Recapping a Busy Quarter for the Delray Beach CRA
Surely you have noticed all the events, ribbon cuttings and building that has been happening around the CRA District. If you’re wondering what it’s all been about, Renée Jadusingh, executive director of the Delray Beach CRA, is here to tell you!
In October 2023 we started our 28th season of the Winter Delray Beach GreenMarket. Can you believe it? We featured about 25% new vendors this season, and we’re still located at the Old School Square campus. If you’ve been missing out, don’t! The GreenMarket is an excellent place to come and buy fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, jams, sauces, and much, much more. So mark your calendars for Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Old School Square campus, now through May 2024.
In November 2023 we hosted our Fifth Annual Warehouse Market at the Arts Warehouse. This indoor market featured 18 vendors, and it took place right before the holidays so it was a great opportunity for family and friends to come out, enjoy some live music with us, and shop for the holidays. It’s the best way to shop local and support your small business owners! To learn more about the Arts Warehouse events and workshops, please visit artswarehouse.org.
Another exciting activity that took place this last quarter was the Florida Redevelopment Association’s annual conference. We’re happy and proud to report that the Delray Beach CRA won an award this year for our Annual Report 2022. Not only did we win an award this year, but we also participated on a few panels about the mobility and laws that govern CRAs, so we were able to share information and get information from colleagues across the state. A few of our staff members and board members attended the conference, and were able to learn such great information from CRAs all over the state. It was an amazing experience and we’re already looking forward to the next one.
In December 2022, we not only celebrated the holidays, but we also celebrated the Hatcher Construction Ribbon Cutting. This project was years in the making and we’re so happy to report that it’s now open and in use! This project started in 2019 when the CRA entered into an agreement with William Hatcher to build 8,000 square feet of commercial office space in The Set neighborhood. The Hatcher Construction Company accomplished this project by using two of our CRA programs: the land lease program and also our loan program, and started construction two years ago.
This project is an excellent example of what CRAs can do for our community. Not only did we help Hatcher Construction with a loan, but by taking the land cost out of his construction, it lowers and helps him with his construction cost overall. We hope this is the first of many projects like this is The Set neighborhood. It’s a growing area, it deserves to thrive, and we’re here to help!
The ribbon cutting was an amazing event, with the mayor and CRA Chair both in attendance, as well as The Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Delray Beach Development Authority. This just goes to show just how well supported William Hatcher and the Hatcher Construction team are in Delray Beach.
Lastly, in December 2023 we had a CRA Social to close out the year. We started hosting these events as a way for our community members to meet us, talk with members of our team, and learn more information about the CRA in the evening times. Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, and we know that not everyone can make it to see us during working hours, so we wanted to open our offices up in the evenings so we can share information about the CRA and learn information from our community members as well. Stay tuned for our 2024 CRA Social dates!
It was a busy quarter and we’re already busy with Quarter Two! Stay tuned for the exciting events and happenings by visiting our website delraycra.org.
