By ONEWISDOMWAY ™ | Guided by Wisdom. Defined by Excellence.
For nearly three decades, the City of Margate has owned roughly 50 acres in the heart of its downtown with a single, patient goal: transform it into a true city center. That goal took a major step toward reality on September 9, 2026, when the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board passed a resolution approving the final concept design submitted by development partner Brookfield Properties for the Margate City Center project.
For homeowners, investors, and anyone tracking Broward County’s next growth corridor, this is the kind of approval worth paying attention to.
The resolution formalizes the concept design for Margate City Center, a mixed-use development planned for approximately 50 acres near the intersection of State Road 7 and Margate Boulevard. City Manager Cale Curtis, who also serves as the CRA’s Executive Director, has described the project as a “vibrant mixed-use” destination anchored by dining, entertainment, and residential living — an “eatertainment” hub designed to draw people in and keep them there rather than a simple retail strip.
The design that received board approval covers the first 17 acres of the larger 50-acre footprint, following a concept design presentation to the MCRA Board back in July 2026. Community engagement has been part of the process from the start: the first public meeting was held in October 2025, where Brookfield representatives walked residents through early renderings and gathered feedback that helped shape the plan now moving forward.
The city center is being framed not just as a placemaking project, but as a long-term economic engine for Margate:
Those figures put Margate City Center in the same conversation as some of the county’s most ambitious redevelopment efforts, and they signal that this is a project built to generate returns for decades, not just a one-time construction boost.
According to city information released alongside the approval, the first phase is expected to include roughly 350 residential units, ground-floor retail and restaurant space, and a pavilion designed to host large community events. The plan also carves out meaningful recreational space: pickleball courts, a dog park, a children’s play area, and general recreation space are all part of the concept, alongside a parking garage sized to serve both residents and visitors.
The overall vision blends dining, entertainment, retail, and residential living into what the city is calling a pedestrian-friendly “Main and Main” — a walkable downtown core that Margate, notably, has never really had. The development agreement between the CRA and Brookfield DA Holdings LLC allows the project to proceed in up to three phases, combining the CRA’s roughly 50 acres with an additional 8.8 acres owned by the city to create a new civic town square.
Approval wasn’t unanimous in spirit, even if the resolution passed. CRA Vice-Chair Tommy Ruzzano voiced opposition, arguing the agency could manage the project more effectively on its own rather than partnering with an outside developer. Commissioner Arlene Schwartz took the opposite view, emphasizing that the city center is a critical piece of Margate’s development future.
That kind of disagreement is worth noting for anyone evaluating the project’s timeline — public debate over governance and structure can influence pacing, even after a resolution has passed.
Margate has spent years working in the shadow of higher-profile Broward redevelopment stories — the Amerant Bank Arena district in Sunrise, MainStreet at Coconut Creek, Pier Sixty-Six’s next phase in Fort Lauderdale. A formally approved, developer-backed city center changes that dynamic in a few concrete ways:
A new anchor for property values along State Road 7. Mixed-use anchors tend to lift surrounding property values over time, particularly for existing homes and smaller multifamily properties within walking or short-driving distance of new retail, dining, and green space.
Momentum for nearby communities. Margate sits alongside Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, and North Lauderdale — all areas where ONEWISDOMWAY has tracked steady buyer interest. A walkable downtown with entertainment and dining options gives agents another selling point for listings in the broader northwest Broward corridor.
A long runway, not an overnight shift. With phasing spread across up to three stages and Phase I still working through design-to-construction timelines, this is a multi-year story. Buyers and investors watching the area should think in terms of positioning ahead of build-out, not chasing a market that has already moved.
A test case for CRA-led development in Broward. The ground rent and lease structure — $250 million projected to flow to the CRA over time — is a model other Broward municipalities are likely to watch closely. If it performs as projected, expect more cities to pursue similar public-private redevelopment agreements on land they’ve held for redevelopment.
Margate City Center is still in its early innings. The approved concept design covers the first 17 of the planned 50 acres, and the development agreement’s phased structure means the full build-out will unfold over years, not months. For now, the September 9 vote marks the clearest signal yet that Margate’s long-held redevelopment ambitions for its downtown are moving from planning documents to an active project with a committed development partner.
For buyers, sellers, and investors in northwest Broward County, it’s a corridor worth watching — and one ONEWISDOMWAY will continue tracking as design work, permitting, and construction milestones unfold.