Commissioner Lois Wexler and the site of the federal detention center

Broward commissioners failed to quell concerns of Pembroke Pines residents over more prisons coming to 60 acres of publicly owned land in Southwest Broward, the Miami Herald reported.

Commissioner Lois Wexler had proposed a 20-year moratorium on construction of prisons, jails or detention centers on the land near the site of a planned federal detention center in Southwest Ranches. [more]

Whole Foods in Pembroke Pines

Whole Foods is set to open its first location in Pembroke Pines on Wednesday, according to the Sun Sentinel. “I used to have to drive all the way to Plantation to shop at Whole Foods,” said Tanya Lyu, from Weston. “And I try to stock up at Whole Foods about once a week.” The long-awaited store, whose plans were first approved in 2006, is the 11th South Florida branch of the grocer. “They’ve said this store was coming for a long time,” said Joanne Pergoia, a fellow Weston resident. “We’re just glad it’s finally here.” [Sun Sentinel]

Continuing its South Florida expansion, Navarro Discount Pharmacy opened its new 16,000-square-foot store in Pembroke Pines yesterday, the Sun Sentinel reported. The branch is located at 15825 Pines Boulevard, the company’s first new outpost in Broward County in almost four years. It opened a North Miami store in July. [more]

Kaplan College is closing its campus in Pembroke Pines next year, the South Florida Business Journal reported. The reason was insufficient demand, according to spokesperson Ron Iori. The branch, which is located at 10131 Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines, will allow current students to finish their study programs in May of next year. [SFBJ]

Pembroke Pines’ new 11,000-square-foot art colony is finally built, but the artists have yet to come. With 22 studios, a gallery and a space for community art classes, the new 1101 Poinciana Drive facility, which took a year and $905,000 to construct, has only one tenant slated to move in when it opens this spring. The remaining 21 studios, which are asking between $218 and $400 per month in rent, are still up for grabs. “People are not paying for spaces like we thought they would,” said Chuck Vones, assistant director for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The project was approved by voters in 2005 as part of a $90 million general obligation bond and was delayed for three months due to asbestos contamination and permitting. [Sun Sentinel]

The city of Pembroke Pines isn’t backing away from its planned upgrades to parks and municipal buildings and a slew of public construction projects, despite the recession. Among the sites that will see improvements are Flanagan High School’s locker rooms, Paul J. Maxwell Park at 1200 SW 72nd Avenue and building facades in the eastern portion of the city. Mayor Frank Ortis’ strategy is to create construction jobs, but some residents, whose property taxes have increased in the face of declining revenues for the city, are not on board. “The property tax increase has made things more difficult. The common guy is getting nickle-and-dimed,” said resident Dennis Donohue. The city is using the remaining $21.5 million from a $100 million bond measure approved by voters in 2005 to pay for some of the projects, and is hoping that its City Center project will generate additional tax revenue. Pas Media and the Studios of the Americas are currently in talks to redevelop a 58-acre portion of the site into a $600 million entertainment complex with movie studios and two hotels. [Miami Herald]

Pembroke Pines commissioners have approved a request from two film production companies that are interested in buying 58 acres of city-owned land for a new movie studio and entertainment complex on the site once slated for the City Center. City Manager Charlie Dodge is expected to submit a contract to commissioners for review in January. The $600 million proposal from Pas Media of Pembroke Pines and the Studios of the Americas of Miami also includes two hotels. [Miami Herald]

Retailer Claire’s Stores, based in Pembroke Pines, is reviewing its
real estate portfolio and is mulling more store closures. It will
examine the leases of about half its 2,000 stores, and is renegotiating
leases in lower-traffic malls. President James Conroy said the company
may opt to close more stores. Same store sales dropped 6.9 percent in
the second quarter. [more]

Protests have followed the receipt of higher property tax rate notices
in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. On Thursday afternoon, a group
calling itself Fair Property Tax For All coordinated a series of
protests at three sites in Miami-Dade County, and many Broward
residents in cities facing high increases have echoed that anger.
Hollywood, Miramar, Parkland, Pembroke Pines, West Park and Weston have
proposed increases of at least 20 percent to compensate for plummeting
assessed property values. [more]

The vision of an ideal mega suburb looked great on paper, and still
looks sharp on its freshly paved streets and roundabouts. But the 115
acres they cover around the city hall are largely empty. Residential
development has halted and there are no houses or condominiums to fill
the project space. City Center is stalled, and an examination of its
records shows that the city may have been ahead of itself from the very
beginning. [more]