Oakland Park officials highlight CRA successes, Sky Building public–private deal and plans to extend investment west

City economic development and planning staff told the City Commission on May 7 that a long-running Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) program and coordinated land-use planning have produced measurable redevelopment in downtown Oakland Park and set the stage for additional public and private investment.

The update: Nessa Herrera, CRA and Economic Development Director, and Sierra Marrero, Director of Engineering and Community Development, reviewed how planning tools and targeted CRA investments led to private projects and new city amenities and described unfinished projects and opportunities for the west side of the city.

Why it matters: the CRA covers about 1,007 acres — nearly 20 percent of the city’s land area — much of it in a federal qualified census tract (QCT). City staff said taxable values inside the CRA rose from about $926 million in 2016 to about $2.1 billion in 2024, an increase of roughly 171 percent.

Notable projects and partnerships: Herrera highlighted the Sky Building, a public–private partnership described in city remarks as a $60 million development with two connected buildings, 136 residential units, roughly 15,000 square feet of commercial space and more than 300 parking spaces; the project will house city hall and include units targeted up to 140 percent of area median income, staff said. The City’s Horizon of Oakland Park project was described as an adjacent mixed-use project planned to add additional residential units, commercial space and public parking.

Staff framed the CRA strategy as a ‘smart growth’ approach that coordinates zoning, master planning, infrastructure upgrades, and targeted incentives to attract investment. Herrera recounted steps since a 2005 CRA formation and the 2017 redevelopment strategy through the 2017–2023 CRA strategic action plan. She noted the CRA is a TIF-less CRA (the city participates in a county administered redevelopment capital program rather than a traditional tax-increment financing structure), which staff said limits the city’s incremental revenue options compared with typical TIF CRAs, and made neighborhood land ownership a strategic advantage in the downtown.

Planned and in-progress public work includes Centennial Park Phase 1 (completed), parks renovations, sidewalk and roadway improvements, the NE 13th Avenue improvements bidding phase, City Centennial Park phases 2–3 (design), and stormwater projects. The city also described a planned community rail station that will connect the downtown and support local businesses.

West-side focus and limitations: Commissioners pressed staff about expanding investment outside the CRA into a second QCT on the city’s west side (south of Oakland Park Boulevard, west of I-95). City Manager Hebert and staff said the city lacks the same land leverage in the west as in the downtown and that some programs have been extended (for example, a business façade grant was extended into parts of the west QCT). Hebert said staff are pursuing strategic partnerships — including with the Urban League and Broward County — to seed longer-term change but emphasized the city operates with limited staffing and budget constraints during a busy capital and budget season.

Commissioners praised progress, emphasized continued outreach to prospective investors and reiterated that redevelopment takes years; one commissioner noted an Urban Leap project coming in Lakeside (about 469 units) as an example of near-term west-side activity. City staff urged the commission to keep the CRA strategy in place, citing measurable taxable value gains and ongoing projects that remain to be completed.

Ending: City leaders said the downtown transformation is underway but not finished; staff asked for continued commission support to complete CRA projects and to pursue partnerships that could bring private investment to other under-resourced areas of Oakland Park.