From the Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/sou...-home-headlines (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cdowntown27jul27,0,3968248.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines)

There's a web-poll the goes along with this. The unfortunate results:

Bad idea - 63.5%
Good idea - 29.9%
Don't know - 6.6%


Lauderdale commission backs plan for 13,000 more units downtown

By Brittany Wallman
Staff Writer
Posted July 27 2004

FORT LAUDERDALE -- City commissioners threw support Monday behind a growth explosion that would allow more residential development downtown, the equivalent of 40 to 50 additional condo buildings.

A majority of commissioners agreed in a special meeting Monday to begin the yearlong, city-county-state approval process that would allow 13,000 more residential units -- houses, condos, apartments -- to be built in the urban core. Those 13,000 units would add between 19,500 and 26,000 residents to the downtown, according to city Planning Director Bruce Chatterton.

At 300 units per condo tower, that would amount to 43 new high-rises downtown.

Officials agreed that the downtown is only at half or a third of its development potential for housing and that it won't be fully functional as the "live, work, play" environment advertised until more people live there.

"Let's take control of our destiny," said Vice Mayor Dean Trantalis, agreeing to push the application forward.

Only Mayor Jim Naugle disagreed, saying the application should be stalled a year while commissioners put the proper laws in place, such as a possible new impact fee for more parks, and while South Florida transit officials work on getting passenger traffic back on the downtown FEC rail lines.

He held up a newspaper ad for condos in Aventura that said, "Who needs Las Olas? You can keep the crowded streets, the noise, the congestion."

The approval came in a joint meeting Monday between the City Commission and the Downtown Development Authority. The authority requested the meeting, hoping to talk the city into applying for 9,907 more residential units. It got more than it had hoped for.

Most officials agreed that even though about a dozen high-rises are under construction downtown, the urban heart of the city is still in its infancy and can't operate efficiently, with mass transit, affordable housing and sufficient parks and other services, until and unless there are more people living there.

The authority already is moving ahead to build light rail transit downtown but figured at least another 10,000 units or more were needed to make it successful. The board had sent letters over the weekend urging attendance at the pivotal joint meeting, and the room was packed with at least 50 people, many of them downtown property owners.

The Downtown Development Authority, a developer-packed board appointed by commissioners but with taxing power over commercial property downtown, governs a 749-acre urban chunk generally from Southeast Seventh Street to Northeast Sixth Street, and from Federal Highway west to Southwest Fourth Avenue.

The downtown operates under a maximum housing limit, currently 8,543 units, under the city's land use plan. But because the housing cap has been all but reached south of Broward Boulevard downtown, redevelopment there has come to a halt. North of Broward Boulevard, there are still units available.

But commissioners said they're looking long-term and don't want to go through the lengthy bureaucratic approval process more than once.

"I say this all the time," said Commissioner Carlton Moore, urging his colleagues to go for as many units as the state will allow, "either we're going to run with the rabbits or bark with the dogs. Either we're going to be the urban center or not."

The deal is far from done. The vote sends the application for discussion at the city's Development Review Committee meeting on Aug. 3, then to the Planning and Zoning Board on Aug. 18. The proposal comes back before city commissioners at their Sept. 8 meeting. Then it heads to the Broward County Planning Council on Sept. 15.

Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson tried to head off the e-mails, letters or calls she feared she'd get from people who might misunderstand what happened Monday.

"We're moving forward in a process that may or may not succeed," said Hutchinson, who vowed that the proper laws would be in place before the units would be released a year from now. Even then, development projects aren't sure to be approved.

She and others on the commission agreed there are things they'd like to see with the next wave of development, including lower prices.

Betty Hays summed it up when she said she's a college professor who earns a good wage. But, she said, "there's no way I could afford to live in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Where are the workers going to live?"

Commissioners said they'll wait for a recommendation from the Downtown Development Authority on how to fashion an ordinance to achieve affordable housing before deciding whether to pay for a major study.

Development is a touchy issue in the city, and commissioners know what kind of reaction they might face.

The authority's report Monday, based only on the 9,907 units, figured the added people would generate 22,587 more car trips a day downtown.

Commissioners last week were tangled in a debate about overdevelopment as they debated whether to swap land on the beach with the Hyde Park Market site downtown so the Las Olas property could become a park.

The plan failed, but a new proposal floated by former Commissioner Tim Smith would have the city swapping Huizenga Plaza park, on Las Olas at Andrews Avenue, with the Hyde Market site.

At that meeting, emotions about perceived overdevelopment flared, causing beach resident Judy Scher to say, "If you bend over in Fort Lauderdale, they build something [on your back]."

It still has a ways to go before becoming reality, but it seems very possible. I like the aggressiveness of the commission. I think Ft. Lauderdale is on its way to having one hell of a downtown.

^Hopefully the commission won't bow down to the city's selfish and shortsighted NIMBY's. Its strange that people complain about traffic and sprawl, but also reject the idea of adding people to the inner city, which in the long run could possibly take thousands of people off the streets and save the Everglades.

^The key to what you just said is "in the long run." NIMBY's aren't thinking about the big picture, they're thinking about themselves at this very moment. What's good for me NOW. It's ridiculous.

I just hope that a good chunk of the units that are added, assuming they get added, are affordable to not just the filthy rich. Everyone should have the option of living in the downtown core of their city.

The problem with FTL is, well, FTL residents. Broward County has to the epicenter of nimbyism for the state of Florida.

I do applaud the commission. I hope they stand firm.

50 new highrises downtown would make FTL the best skyline in the state easy. I already love it driving North on 95 at night...god, just imagine the density.

What are the odds that they'll end up with a compromise ?

Ok I have to chime in on this. Im a Broward resident. I work right on Las Olas downtown. I used to work in Boca. SO I was so happy when I got promoted and my new job was in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. With this thought in mind I was like great I can work downtown and now I can move downtown and cut my commute to a short walk instead of an hour commute each way. I thought all of these buildings going up I would be able to find a place. Turns out I can not afford ANY of these units in ANY of the new buildings. Im your everyday joe I make mid 30's and of all the new developement going up in downtown Ft. Lauderdale none of it will benefit everyday people like myself. I already suspect people who DO NOT live here will purchase these units as summer and winter residences and they will be vacant most of the time.

Secondly, My company is relocating out of Ft. Lauderdale we occupy every floor of an 11 storey building and we will vacate it within months to move everything to Boca. My point with this is as long as office parks keep springing up out west along 595 and around Sawgrass and other areas in Broward, the downtown will always be as small as it is business wise. So already we have like 12 condo projects going up or completed if people do move into these they will still keep their commutes to the suburbs and other areas and downtown will be a giant residental complex.

What Ft Lauderdales commissoners need to worry about is offering companies tax incentives to draw them to Downtown and getting peoples commutes to go from a car ride to a short walk. This is all easier said than done I know. They do need AFFORDABLE housing in downtown I dont disagree with that but as it stands right now its expensive and caters to a higher income bracket.

I do not support any more new growth until they learn to balance employment with housing with recreation.

There idea is a fucking joke.

As I read in the Sun Sentinel article:

Betty Hays summed it up when she said she's a college professor who earns a good wage. But, she said, "there's no way I could afford to live in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Where are the workers going to live?"

Commissioners said they'll wait for a recommendation from the Downtown Development Authority on how to fashion an ordinance to achieve affordable housing before deciding whether to pay for a major study.

end quote

This is what im talknig about even a college professor can not afford to live down here...

Stopping building won't lower prices though. In fact the more you build, the cheaper units will get. You have to satisfy the demand that's there. How do you propose getting cheaper units in there? Any subsidized units will most likely go to low-wage earners and one would most likely have to qualify to buy it. That still leaves out the middle class. That's why we need an increase in density and numbers. Prices will fall.

ScraperDude, your points are very valid, but stopping growth is a knee jerk reaction that will only cause prices to increase, because there will a limited supply of units to meet the large demand for urban living.

I see your points. It never occured to me that prices would go down as more units are built. However aside from the cost issues the job centers are spread out. I do not know the office vacancy rate for DT FLL but there are no current commercial buildings going up anytime soon as far as I know. I would think that if corporations move into DT FLL it would draw more people to live here, but as it is my company is moving because the prices are high for our building and Ft Lauderdale's tax break was not enough to keep my company here so its gone. Theres 600 to 800 of us here in this building and were gone because of DT cost issues.

I'm excited about the boom in building going on throughout South Florida, but I agree that the pricing on just about everything going up here is too expensive. The good news is that what goes up, must come down, and in terms of pricing/building, what is happening in Miami and Fort Lauderdale (and West Palm Beach) as well as in the surrounding metros smells like a good 'ol fashioned Florida Land Boom. At some point, either through a glut of housing hitting the market, or through the very real fact that nobody, even the middle class can afford substandard housing anymore...let alone high rise housing, people will move. The prices will drop, and everything will work itself out.

What DOES disturb me is that these high rise projects are merely vertical versions of "gated communities." In order for the metropolis to reverse the trends prevalent, they need more variety and availability.

However, I do hope they build everything, just so we'll have resale stock in the future!

I'm also of the opinion that business go to where the people are. The downtown office towers have gone out of style. They want their offices where the people are, which is mostly in the suburbs. As more people start to live in our downtowns, more business and offices will follow them. Just my theory.

You still have the affordable thing, and right now, business' are still in downturn mode. As the economy picks up, we'll start to see more money flowing through, and having that downtown address will start to be more appealing.

$110 million loan clears way for Hilton hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach

By Tom Stieghorst
Business Writer
Posted August 27 2004

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Another of the large hotels proposed for Fort Lauderdale beach has gained financing, a key step towards construction.

Hypo Real Estate Capital Corp., of Dublin, Ireland, will provide a $110 million loan to the developers of the Q Club Resort and Residences, which is slated to become the first Fort Lauderdale beach property flagged as a Hilton.

The financing, announced by the developers, clears the way to begin building the 333-unit condo/hotel. The 24-story project is scheduled to be finished by fall 2006.

This year's improvement in travel has made it easier for hotels seeking financing. The visitors bureau in Fort Lauderdale reported on Thursday that hotel occupancy topped 70 percent in July, the first time ever for that month.

The July occupancy rate of 70.1 percent, was an increase of 6.5 percentage points over the July 2003 rate of 63.6 percent. Average daily rate for the month rose 1.9 percent to $74.19.

"All of the elements necessary for the project to commence are in place," said Robert Kaplan, managing director of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP, whose Miami office brokered the financing for the Q Club.

Last month, Hilton Hotels & Resorts agreed to operate the Q Club, lending a leading brand name to the project. About two-thirds of the units in the project, at 505 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., have been sold.

In a condo/hotel, individuals buy the units and agree to use them only part of the year. The rest of the time they are available for hotel rental through Hilton.

The Q Club developers, Costa Dorada Associates Ltd., said they began the project three months ago using their own funds, while waiting for the loan to be final. Stiles Corp. is the general contractor.

Q Club is one of a half-dozen projects proposed for the beach in the late 1990s. It was approved in 2001, but like other projects was delayed by the downturn in the economy and the travel slump after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Earlier this summer, the 124-unit Atlantic condo/hotel opened nearby. Also on the beach, a St. Regis hotel is under construction. A W Hotel that includes 171 condo/hotel units began sales in late April and hopes to open by 2006.

Tom Stieghorst can be reached at tstieghorst@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5008.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zqclub27aug27,1,1240828.story

Fort Lauderdale debates double condo tower at Riverfront

By Jean-Paul Renaud
Staff Writer
Posted September 20 2004

Fort Lauderdale -- City commissioners are expected to cast the final vote Tuesday on the future of a mammoth 253-unit, double-tower condominium project scheduled for construction across from some of the city's oldest landmarks.

If approved, The Strand at Riverfront would be one of the tallest buildings in downtown Fort Lauderdale, with one tower reaching 25 stories and the other surpassing it by 11 floors. The tallest building in the city is the 42-story River House in downtown.


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The commission's blessing also would mean the demolition of the still-open Las Olas Riverfront movie theater, the only movie house in the area. The city's Planning and Zoning staff already has approved the Strand plan, but some commissioners question whether the project would enhance the area.

"It overwhelms the neighborhood," Vice Mayor Dean Trantalis said. "I think to the extent that we are trying to establish a pedestrian-friendly environment, I think that having high-rises that kind of overpower the environment would be a detriment to the planning of our city."

The "Antiguan" style towers would showcase red-orange roofs, covered porches, arched openings and a six-story parking garage, according to city records. Officials said the buildings would have adequate parking -- 441 spaces for residents.

The project, by developer Michael Swerdlow, has raised eyebrows among historians, who fear a construction site would harm nearby century-old buildings. Henry Flagler's East Coast Railway tracks separate the historic village, dubbed Old Fort Lauderdale, from the proposed site and several historic landmarks dot the area along the New River. Among them is the 99-year-old New River Inn, the Colonial Hotel, built in 1922, and the Philemon Bryan House, built in 1905.

At a meeting of the city's Historic Preservation Board, historians expressed concern that the two towering structures would not match the area's historic buildings, which represent the birthplace of the city's commercial area.

Fort Lauderdale Historical Society president William Crawford Jr. said in a July preservation board meeting that he was concerned the size of the proposed structure would overshadow the two-story buildings across the tracks. The society manages the village. He also said construction debris and parking headaches would harm the society's $40,000-a-month operation and its buildings.

Still, project officials said the buildings would not harm the area, but add color to it.

"The Strand is a beautiful project that will only enhance Las Olas Riverfront while at the same time supporting the merchants in the same area," said Anne Kazel, a spokeswoman for Las Olas Riverfront.

If the City Commission approves the project, the site must still pass muster with Broward County, which must approve residential units on a lot now zoned for commercial use.

Jean-Paul Renaud can be reached at jprenaud@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4556.
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Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ctower20sep20,0,1703100.story

when are these people going to realize that density enhances streetlife, not overwhelm's it?

oo i hope this gets built!

Broward officials unveil plan for government complex in downtown Lauderdale

By Scott Wyman
Staff writer
Posted October 20 2004

A high-rise government center surrounded by condos, shopping plazas and parks could mark the next phase of downtown Fort Lauderdale's redevelopment over the next decade under plans that consultants laid out for Broward County commissioners Tuesday.

The project could cost as much as $826 million with up to nine new buildings built in the four-block radius of Broward Boulevard and Andrews Avenue. As part of the project, Broward Boulevard would be revamped to be a more appealing entrance to the downtown with a 70-foot-wide median of trees and fountains.


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County officials have wanted to move out of the old Burdines department store that's been home for almost 20 years and also to ensure the growing downtown includes affordable housing, mass transit and a subtropical flair.

Consultants told them that vision was not only doable, but that private developers rather than taxpayers could shoulder most of the cost. They think developers would be willing to build the government center and subsidize affordable housing in exchange for the chance to redevelop county property between Las Olas Boulevard and Himmarshee Village.

"Your vision of what the county can do to stimulate the downtown core is significant, and the development interest will be large and likely national in scope," Miami-based design consultant Bernard Zyscovich said. "Everyone wants to be in South Florida, and this is highly valuable property."

Commissioners expressed skepticism both about the financing and the design. Rather than move ahead with putting the project out to bid, they scheduled another workshop to flesh out the plans with Zyscovich and his team and then want to meet with Fort Lauderdale city officials.

In his 150-page report, Zyscovich offered the county three visions for how the project could work. All involve the redevelopment of the Burdines building on Andrews, its adjoining offices, the county parking garage and the public bus terminal as well as the acquisition of privately owned land at the northwest corner of Andrews and Broward.

Developers would offer their own plans as part of their bids, but Zyscovich told commissioners that his team's analysis of the land and market trends showed that they could create up to 1,500 condos, at least 125,000 square feet for retail and a 150-room hotel. The new government center would give county agencies almost an extra 100,000 square feet.

The average sales price of the new condos would likely be around $600,000, according to the study. But 10 percent would be marketed as affordable housing.

Zyscovich said the county's options to encourage affordable housing on the property were limited because the buildings would be high-rises that are expensive to construct. He said commissioners could build more affordable housing if they required builders to redevelop nearby neighborhoods and place the lower-priced housing there.

The new Broward Boulevard median would be just part of the additional green space in the area. About a quarter of the four-block area would be set aside for parks and plazas. There also would be additional trees and foliage planted along Broward, Brickell Avenue and Andrews.

The most controversial aspect of the plan was how the new government building would be paid for. The project could require a multimillion-dollar county subsidy unless the city of Fort Lauderdale joins in, putting its downtown property into the mix.

The project would make the most money for developers and require less from the county if the government center could be built north of Broward Boulevard, but that would require the city's involvement. The land south of Broward is considered more valuable for private development.

Also, the Zyscovich team predicted developers would want the county to sign a 25-year lease of the new government center at market rent rates.

They said the deal could be structured so the county takes possession of the building at the end of the lease. The rent also could be offset in part by the rent and taxes that the developer would pay the county for the land dedicated to the offices, shops, condos and hotel.

County Commissioner John Rodstrom charged that the plan was an end run around voter approval for a bond issue to build a government center. He questioned why developers would be so generous.

"I don't know how much you throw at something before deciding, `Hey, it might have been better to go ask the public for $100 million to build a government center,'" Rodstrom said.

Zyscovich's team and Jack Loos, a member of the Downtown Development Authority, said the real estate that the county would offer is so lucrative that developers would fight hard for the opportunity.

Mayor Ilene Lieberman and Commissioner Kristin Jacobs said the county has outgrown the Governmental Center and should seize the chance to address that problem while ensuring downtown Fort Lauderdale grows in a way the public wants.

"This is a Burdines, for God's sake," Jacobs said. "It's time we move up into the 21st century."

Scott Wyman can be reached at swyman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4511.
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Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ccounty20oct20,0,81980.story