Diamond Square CRA

About the Diamond Square CRA
The Diamond Square CRA (Community Redevelopment Area) is located on the southern border of the City and encompasses the area bounded by Pineda Street on the west, School Street on the north, the Florida East Coast Railroad on the east, and Rosa L. Jones Drive on the south. 
 
The Diamond Square CRA, originally named Census Tract 626, was established through City of Cocoa Ordinance No. 13-98 and is governed by a 7-member board, which meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at Cocoa City Hall located at 65 Stone Street in Cocoa Village.

Façade Grant


The Diamond Square Community Redevelopment Agency administers matching grants up to $10,000 for qualified properties through the Commercial Façade Improvement Program.
 


Diamond Square CRA Projects
Stone Street Streetscaping Project

In line with the updated Diamond Square Redevelopment Plan Update, the Stone Street project was seen as a way to create a feeling of new beginnings while still remembering the history of the corridor and meets many of the objectives within the updated plan. Phase 1 of the two phase streetscape will extend from the FEC railroad to just west of the intersection of Stone Street and Washington Avenue, with Phase 2 extending from Washington Avenue to Fiske Boulevard. The 0.5 miles of streetscape improvements include sidewalks, street trees and streetlights. Design and engineering plans were completed for the streetscaping improvements in August 2017. The estimated cost of construction is $1 million, with construction commencing in May 2018.

Joe Lee Smith Center
Located at 419 Washington Street, City of Cocoa is seeking capital funding for the construction of a Center for Justice dedicated to the advancement of social, economic, health, and environmental justice serving the Diamond Square CRA. The Diamond Square CRA is a partner in the development of Center, where proposed services include health care, senior programs, workforce training and services, educational assistance, youth recreation, and a community meeting space. It is anticipated that the facility would need to expand to 18,000 square feet to accommodate the proposed services. Qualified as a Community Contribution Tax Credit Program, No. CC-0502-A, the Diamond Square CRA, a CDBG Section 108 Loan Guarantee and the City General Fund will fund this project. The estimated project cost is $3.5 million.


Diamond Square Community Garden


In FY 2017, the CRA began its St. Mark’s Community Garden initiative, located at 1112 Peachtree Street. The community garden is consistent with the Diamond Square CRA Redevelopment Plan goal to, “Establish parks, recreation, open space and beautification efforts to create an improved character for the Redevelopment area that will reflect a pleasant appealing atmosphere for working and residing in the area.” In addition, the .33 acres community garden has the potential to bring no or low cost, fresh produce to the redevelopment area, which is a food desert. A deep-rooted issue within the Diamond Square CRA area is the absence of grocery stores. St. Mark’s Community Garden is a community-led initiative, made successful by a partnership between the CRA, area organizations and residents. The garden’s anticipated opening is mid-FY 2018, with estimated project costs TBD.