Pembroke Pines Archives

CGA prepared the master site plan and detail design engineering plans for The Shops at Pembroke Gardens – a 400,000 sq. ft. lifestyle center designed to promote a vibrant, dynamic, and successful pedestrian retail environment. Located on approximately forty (40) acres within the City of Pembroke Pines, The Shops at Pembroke Gardens provides a unique pedestrian shopping experience consisting of a variety of national, regional, and local retailers. CGA created an urban design plan that consisted of an ample, tree-lined main street, a central green, and small pocket park areas. A trolley stop was also designed to serve the neighboring Century Village Residents. CGA also processed the plat, master site plan, and rezoning for the site. The site was rezoned from A-1 to Planned Commercial Development (PCD), and CGA worked with the developer and the City to create design guidelines tailored specifically to the project. The guidelines were written to provide sufficient flexibility to each retailer to bring forth its unique image and identity, resulting in a true downtown shopping experience. Additionally, CGA processed site plan amendment applications for the Lifestyle Center’s perimeter buildings, each of which required separate architectural review and approval.

The City of Pembroke Pines is the second-largest city in Broward County and at one point was the fastest growing city in the nation. Pembroke Pines maintained a large building and zoning department to accommodate the robust activity. Unfortunately, as economic conditions slowed, the City was forced to evaluate options to cut costs and provide building department services, which could more efficiently adjust to the changes in building activity. The City decided to contract with a private service provider. In June 2009 the Pembroke Pines City Commissioners voted to approve a five-year contract with CGA to administrate the City’s Building Department services.

Since 2009, CGA has acted as the City’s total turn-key building code services provider including permit application and fee intake. The entire process has been automated by CGA’s internal software, which allows citizens and contractors to access information via the web including, permit status, schedule inspections and even make secure payments. This automated system along with CGA’s ability to fluctuate staffing levels to match the workload has resulted in a positive solution for the City of Pembroke Pines.