Negotiations Begin with Palm 78 LLC to Anchor
Old Town Arts and Entertainment District
Submitted by Kay Renz
The Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has accepted a proposal by Palm 78 LLC to design, fund, maintain, and operate a seafood and steakhouse restaurant concept in the space known as the “Wash House.” Negotiations between the CRA and restaurant group have now commenced, with the goal of transforming the site into an anchor for the Old Town Arts and Entertainment District.
“The team from Palm 78 has crafted an exciting proposal for the space, one that will support our goal of creating a thriving dining destination,” said Nguyen Tran. “With a successful track record of developing restaurants with a robust following, Lino Joseph and his partners presented an impressive plan for the space, and we look forward to moving this project to the next phase.”
The “Wash House,” the moniker locals have dubbed the former laundromat, is a 6,000 square foot building on the corner of N. Flagler Avenue and NE 1st Street. This is a prime location for a restaurant with a roof deck, and it will become an anchor for the area which has already attracted several premiere names in the hospitality industry including restaurateur Mike Linder, whose South PMP Kitchen & Bar will be opening shortly.
Lino Joseph, owner of Palm 78, is an entrepreneur and restaurateur with businesses in the real estate investment and restaurant industries. A native of Miami who has loved the culinary arts since attending Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Joseph has been in the restaurant industry for eight years. He is the concept creator and owner of five restaurants located in affluent metro Atlanta communities. These include four upscale Caribbean restaurants named Spice House featuring a menu which creatively incorporates the influences of dishes from various islands like Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands. Palm 78 is Joseph’s newest restaurant, which opened July 2022 and is an elegant, sophisticated steak and seafood restaurant for lovers of tropical-infused cuisine and unique craft cocktails.
The Palm 78 concept is the one Joseph is proposing for Pompano Beach, and he has assembled a team with extensive experience and local knowledge to develop the site and operate the restaurant.
About the Pompano Beach CRA:
The City of Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was created in 1989. It has two independent districts: Northwest CRA and East CRA established by City government for the purpose of carrying out redevelopment activities that include reducing or eliminating blight, improving the economic health of an area, and encouraging public and private investments in a CRA district.
The Pompano Beach CRA is funded through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The funds are collected as property values increase and a portion of that increase is captured by the Agency. TIF raises revenue for redevelopment efforts without raising taxes. For more information www.pompanobeachfl.gov/pages/cra