Business View Magazine - August 2016 91
Phillip Holste is Davie’s Assistant Town Administrator,
responsible for buildings, engineering, planning and
zoning, public works, and economic development. He
reports that the town has seen about $500 million
worth of growth and new construction over the past
few years in a combination of commercial, residential,
and industrial projects. “Basically, the emphasis has
been on identified redevelopment areas where we’re
happy to see new development come in,” he says.
“The impetus for the development of Davie that we’re
seeing going on today, is driven through the Town’s Re-
gional Activity Center.”
Regional Activity Centers (RACs) are land-use designa-
tions intended to encourage attractive and functional
mixed living, working, shopping, education, and rec-
reational activities. Examples of areas which may be
appropriate include downtown and redevelopment ar-
eas, regional employment centers, centers for tourism,
and areas surrounding regional community facilities
such as airports, colleges and universities, convention
centers, or governmental complexes. Davie’s Regional
Activity Center Designation was adopted in 1998 and
covers approximately 2,200 acres east of University
Avenue. The Master Plan for the RAC was adopted in
2006, with the intent of creating a “multi-purpose,
pedestrian-friendly, and interconnected mixed-use
village with the benefits of access to transit, variable
housing costs, and economic development opportuni-
ties.”
Within the RAC is a project called the Academical Vil-
lage, which is being developed by Nova Southeastern
University (NSU) in partnership with the Brandon Com-
pany, a local real estate development corporation. The
Village will comprise 2,500,000 square feet of premier
retail, residential, hotel, office, and medical space and
will be located on thirty acres of property. 825 urban-
style apartments will feature balconies, campus views,
a pool, and health facilities. The project will be an-
