InTown Partners consists of Florida-based community development company Plus 2 Development Group, community revitalization organization McCormack Baron Salazar and architecture firm Torti Gallas & Partners. "It's a main street project which is an extension of Boynton Beach's downtown core," InTown Partners president Samantha Simons tells GlobeSt.com. "We're building a sense of place. It will drive people towards being there."

Spanning approximately 26 acres, Seacrest Village will be bordered by Seacrest Boulevard to the west and Federal Highway to the east. When the project is completed, it will feature an estimated 1.5 million sf of new construction. The uses currently on the site, which have fallen into disrepair in recent years, will be demolished to make room for the new development. "We're trying to bring back the people who left the community before it went downhill," Simon says.

There will be approximately 1,000 residential units, 100 of which will be work force housing. The project will also include 175,000 sf of commercial use, including retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, a grocery store, fitness center and spa, cafes, professional office space and a new church. InTown is offering $30,000 subsidies to qualified applicants seeking to buy the work force housing units.

"Facilitating home ownership and work force housing is a principle housing component of our team's vision," Simon says. "We want to attract a mix of incomes to the communities we develop providing a neighborhood setting, economic stability and sustainability."

Simons, and Plus 2 Development Group partner Barbara Rudd, first met with city officials regarding the project in 2000 and were awarded the RFP for Seacrest Village in August. The plan is still in the design phase, with developers planning to seek various approvals for the project in the coming months. Groundbreaking for the project will occur in about 18 months, Simons says.

The site is in close proximity to a rail line that is currently used for commercial purposes, but is expected to be developed into a commuter line from Jupiter to Miami in the coming years. "The site will have some transit-oriented uses on the site, such as a Park 'N Ride," Simon says.