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CRA praises Sunset Lounge reopening and plans business outreach, will pursue targeted property acquisitions
Summary
City officials and CRA leaders celebrated the Sunset Lounge grand opening, pledged support for nearby small businesses including outreach for a 'SoFlo Friday' pilot, and said the CRA is pursuing targeted property acquisitions in the Northwest to address crime and tenancy concerns; staff postponed Resolution 25-51 for further review.
City and CRA officials used the Dec. 8 dais comment period to highlight the historic Sunset Lounge grand opening and outline follow-up steps to support nearby small businesses in the historic Northwest.
President Lambert described the grand opening as "truly amazing" and said the event demonstrated the venue’s cultural importance. Lambert raised the idea of a recurring community event, called "SoFlo Friday," that business owners have piloted to close part of the street for evening activity and asked staff to identify resources to support that pilot. "I just wanted to say how truly amazing and special it was to be a part of that and to see this finally come to fruition," Lambert said.
Unidentified CRA staff told commissioners they have begun outreach to business owners and plan a regular cadence of meetings for business retention and expansion work. Staff also said they had identified specific properties that could be targeted for strategic acquisition as part of a community policing innovation to improve tenancy and safety, and are coordinating with police and the CRA on those efforts.
The mayor recognized several CRA staff members for their roles in the restoration and reopening: Chris Ruge (area executive director), City Administrator Faye Johnson, Jade Green (CRA deputy director), Anjali Lacy (CRA communications manager) and Gina Baker (CRA project manager).
Separately, staff requested that Resolution 25-51 (transfer of development rights) be postponed to allow additional technical review; the request was accepted and the item was continued without a date certain.
CRA staff said they will start meetings with business owners immediately to determine needs and next steps for outreach, permitting assistance and event support around the holidays and beyond.
