Commission Approves City Village Contract with Amera

by Bryan Boggiano January 28, 2022

by Bryan Boggiano January 28, 2022 53 views

By Bryan Boggiano

The city commission unanimously approved a purchase and sale agreement with Amera Corp. to develop City Village at their Wednesday meeting.

Amera Corp plans to combine the former city hall site and Village Square to create a mix-used project called City Village.

The company already owns most of Village Square, and under the agreement, they will purchase the rest of the property and the former city hall for $4.6 million by April 1. They will have until June 24 to close on all Village Square properties.

If Amera fails to close on all Village Square properties, the city can purchase the property back.

In 2020, the commission approved a letter of understanding, which set up general parameters for City Village.

The 12.8-acre City Village site would include grocery options, retail, restaurants, and entertainment. It will consist of two components.

Courtesy of City of Coral Springs

The primary component includes a 23,600 square-foot grocery store and retail, residential, and parking space. The residential space has two eight-story apartments and a five-story apartment on the property’s west side.

The secondary component, which will be market-driven, calls for a two-story medical office building and additional retail, restaurants, and daycare buildings on the site’s east side.

A roundabout will connect the two sides. A canal would have to be culverted for the roundabout to be constructed.

Mayor Scott Brook, City Manager Frank Babinec, and Commissioner Shawn Cerra gave Amera rave remarks, complimenting their commitment to Coral Springs and City Village’s potential.

“This corner has the opportunity to be historic,” Cerra said.

Despite the city commission’s contract approval, Amera still needs further site reviews from the city, including the Development Review Committee.

Once the city completes these reviews, Amera will go to the city commission for final review. If the commission approves, construction will begin, although there is no specific date yet.

George Rahael, Gisele Rahael, and Michael Rahael. {courtesy city of Coral Springs}

George Rahael, Amera CEO and founder, said his focus is to build a pedestrian-friendly part of the community, similar to The Walk, another Amera property.

Rahael said that the company purchased its first unit in Village Square over 40 years ago. At the time, his son Michael, broker, and director of real estate services, were younger than one year old.

Rahael views the property as being important not only to him and his children but to future generations.

Rahael believes that City Village will have a significant impact on the city and its residents and is glad that Amera has closer to making its vision a reality for residents.

“I can’t express enough what it means to us to finally get to this point,” he said. “I’m thrilled that we are here.”

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Bryan Boggiano

Bryan has a degree in journalism from the University of Florida and earned his masters in geosciences from Florida International University, where he focused in atmospheric sciences. His interests include weather, entertainment, and municipal government.