3 min read August 2023 — “Oakland Park is one of the hottest locations in South Florida for doing business,” Mayor of Oakland Park Aisha Gordon told Invest:. She also discussed the city’s unique qualities that she says make it the best place to live and do business as well as infrastructure priorities to ensure smart growth.
What highlights and milestones have defined Oakland Park in the past 12 months?
We are working on a significant bond initiative. In 2018, two-thirds of voters approved a facilities bond. We are working on the initiatives related to that bond. We are aiming to construct and renovate several city facilities leading into our centennial in 2029. Our city is undergoing a significant transformation. This year alone, we have held four groundbreakings: North Andrews Gardens Community Center, the Sky Building that will be our new city hall, our state-of-the-art Fire Station 9 and our Public Works Complex. We have had two ribbon-cutting ceremonies: City Park and BLYS, a private mixed-use development project that includes a public waterfront promenade. The BLYS project is an upscale apartment complex with many amenities, including a walkway along the Middle River. It is very scenic. We have been successful in establishing public private partnerships to increase accessible greenspace within the city. In recent years, we have been able to partner with private developers to add over 25 acres of accessible open space to our community.
According to a recent survey, 69% of residents who responded consider Oakland Park to be moving in the right direction. Additionally, 78% agree that the city is doing an excellent job managing services. We are so proud of these accomplishments.
What are Oakland Park’s unique qualities that make it a great place to do business?
Our location is conveniently situated just two miles from the beach, four miles from Downtown Fort Lauderdale and eight miles from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. We have easy access to many advantageous and major transportation corridors, including I-95, US-1 and Andrews Avenue. Oakland Park is one of the hottest locations in South Florida for doing business. Our city invests millions into new facilities, infrastructure and landscaping to support our private development and encourage investment. We make it easy to do business. All of our business support functions are great resources for our residents and businesses, and they are conveniently located in one location for one-stop-shop service.
Additionally, we proudly celebrate our diversity through new signage installed at the entrances to our city to welcome people of all races, religions, ages and abilities to Oakland Park.
What industries are driving Oakland Park’s local economy and how are you attracting them?
Our focus is on nurturing the growth of small businesses. We support our small businesses because we draw innovative ideas from them. The goal is to continue fostering the spirit of innovation in our city. We are dedicated to driving development in the areas that need it the most, including our Community Redevelopment Area, which includes a Qualified Census Tract, a QCT is an area designated by HUD that is economically under-performing. We have invested in our new City Park and we are building a new City Hall in the QCT to support this objective. Our hopes are that these projects will attract more private investors to those areas. We also do a lot of collaboration with Broward County and the Metropolitan Planning Organization to partner on our major infrastructure and transportation projects to encourage mixed-use development projects and cultivate a walkable downtown.
We have leveraged Broward’s strong hospitality and tourism industry to create a thriving Culinary Arts District that includes Funky Buddha Brewery, ChainBridge Distillery, Prison Pals Brewing Company, Bule Green Café Yard and others. It has become a unique destination that is attracting more culinary businesses to the area.
What was the rationale behind your Climate Action Plan and what impact has it had?
Our city understands the significance of climate change and how it can affect our environment and economic development going forward. We are cognizant of this and have chosen to take a regional approach to address these challenges. Our plan is based on the Broward County Climate Action Plan and the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s Climate Action Plan. The goal is to provide a broader perspective by utilizing those existing plans as a guide. Its main pillars are to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions 1% each year through 2028 and increase the resilience of our communities while minimizing impacts to efficiency and cost-effective business operations. So far, we have completed a greenhouse gas inventory to establish a baseline and measure progress. We are actively incorporating sustainable practices into our policies and operations. The city also recently updated its Stormwater Master Plan to identify vulnerable areas, and is funding projects to strengthen resilience, along with adopting water conservation measures, updating landscaping guidelines to require more greenery in new development projects and updating land development regulations to raise minimum floor elevations and minimum seawall heights.
What initiatives are in place to further promote entrepreneurship and small-business growth?
The city recently increased its business incentive grant program that offer $35,000 for culinary businesses and $20,000 for others to make interior and exterior improvements. The heart of our city is our small businesses and we strive to make Oakland Park as – supportive as possible for them.
We distribute a digital newsletter that highlights businesses in Oakland Park and delivers vital information to our business community. We also manage a Downtown Business Partners group that allows business owners and leaders to network with one another and learn about the city’s initiatives and resources. There is also our Live Like a Loakl initiative that supports small businesses through an online mapping tool that connects residents and visitors to the many goods and services provided by our local small businesses.
What are your priorities for Oakland Park looking ahead?
Our city is poised for growth and investment. With our centennial in 2029, we are optimistic about our bright future. The city adopted a reduced millage rate for the 2024 fiscal year, which is the ninth reduction in 10 years and the lowest operating millage rate in 13 years. We will continue our facilities bond program and our capital improvement projects. We are also proud to announce the two mixed-use projects coming to our Downtown, which are both public-private partnerships, will introduce new retail and residential opportunities to support existing businesses, stimulate economic development and transform our Downtown into a walkable and lively destination. The Horizon of Oakland Park, which will be located on the current city hall site, will be a $148 million project that will include a train stop on the proposed Broward Commuter Rail Line. The Sky Building, a mixed-use project and future home of city hall, is under construction and represents a $53 million investment. We will continue to articulate a vision for the West Oakland Park Boulevard corridor and engage in more dialogue with local business owners and landlords on the west side to promote economic growth that aligns with the downtown culinary arts district. And finally, we will continue to host our signature events, including Oktoberfest, Holiday Village, Youth Day, Dancing in the Street, Soul Fest and Taste of Oakland Park. Additionally, we are continuing to prioritize public-private partnerships. We look forward to having more investments similar to that of Sky Building and Horizon going forward.
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