18 months have gone by since I first visited with Mark Nation to discuss his plans to build a destination restaurant in Historic Downtown Sanford. Sitting in his old Longwood offices, and then walking the city block-sized parcel spanning south and west from 2nd Street & Oak Ave to 3rd Street & Myrtle Ave, his ambitious plan consisted of two...
economic development
Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge and Tuffy’s Music Box – Quintessential Example of Growth in HDS Historic Building Reclaimed & Renovated to Fit a Modern Entrepreneurial Vision A decade ago, the scene looked different for both Dan St. Pierre and the resolute, an almost forgotten structure standing at 200 Myrtle Ave in Sanford. St. Pierre, a Central Floridian by birth...
A 51-room hotel may soon be located on the corner of 1st St. and Oak Ave in Historic Downtown Sanford, filling what many consider to be a huge need for tourists and guests to the Celery City. First Street Station, a proposed residential and commercial mixed-use development from owners/developers Ron Semans and Bob Horian, also seeks to construct 32 townhome...
Moves Forward with Development of Three City Blocks in Historic Downtown Sanford Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Sanford abutting beautiful Lake Monroe and the Sanford RiverWalk, Heritage Park is moving forward with their large-scale project poised to help ease the demand for affordable rental units. With proposed plans that include 235 residential units and 37,989 SF of commercial...
While the focus of Growth Watch is growth and development primarily in Historic Downtown Sanford, this week I took a field trip to the southern edge of Sanford's District One, where a 30,000 SF, $2.9M warehouse space on Cornwall Road has been acquired by Media 1, a sign and wrap company previously in Longwood, FL that holds as clientele numerous...
Growth Explosion to Continue with Mixed-Use Concept Adjacent to Sanford’s ‘Famous L’ A survivor of the September 22, 1887 fire that ravaged the wooden buildings populating the east side of Sanford, the Hotel San Leon stood on the corner of 2nd St. and Sanford Ave. The hotel occupied the north half of block between 2nd and 3rd Streets, abutting the...
Sanford’s growth as a culinary and craft beer destination is garnering it attention, with droves of tourists flocking to our city. Huge hotel, restaurant, and economic projects grab the majority of the headlines, but comprehensive city growth also requires a commitment to infrastructure, public amenities, and quality of life upgrades – in fact, many economic studies show that communities that...
