A generation after it was first born as a concept, Coconut Creek\u2019s MainStreet community finally appears to be taking shape.<\/p>\n
City officials put the finishing touches last month on a land swap deal that will make MainStreet possible, with developers closing on 170 acres between Wiles Road on the north, Sample Road on\u00a0 the south, Lyons Road on the east and State Road 7 on the west.<\/p>\n
City officials and promotional material tout Mainstreet as Coconut Creek\u2019s \u201cnew downtown,\u201d a mixed use development that combines retail, residences, green space, parks and wetlands.\n<\/p>\n
The scope may have changed \u2014 it originated 23 years ago as a 500-acre plan larger than the Sawgrass Mills Mall<\/a> in Sunrise, with 10,000 new residences.\u00a0Over time, the construction targets have become less ambitious, said Coconut Creek Commissioner Joshua Rydell. \u201cThe concept evolved,\u201d he said, and it\u2019s now expected to take up about 200 acres<\/a> in all, with 792 apartment units, 414 townhomes, 148 villas, and 296 condominium units. The number of housing units is lower than the 2,360 approved last year before the plan was finalized, according to city officials.<\/p>\n The developers are Rosemurgy Properties, 13th Floor Homes, Schmier Property Group and Giles Capital Group. Groundbreaking is imminent, and the project will take a few years to complete.<\/p>\n Developers said they plan to include children\u2019s play areas, a splash pad, a dog park, performance space, and public art, along with a parking garage. It will also include a 14-acre wetland preserve and more than six miles of biking and exercise trails.<\/p>\n \u201cMainstreet will be a generational project, delivering a thoughtfully planned mix of residential, retail, civic, and recreational uses that will enrich the lives of residents for decades to come,\u201d Michael Nunziata, president of 13th Floor Homes, said in a news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n