aren’t home much anyway — it’s more important to have a complex with Wi-Fi and a gym.
The project calls for 7,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, wrapping around the building on three streets.
“We’re catering to the millennials, the young professionals being priced out of other markets,” Adache said. He said there will be a resort-style swimming pool while the retail will help create a walkable downtown.
Pompano Beach, he said, has “been skipped” until the last several years. But now, the city is “doing a lot to redevelop the whole area.”
The downtown area, which occupies the northwest part of the city, is composed of 260 acres, a zig-zag pattern that is generally I-95 to the east, Northwest Sixth Avenue to the north, Dixie Highway to the west and Atlantic Boulevard to the south.
Among the city’s most recent achievements downtown: It turned a falling-down 1932 hotel into Bailey Contemporary Arts, a place for artist studios and exhibitions. It opened the historic Ali Building, now used for concerts and dance instruction. Then came the $20 million, 48,000-square-foot Library and Cultural Art Center across from City Hall. In 2016, a 46-townhome development called Koi opened.
Most recently, the City Vista Apartments, a seven-story mixeduse project of 111 rental apartments with office space on the ground floor, has been built in the historic district, also called the “Innovation District.” It has not yet opened.
“We’re expecting a lot of activity in the area,” said city engineer Horacio Danovich. “I think the Innovation District is going to bring a lot of excitement to the area, it’s going to bring opportunities for new job creation in areas that sorely need it.”
Adache’s 10-story project is scheduled to be heard by the city’s Development Review Committee on June 6. City officials said it’s a sign of what’s still to come.
“Developers are taking notice,” Danovich said. “They’re seeing all of this happen and as a result of that, they’re interested in investing in Pompano because they see the opportunities are there.”
“We’re catering to the millennials, the young professionals being priced out of other markets.” — Adam Adache, developer