Haute Residence hosted a webinar on why many of the Sunrise, FL, region’s corporate powerhouses now call Sunrise home, and how this community is melding suburban living with the best of urban lifestyles.
Watch the webinar below.
The dialogue featured:
- Erick Collazo, Vice President of Commercial Development, Metropica
- Danielle Cohen Lima, Economic & Community Enrichment Manager, City of Sunrise
- Kate C. Goldman, Director, Government & Community Relations, Broward County, Baptist Health South Florida
They were hosted by Haute Living's April Donelson.
ONE Metropica Residences, design by YOO
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Metropica Development LLC
Highlight quotes:
Erick Collazo
On how Metropica is changing the area’s landscape, bringing an urban feel to a suburban community, and why that is important to Sunrise...
“Similar to what's happened around the United States, typically suburban markets start as bedroom communities, as Sunrise did in the 70s and 80s. Then it evolved in the 90s to become a destination, between the construction of the Sawgrass Mills project and the BB&T Center across the street. Later, it became a job center in the 2000s by attracting tenants like HBO Latin America, American Express, and Ford.
“It afforded us the opportunity to actually bring in an urban landscape that would allow us to create an urban center for the Western portions of Broward County. So our objective in creating Metropica as a downtown for the Western portion of Broward County gave us the opportunity to go denser, to create height in the project, and to create socialization centers, not unlike what you're seeing along the eastern seaboard of South Florida.”
On Metropica’s multi-use residences, facilities, and location
“Our focus is creating socialization in those areas where people that work or live in the same complex have the ability to go down and have a coffee or have dinner and meet with friends. They can also go see a hockey game or a concert across the street to the BB&T Center, and, of course, we have Sawgrass next to us with plenty of retail. So the retail will still be successful as the pandemic leaves and there will still be more demand for socialization-type activities out of the project.
“Between Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County we are truly the 50-yard line. We're the midfield of the entire urban core of South Florida. So that also has attracted new residents to the marketplace that were unaware of the infrastructure and the facilities that this marketplace offered.”
Danielle Cohen Lima
On how Sunrise business-friendly model and how it has been successful in drawing top-flite organizations
“I focus on economic development and redevelopment and attracting new businesses [to Sunrise] on a daily basis. Having direct access to I-75, I-595, and Florida’s Turnpike, makes Sunrise an attractive place for businesses to come because they know that they can [tap into] that pool of over 2.7 million workers in the region. Also, in terms of our location, we have a 650-acre international corporate park right in the heart of our business and entertainment district. And with having that corporate park, we already have all the infrastructure in place for businesses to come here.
“We need to be able to be competitive when it comes to incentives and we are. We find very creative ways to incentivize companies to come here, and we customize those incentives based on what that company is bringing to the city.”
On the continuing growth of Sunrise
“Our original neighborhoods in Sunrise are the eastern portion of the city, and we completed a master plan for that particular area of the city about two years ago. That's when I was brought in, to implement some of the recommendations of that master plan. The City has already invested about $30 million in making improvements to the original neighborhoods which really have so much character and a small-town feel.”
Sunrise in a nutshell
“Sunrise is a great location with an amazing quality of life. It's a financially stable city with great people and a close-knit community. It’s a great place to live, work, and play.”
Kate C. Goldman
On Baptist Health’s commitment to Sunrise
"We have an existing patient location in Sunrise, having been there for 10 years now. It's an amazing municipality, impeccably run, with beautiful parks. We are a non-profit hospital organization. Years ago, we made the commitment to develop a relationship with the City and its residents. It has been a wonderful partnership for Baptist Health and we are looking to continue growing that.”
We really do take pride in caring for the Sunrise community; it is a really tremendous community. I spent a lot of my time involved with the Chamber of Commerce in Sunrise which is phenomenal as well and really supports its businesses. I’ve spent some time working with the Mayor [Michael Ryan] and his Advisory Council. They are people that really care about their constituents and the residents of the City of Sunrise. They do a tremendous job making sure that the residents and the community have what they need to be happy, healthy, and secure.”
On how Baptist Health has evolved its healthcare services in Sunrise and beyond to meet the needs of communities
“We not only have primary care physicians, but we also have pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency medicine, as well as even mental and behavioral health. We have different modalities that people can access, including nutrition services, through our care on-demand app. Our website is also extraordinarily comprehensive and explains all of the services that we provide to the South Florida community at large.”
This webinar was hosted and curated by Haute Residence. To watch more, visit https://www.hauteresidence.com/
