By Kristen Hernandez
Pompano Beach, FL During a community meeting at E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., residents had one simple demand. The rich cultural history of the black pioneers that built the northwest section of Pompano Beach needs to be preserved.
The meeting was hosted by Pompano Beach District 4 City Commissioner Beverly Perkins, along with private real estate developer Phil Mays of RocaPoint Partners LLC, the developer who purchased the Atlantic/Dixie development project. The massive development will cost approximately $2 billion and stretch across 75 acres of historic land. Residents in the surrounding area questioned how the black community fits into the city’s vision for the new downtown project.
“This development will open up a lot of jobs for general contractors, landscaping, and overall construction with a focus on local businesses to create a ‘local feel’,” Perkins said, “It’s a ‘legacy opportunity’ to build something lasting for the people of our city that will still be standing long after we’re all gone.”
RocaPoint’s design features include canals, mixed-income residential housing, and 800,000 square feet of office space at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Dixie Highway. Because RocaPoint is in the preliminary design phase, they’ve yet to enter into a finalized agreement with the city and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
One of the biggest concerns residents raised was about the future of the E. Pat Larkins Community Center.
“There is no case, no vision, where E. Pat Larkins goes away,” Mays said. “Maybe expand or rebuild, but not demolish. We want this development to work for the people who live and work here. We’ll consider partnering with local schools to give opportunities to see different aspects of this development, and there are so many different aspects.”
Black residents want the first opportunity to apply for contracting and subcontracting work. Some of the other asks were:
1. Workforce and senior housing, which differ from affordable housing.
2. Training opportunities for upper-level management in black-owned businesses.
3. Resources for the homeless population, especially considering the pending ban on sleeping on public property.
4. There has been an uptick in local gun violence, typically concentrated in the surrounding area. What type of security measures are being considered?
5. Flooding and appropriate drainage, which is an ongoing issue for all of Pompano Beach.
6. A tall bronze statue or memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King is prominently displayed on MLK Boulevard.
Reconfiguration or Gentrification
The ongoing project was created to beautify the area and make it more pedestrian-friendly and has been labeled as a reconfiguration of the northwest district. But Black residents fear that its gentrification disguised as reconfiguration.
“Old Pompano was run by minority-owned businesses, and they prospered,” said Robert Lewis, long-time Pompano resident. “White, black, blue or green, we all pay taxes. If ‘reconfiguration’ of the northwest community means we won’t be here anymore, then all this won’t matter.”
Black residents want assurance that the historic black figures who’ve come before the big development projects are not forgotten or erased. Some notable local and state leaders agreed, like Florida State Representative Patricia Williams; Brenda Foreman, Clerk of Courts for Broward County; Edward Philips Jr., former Pompano Beach city commissioner of District 4; and Tom McMahon, current candidate for Pompano’s District 3.
“Over the years, the oral history of this area has disappeared,” said Janine Jones, resident of Collier City. “We need a physical representation.”
Frustration and tensions were high at times during the meeting; however, Perkins assured the community that nothing had been decided or finalized regarding the project. Residents also requested to “have a seat at the table” and want “updates on the timeline from construction to occupation”.
“Why do you think the other commissioners aren’t here?” Perkins said. “They couldn’t take the heat, so they sent Phil, who is a private investor using his own money to bring beautification to Pompano Beach. Call and email your city commissioners. We need you to show up. There will be further meetings to get feedback and suggestions from residents
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