Coconut Creek Plans To Build A “Green” Downtown

By Nicol Jenkins
Editor

Coconut Creek will soon be going green.

The city plans to build a centralized downtown area for its residents that will be environmentally friendly and become a place to “live, work and play,” according to Jim Hetzel, Main Street Project Coordinator for the city.

In December 2004, the City Commission adopted the MainStreet Design Standards document, which establishes the vision for a mixed-use, downtown development in the center of Coconut Creek, bound by Wiles Road to the north, Lyons Road to the east, Sample Road to the south, and State Road 7 to the west.

“In theory with having a downtown is to get people to live there and work there and play there and stay in the area so they never have to leave or get in their car,” Hetzel said.

But what makes this downtown development unique is the environmental component. When approving the design, the commission made certain that all buildings will be “green and sustainable”, and must be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council or the Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc.

“The city’s goal is to be the first city in the state and perhaps the country to have a contiguous certified green building project,” Hetzel said. “What we could have built there was a suburban warehouse park, but we wanted to build something for the city where the impact would be positive.”

The proposed plans include for more than two million square feet of commercial development, 2,700 residential units, 1,300 hotel rooms, 800,000 square feet of office space, 300,000 square feet of community facilities, large open space and recreation components, and 15 acres of conservation. The main projects are the expansion of the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, the Village at Marbella, and the Promenade at Coconut Creek.

The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek proposed plans include: 44 acres of land with 150,000 square feet, a hotel with 1,000 rooms, a spa and pool area, convention facilities, and 6,500 additional parking spaces. This project is still pending Planning and Zoning Board and City Commission approval, according to Hetzel.

The Village at Marbella project, which is a 23-acre mixed-use project fronting Sample Road, has received zoning approval by the city commission. Plans include for a 150-room hotel. This project still requires site plan approval by the Planning and Zoning Board and City Commission.

Construction commenced in September for the Promenade at Coconut Creek, a mixed-use project at the southwest corner of Lyons and Wiles Road. At this time, the developer is constructing the first phase with retail and office space. The Promenade is the first project to be completed within the city’s proposed downtown and will include approximately 250,000-square feet of shopping and restaurants, up to 125,000 square-feet of office space, and up to 450 residential units. The Promenade at Coconut Creek is expected to open Nov. 1, 2008. Developers of The Promenade at Coconut Creek are seeking LEED certification for the project, which will make it one of the first major LEED developments in the Southeast. The newly-designated downtown in Coconut Creek may also become one of the first planned and zoned contiguous areas in the country to be named a “LEED district.” Signed tenants include: Ann Taylor Loft, Aveda, Banana Republic, Brighton Collectibles, Chicos, Claire’s, Coldwater Creek, DSW, Douglas Cosmetics, Jos A Bank, Juiceblendz, Lane Bryant, Lenscrafters, Limited TOO, Max Muscle, New York & Co, Portrait Innovations, Rosano’s Solo Mio, Saito Japanese Steakhouse, Select Comfort, SGH, Soma, Starbucks, Talbots, The Grape Merchant, and White House Black Market.