The AOS Orchid Gardens and international headquarters is located in Delray Beach, Florida and includes office, warehouse and visitor center.  The visitor center includes a gift shop, 2.5 acre botanical garden and 8,000 square feet of greenhouse space.  PLACE Planning & Design was recently hired by AOS to determine the design and cost feasibility of retrofitting their existing facility with a multi-purpose room / lecture hall space and a research library to accommodate its extensive, rare and valuable book collection and archive.

PLACE services for this project include securing a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition of a derelict building, approval for construction of a new home, design and construction administration for construction of that home.  The property is located in a locally designated historic district and once completed will become the second single family home to become part of the ABC Streets Community Land Trust thereby remaining affordable for low-income families into perpetuity.

American Orchid Society

505 North K Street

Projects

PLACE Planning & Design

Florida Main Street Consultancies, State of Florida

PLACE has consulted and led Resource Teams in 21 Florida Main Street towns from 1996 to the present.  Consulting specialized in strategies to revitalize historic buildings to strengthen the community fabric.  These efforts included leading Design Workshops, providing written reports summarizing Resource Team recommendations and served as interim Main Street Manager for Riviera Beach.

1927 High School Building Boynton Beach CRA

For this project PLACE Formulated design alternatives for the adaptive re-use of the vacant/unused historic 1927 High School building in the heart of the Boynton Beach Town Square area.  Advertised and promoted a three day public “open house” to review options and obtain input from interested citizens via a questionnaire on various issues relating to re-use of the building.  Formulated a solicitation for developer interest to sell, renovate and occupy the building for culturally oriented uses, advertise and distribute the solicitation and assisted with negotiating a development agreement.

City of Tavares Wooton Park

PLACE interviewed stakeholders, Park Advisory Committee, and interested parties to arrive at a list of proposed activities for the park.  Priorities included two performance places, a TavLee Trailhead, a boat rental kiosk, a widened lakefront walk, a learning garden, and an interactive fountain.  Carried our preliminary design of park, identified funding sources and scheduled improvements over an eight year period.

City of Belle Glade—Housing Strategy

As a sub-consultant to Kimley Horn and Associates, PLACE assisted in the collection of data on existing housing conditions, trends and demographics and formulation of an implementable strategy for encouraging housing development.  Strategies include changes to land development regulations, the CRA plan, coordination with housing providers and economic development efforts.

City of Lake Worth—Beach Redevelopment Project

PLACE provides owner’s representation project management services to the City of Lake Worth to coordinate with a private developer on the redevelopment of the “Beach and Casino” property.  Services also included assistance with soliciting developer interest and negotiating a development agreement, ground lease and construction contract.

Services also include grant administration for a FRDAP grant to fund pool renovation improvements which are due to be completed on April 30, 2008

PLACE provides owner’s representation project management services to Adopt-a-Family on their 9-unit apartment project targeting low-income persons and families.  Services include due diligence, formulation of the design team, contractor selection, zoning approvals, permitting, and construction administration.

This project is currently under construction and due to be completed in September 2008, and the walls are currently going up!

Adopt-a-Family of the Palm Beaches—Second Avenue Apts.

City of Lake Worth—CDBG Project Management

PLACE has provided project management services assisting the City of Lake Worth to complete two projects and will soon begin a third.  Projects include streetscape and traffic calming, and ball field lighting.  Services include grant preparation, consultant and contractor supervision/coordination and grant reimbursement.

Academy for International Studies Charter School

PLACE assisted in the schools expansion plans by conducting due diligence on several properties and a lease space, assisted in negotiating a short term lease agreement, obtained a waiver from the Florida Building Code and an occupational license from Palm Beach County and the Village of North Palm Beach, and coordinated improvements needed for pass inspections by the Health Department and others.

As a sub-consultant PLACE collected and reviewed demographic data, comprehensive plan information, land development regulations, conducted personal interviews with residents, and presented findings at workshops describing preliminary recommendations as well as final recommendations for code revisions.

Town of Palm Beach Shores, District A

Rural Neighborhoods is an owner / operator and developer of affordable housing to farm workers and their families.  PLACE provides owner’s representation project management and assistance on numerous projects in all stages of the development process (from due diligence through construction) across Florida.   The 100 unit Oaks at Shannon’s Crossing project was just recently completed in Okeechobee: the 88 unit Eden Gardens project just recently commenced construction in Immokalee ; the 27 unit Manatee Village project is in permitting in Ruskin; and the 64 unit Pollywog Creek project is in design for a site in Labelle.

Rural Neighborhoods, Project Management and Assistance