By Daniella
Aird Staff Writer Posted April 29 2005
Wilton Manors · Downtown will lose another piece of its past
with the upcoming sale of long-standing shops along Wilton
Drive.
The five-acre parcel just north of City Hall is
expected to become high-priced townhomes, condominiums and stores,
joining scores of other luxury projects that are shifting this city
of 12,000 residents from modest to moneyed.
The
shops hint to the small-town area that once was: a comic book store,
a plant nursery, a locksmith, an antique shop, a children's
boutique.
With a sigh, storeowner Virginia Flaherty, who
opened About Town Lock & Safe in 1981 said: "The end was
inevitable. We all have to start relocating." She is among several
business owners who have been on Wilton Drive for
decades.
Diane Hutcheson, who, along with her husband John,
has owned the Wilton Manors Nursery for 30 years, said Wilton Drive
is getting crowded with look-alike properties.
"It's going to
look like everything else downtown once they bulldoze this place,"
Hutcheson said of the new project. "I think it's overkill of the
townhomes and stuff. The whole reason for the unique stores was to
keep [the city's] charm."
New Urban Communities, a Delray
Beach-based development company, is in the final stages of
purchasing the site and plans to close on the property within a few
months, said Tim Hernandez, the firm's principal planner. The
McJunkins, one of the city's pioneer families, currently own the
land.
Hernandez said the project would be similar to New
Urban's nearby property, Belle Isle, at 2360 Wilton Drive. That
recently opened development offers 51 town homes starting in the
mid-$300,000s, along with nine $400,000 live-work units, which are
lofts atop commercial space.
"It's going to have similar
elements to Belle Isle, but a more significant amount of retail,"
Hernandez said. "It will be a great core for the community and add
to the excitement of Wilton Drive."
Hutcheson aid storeowners
will have to steer decades-old clientele to new locations. "When
you're in an established place, it's a little tricky," she said.
"It's hard to just pick up and move."
Mayor Scott Newton said
he wants to keep the city's collection of quirky shops, but city
officials can't prevent current landowners from selling their
properties.
"A developer pays so much money for the property
and rents go up," he said. "I'm concerned about keeping affordable
businesses in the city. I'll do as much as I can to keep the
old-fashioned mom and pop stores. It's part of our
character."
As Wilton Drive evolves into a swank district,
Catherine Yardley said her customer base has dwindled at Marsupium
Inc., a children's boutique selling personalized nursery sets,
sleeping bags, pillows and other gifts. She hopes to find another
location in the city.
"All these changes have not benefited
me," said Yardley, who has owned the store since 1977. "I used to
have a lot more foot traffic."
Yardley said the new
developments are turning the city into an extension of neighboring
Fort Lauderdale, rather than creating the distinct urban village
city leaders envisioned.
"It's hard to tell at this point
what Wilton Drive will eventually look like, but I don't see it
being much different than Fort Lauderdale," she said. "You won't
have that feeling of coming into a separate community. I guess
that's progress."
Daniella Aird can be reached at
daird@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2024
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