Second night the Las Olas River House has a neon blue lights lining the top of both blue towers. Looks pretty good.

Second night the Las Olas River House has a neon blue lights lining the top of both blue towers. Looks pretty good.

Noticed it Friday and Saturday night too, looks nice.

What a crappy location to put a parking garage. Across the street from the historic firehouse, historic Southside School and a park :ohno:

Old Coca-Cola site on South Andrews Avenue gets committee's nod for courthouse parking garage

By Russell Small November 4, 2010 07:29 PM
Staff Writer Jon Burstein reports:

A Broward County committee unanimously recommended Thursday night that a 1,000-space parking garage for the new courthouse be built at the old Coca-Cola bottling plant site on South Andrews Avenue.

The selection committee’s choice for the garage site now will go before the Broward County Commission for approval. The project developer — Fort Lauderdale-based Stiles Corp. — won the committee’s endorsement after promising it could stay within the county’s $29.5 million budget to build the garage as well as a covered walkway leading to the new courthouse.

There were two other bids — one proposing to add new spaces to the existing courthouse parking garage and the other plan putting a garage north of the Publix on South Andrews Avenue.

The battle for the garage project has pitted some of Fort Lauderdale’s major players in the downtown area against each other.
Four of the seven board members of Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority have some financial stake in where the new parking garage goes. The authority is charged with maintaining and redeveloping the downtown. City commissioners appoint the authority’s board members, who must either own land in Fort Lauderdale’s central core or run a company that owns land there.

The site of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant — along the 600 block of South Andrews Avenue -- is owned by authority member Fred Fazio and former authority chairman Jack Loos. Stiles executive Denny O’Shea sits on the board too.

Another board member, William Scherer, and his team is pushing the proposal to add three stories to the existing 2,300-space courthouse parking garage. He wants to contract out the garage’s management to fellow authority member Bill Bodenhamer’s company, USA Parking.

The third bid was put in by Kygo LLC, which owns the land north of the Publix.

The Stiles team told the parking garage selection committee that its proposal was “risk-free” compared to the other two options and could be built in 18 months after permits are approved.

Scherer’s team argued to the committee that its bid saves taxpayers $5 million because the county doesn’t need to buy new land. Committee members, though, questioned how the current courthouse entrance from the parking garage could accommodate so many more people that would be coming through it.

Kygo’s representatives acknowledged Thursday that the county’s proposed purchase of land at $60 per square foot was too low and there would need to be some negotiations. Kygo LLC suggested that it could retain the garage’s air rights, eventually topping it with floors of office space.

All five members of the selection committee rated the Stiles proposal as their top choice. The committee is composed of Court Administrator Carol Lee Ortman, Clerk of Courts Howard Forman, Public Works Director Thomas Hutka, Port Director Phil Allen and Deputy Chief Financial Officer Melissa Heller.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/11/old_cocacola_site_on_south_and.html

Fort Lauderdale looks to spend millions quickly on beach redevelopment

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
9:00 a.m. EST, November 19, 2010



FORT LAUDERDALE — The city is preparing to go on a major spending spree in the latest effort to revamp the beach and ensure its future as a tourist destination.

As much as $63 million could be spent on a high-style makeover that also broadens the beach's appeal beyond simply sand, surf and sun.

The expansion and remodeling of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is one possible target for aid. Other possibilities include a fishing pier, a more impressive entrance to the beach, more public parking and a wider promenade along State Road A1A.


"It's time to spend the money and build a brand on the beach that gets people coming back," Mayor Jack Seiler said.

The city is sitting on $27 million in cash saved from property taxes paid by businesses and residents in its central beach area and can borrow the rest based on taxes that it expects to collect over the next eight years.

For tourists like Alison Hutson, of Hampton, Va., such improvements are needed. She's fine with Fort Lauderdale for a reunion with old college friends, but said she wouldn't choose it for a family vacation.

"If you're here with a family, it would be tough because there is not much to do other than the beach," Hutson said while walking along the shore. "It really is geared to the beach and the bars."

But others say the beach is enough of a draw. "It's beautiful and clean, and that's good enough for me," said Cara Boucher, of Boston.

City officials and beach business leaders say the spending spree is needed to keep Fort Lauderdale competitive in the tourism market. The plans being drawn up are the latest step in the city's long transition from the nation's college Spring Break capital to an upscale destination that has a wide appeal among travelers.

Fort Lauderdale has been plowing tax money into redeveloping the beach since it broke away from the Spring Break era two decades ago. Tax dollars were spent to demolish the old Holiday Inn at Las Olas and A1A was demolished and turn it into a beach parking lot. The city also built marine facilities and a children's park, added some public restrooms and re-landscaped key parts of A1A and Las Olas.

The public investment was followed by the private development of high-end hotels from the Ritz Carlton to the W.

Officials have been hording cash in preparation for their next move. Now, they say, time is of the essence.

The city and county designated the beach as blighted in 1989, a move that allowed the city to take all city and county property tax revenue paid by businesses and residents in the area and spend it on beach improvement work. But the deal with Broward County government to earmark property tax revenue for beach redevelopment ends in 2019.

City commissioners and beach business leaders plan to set priorities for the money by the end of the year. The move comes at the same time that they are negotiating the redevelopment of the Bahia Mar complex to include a permanent home for the annual boat show.

The renovation of the Swimming Hall of Fame is likely high on the list because of its strong support among commissioners.

Commissioners sought bids last year for the Hall of Fame upgrade and tentatively approved plans in September that include new Olympic-size pools, an aquatic theater and state-of-the art artificial surf machines.

The proposal carries a $71 million price tag, and the city may have to finance up to $52.5 million of the cost. The city and developers are looking for sponsors and other private investment so they can limit how much must come from the pool of cash that the city has for beach redevelopment.

Beach planners have identified other improvements that they say would boost the beach as well. The city would look at partnering with private business so the money could be spread as widely as possible.

The city is considering the construction of a fishing pier at either Sunrise or Las Olas boulevards. Proponents say it would be a landmark that would attract residents and tourists and boost nearby businesses as well as draw fishermen. Other area cities from Sunny Isles Beach to Lake Worth have been investing in upgrades to their piers.

Planners also have suggested replacing municipal parking lots with garages. That would make the beach more accessible by easing the parking crunch on the barrier island. The garages, they say, could have first-floor restaurants and shops and provide room for landscaped plazas on part of the property.

Improving the beach for walkers, joggers and bicyclists is another option. Planners have suggested a wide pedestrian and bike path along the east side of A1A as well as a promenade on the Intracoastal Waterway.

"We need to have destinations on the beach," said Fort Lauderdale attorney Jordana Jarjura, who serves on the city's Beach Redevelopment Board. "We need to ask, how do we enhance the beach? How do we enhance tourism-related activities on the beach?"

Beach resident Mel Rubinstein added, "It would be nice at the end of eight years that we have projects completed that will last forever."

Tourism officials and beach activists worry that the Fort Lauderdale area could lose ground in the battle for tourists without improvement.

The metro area has held comparatively strong in attracting tourists despite the economic downturn. According to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, about 10.6 million people visited Broward County in 2009, down 4 percent from a year earlier. Tourism in the Orlando area fell almost 9 percent during the same period.

But Nicki Grossman, president of the visitors bureau, warns that other communities are putting money into building attractions and that Fort Lauderdale needs to do more to create buzz. She said the area must do more to broaden its appeal.

Some beach activists point south to Hollywood as an example of how Fort Lauderdale needs to change. That city completed a $14 million renovation of its beach walk three years ago, has expanded its beach parking and launched a project to improve the appearance of side streets around the beach.

"Hollywood is cleaning our clock," beach resident Art Seitz said.

Some hurdles stand in the way of Fort Lauderdale's redevelopment push.

Key property near A1A and Las Olas is the subject of a long-running court fight with the developers who wanted to build a condo high-rise there called Palazzo Las Olas. The city rejected those plans in 2003, and the ensuing lawsuit has wound its way through the court system and could continue for two to three more years.

Also, some beach business leaders want at least part of the money spent on planning and marketing events rather than construction. They want aid for holiday lights, nighttime movies on the beach, art fairs, Fourth of July celebrations and Memorial Day events.

They say major events will lure people and showcase the other changes on the beach. Seiler and city commissioners said they would consider earmarking up to 10 percent of the money toward events.

"It is very important that we market ourselves," said Ramola Motwani, a hotel developer on Fort Lauderdale beach. "It's so important that we show the people how we've changed."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-beach-redevelopment-lauderdale-20101113,0,2271404,full.story

Just letting you guys know that the expansion of the Museum of Discovery & Science is moving along pretty good...couldnt download the renders but here it's the website so y'all can look @ them...

http://www.mods.org/expansion/museumexperience.htm

Renovation of Sistrunk begins

By Scott Wyman January 5, 2011 09:00 AMAfter years of debate and delay, construction work has started on renovating Sistrunk Boulevard.

The road is closed between Andrews Avenue and Northeast Third Avenue and reduced to one lane each way between Northwest 19th Avenue and Northwest 24th Avenue. Work on those sections is expected to last through July.

The hope is to restore Sistrunk Boulevard to its heyday as a bustling business district rather than continue as a thoroughfare where suburban commuters speed by abandoned storefronts and vacant lots. Many in the neighborhood have sought the plan for more than a decade even though others remain skeptical that rebuilding the street will be a cure.

A large section of the 24 blocks of the street will be narrowed from four to three lanes. On-street parking will be available throughout the strip except during rush hours. Overhead utility lines will be buried. Landscaped medians, decorative street lights, new sidewalks and better bus shelters will be installed.

The details of the Sistrunk Boulevard project were hammered out four years ago in a hard-fought compromise between the city of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County government.

The city sought to take over the road and reduce it to two lanes, but the county controlled the street and viewed it as a primary route for traffic between the suburbs and downtown Fort Lauderdale. The city is paying for the bulk of the project - $14.2 million. The county is kicking in $750,000, while state and federal grants total $3.7 million.

The city hired Central Florida Equipment Rentals Inc. last summer to handle the construction and expects the work to be completed in 16 months.

For more information about the project, people may contact Dickey Consulting Services at 954-467-6822. Traffic updates also will be posted on the city’s website at www.fortlauderdale.gov throughout the project.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/01/renovation_of_sistrunk_begins.html

Fort Lauderdale moves ahead with plans to transform South Andrews Avenue.

As Fort Lauderdale celebrates its 100th anniversary, leaders are moving forward with plans to revamp one-time hub South Andrews Avenue.

BY SCOTT WYMAN
Sun Sentinel

The corridor from the Broward County Courthouse south to Broward General Medical Center was the historic center of Fort Lauderdale, but it has long been better known for its dilapidated buildings and vacant lots.

With its 100th anniversary this year, Fort Lauderdale is moving to transform the one-time hub along South Andrews Avenue.

City commissioners approved plans last week to redevelop the South Andrews area into more of an extension of downtown -- an urban environment with a mix of new homes, offices and shops. They streamlined the process for approving new development and eased restrictions on parking and the height of new buildings.

``This is the promise of a better future for Andrews Avenue and Fort Lauderdale,'' said Sasha Parker, owner of the Esthetic Skin Institute on South Andrews. ``This is an opportunity for the city to do the right thing and help make a corridor that is distinctive.''

YEARS IN THE MAKING

The plans for the area south of downtown to State Road 84 are eight years in the making and come as Broward County is set to gut its aging courthouse on Southeast Sixth Street.

About 1,500 residences and more than 1 million additional square feet of office and commercial space would be built over the next two decades under the rezoning plan that the city crafted.

Also envisioned is a transit station to shuttle workers and a town center complex that would include shops and a hotel. First-floor shops, curbside parking, small parks and greenways would be key features of the area.

The renovation push faced last-minute objections from some residents and historic-preservation activists.

Preservationists wanted approval delayed for a thorough review, saying they believe there are about 90 properties in the South Andrews area that could have some historic value. City officials countered that they support preservation and see it as a next step in the planning process.

Some residents also objected to loosening parking requirements.

Under the city's rezoning, developers would not have to meet stringent rules on the number of parking spaces required for a new business or housing project.

`PARKING PONZI' SCAM

Cal Deal, a resident of the area, referred to the decision as a ``parking Ponzi scheme.''

``What is to stop another 60-person law firm with inadequate parking from overrunning our streets?'' he asked. ``Nothing. What is to stop another copy service from ordering its employees to park on city streets? Nothing.''

City planners and businesses say the streamlined process that commissioners approved lifts current stumbling blocks to redevelopment.

Some businesses complained that the city's development regulations, particularly the parking rules, made renovation all but impossible.

One business owner said he decided not to build a café because he would have had to spend $150,000 to add a couple of parking spaces.

`IN A STAGNANT MODE'

``The process is expensive and prevents us or anyone from developing,'' said Orlando Sharpe, owner of Andrews Avenue-based Sharpe Project Developments.

``This will help streamline and open it up. We've been in a stagnant mode for years and years, and it is time to do something and make it viable.''

The rezoning allows more mixed-use developments that include housing and businesses, and projects up to 10 stories high would not need a public hearing for approval. Buildings up to 150 feet high would be allowed with city commission approval.

The city would try to address parking needs with more garages and the transit station.

The idea is to create a pedestrian-friendly business district like those along Las Olas Boulevard and in downtown Wilton Manors and Delray Beach.

Also, planners think the city could lure suburbanites tired of long commutes to work downtown.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/10/2008195/fort-lauderdale-moves-ahead-with.html#ixzz1Aey0Cvpi

I have a feeling I'm the only one who's happy about the laxed parking requirements...

Pair of investors buying up property off Fort Lauderdale beach

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
8:26 p.m. EDT, March 14, 2011


FORT LAUDERDALE
A pair of international investors are in the midst of the largest buy-up of property in the blocks behind the city beach since the end of the Spring Break era.

Acting independently of each other, the two men have spent about $39 million to acquire more than two dozen small hotels, apartment buildings and shops. The change in ownership signals the start of the next wave of redevelopment on the barrier island after the construction of luxury oceanfront hotels such as the W and Ritz Carlton.

One of the investors has laid out a sweeping vision of transforming the interior of the island into a bustling area of upscale resorts alongside new restaurants, cafes and boutiques. Broward County tourism czar Nicki Grossman said it's been 20 years since such a turnover in the streets behind State Road A1A.

"The stars are aligning," Grossman said. "What you got right now are willing sellers who are making way for a different kind of beach development for Broward. Once we got the four- and five-star hotels on the beach, the natural movement was westward with higher-end properties, and that was something the small motels could not do."

Par Sanda, a hedge fund manager originally from Sweden, has been buying mom-and-pop hotels between Bayshore Drive and the Bonnet House, according to county land records. Other records show Canadian hedge fund manager Michael Wekerle has purchased the historic Escape Hotel and shops in the Sunrise Lane area next to the newly opened B Ocean luxury hotel.

The two men each began their acquisitions a year ago. They've capitalized on real estate prices driven down by the national recession.

Small hoteliers have particularly struggled because they've been forced to cut prices while paying higher property taxes and insurance bills. Many of the places have gone years without upgrades; some have even been panned on travel websites.

Sanda's purchases have often been for less than what the current hotelier originally paid. Earlier this month, he paid $1.6 million for the Flamingo hotel on Terramar Street. It last sold in 2005 for $2.5 million.

Mick Ball, the owner of the Tropi Rock Resort on Belmar Street, said he had no choice but to sell. He has loved the hotel but described the last couple of years as "bloody." He offered rooms for as low as $56 last summer and had a property tax bill this year of $53,000.

He sold Tropi Rock in February to Sanda for $2.8 million, about $100,000 less than he paid in 2002.

"Just trying to keep our doors open, my wife and I lost a small fortune," Ball said. "And that's our life savings. We decided if we could sell, we would. We had to cut our losses."

Sanda has been piecing together blocks of properties with his purchases. His plans largely follow what the city has long wanted to see happen there — low-rise redevelopment that creates a much more active community.

His right-hand man, longtime Fort Lauderdale hotelier Richard Gray, said Sanda foresees a vibrant, higher-end destination like South Beach with small chic resorts with adjacent places for visitors to shop, eat and have fun.

"Par is passionate about Fort Lauderdale and wants to be part of making it a world-class destination," said Gray, who also is a member of the county's Tourism Development Council. "He loves the beach and wants to make a difference."

Sanda's team will launch a hotel expansion in early April that they say exemplifies their overall plans.

They combined the gay Royal Palms resort that Gray once owned with two nearby hotels, the Monte Carlo and the Three Palms. The new 62-room property is being marketed as the largest luxury gay resort in North America.

Sanda undertook a seven-month, multimillion-dollar renovation of the two additions to create a contemporary European style. Rooms feature white leather furniture, 42-inch flat-screen televisions and rain showers. The expansion includes a bar and grill, three pools, a fitness center and a spa.

"What we wanted to do is take gay accommodations completely to the next level," Gray said.

The other properties will appeal to a mix of travelers, including families and Europeans.

Less is known about Wekerle's plans.

A company connected with Wekerle acquired the Escape Hotel in December for $6.3 million after previous developers decided plans to convert the long-shuttered hotel into condos were no longer financially feasible. The Escape's 17 buildings are in the midst of the property that Sanda has been acquiring.

Wekerle's lawyer, Thomas Sherman of Coral Gables, said plans for the Escape have not been finalized, but City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom said she has met with Wekerle and Sherman and believes Wekerle wants the Escape also to be an upscale resort.

The hotel's future will be closely watched because it is one of the remaining examples of mid-century modern architecture on the beach. The previous owners pleased historic preservationists by promising to restore the hotel.

The Sunrise Lane area where Wekerle has purchased eight properties has long been home to tattoo parlors and T-shirts. The neighborhood is changing as a result of the conversion of the old Holiday Inn at Sunrise Boulevard and S.R. A1A into the B Ocean hotel.

Wekerle's purchases include the old Village Zoo nightclub and the Pink Pussycat Boutique. Sherman said Wekerle likes the location because of the B Ocean's opening and wants to improve the property as a long-term investor.

Parrot Lounge owner Tim Schiavone said he would welcome more diversity in the neighborhood. Nancy Rappa, a frequent visitor from Washington, D.C., hopes there is not too much change.

"The area could use a little bit of a facelift, but not too much," Rappa said while washing clothes at a coin-operated laundry off Sunrise Lane. "I think the tattoo parlors add a little joie de vivre."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-hotel-lauderdale-buyup-20110309,0,4768142.story

Two courthouses may be built in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

The planned construction of two new courthouses could end up in Downtown Fort Lauderdale along the New River waterfront.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/26/2136053/two-courthouses-may-be-built-in.html#ixzz1HuVGty54

By Scott Wyman and Brittany Wallman
Sun-Sentinel

Broward County could get two new courthouses on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale instead of just one — a potential government investment of at least $500 million.

A high-powered task force of federal judges, lawyers and politicians has revived a dormant proposal to build a new federal courthouse. They have their eyes on Broward County’s waterfront land for a federal-county court campus next to the riverfront jail.

Broward County commissioners voted last year to build a $328 million county courthouse on the existing county court site, south of the river, just west of Third Avenue. The new federal courthouse would go somewhere nearby, on that same block of county land.

Its development cost is not yet known; but the final project would not include public parking, like the county court’s will. A new federal courthouse going up in Salt Lake City is estimated to cost $211 million. A new courthouse in Buffalo, N.Y., had a $137 million price tag. San Diego’s new courthouse ran $368 million.

Downtown boosters are eager to see a new federal courthouse remain in Fort Lauderdale’s urban center. A placement south of the New River would bring a significant investment to an area where business owners long for a development renaissance.

“It’s a superb idea if we get two courthouses, because then we could have one big judicial complex,” attorney Skip Campbell said. Campbell, a former state senator, sits on the federal court task force that’s searching downtown Fort Lauderdale for a suitable place to build.

Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority Director Chris Wren, another member of the federal courthouse task force, said the combined campus would boost downtown plans for the area, south of the river including more activity along the Riverwalk, as well as light rail for commuters. He also noted that federal courthouses tend to be iconic structures, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the area.

“It’s an economic engine,’’ agreed task force member Bill Scherer, an attorney who owns land nearby. “We’re a second-rate town if we don’t have a federal courthouse. I mean, we’ve got one, but it’s outmoded.’’

Federal officials decided years ago to replace the existing federal courthouse, which sits on Broward Boulevard, abutting Third Avenue.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, federal buildings must have safety buffers at least 100 feet wide — a requirement the existing courthouse doesn’t meet. It’s also woefully small, officials complain, and was described by federal officials on a recent visit as “the worst that they have encountered,’’ according to a March 15 task force memo written by Scherer.

Fort Lauderdale “has moved to the 8th position on a list of 100 communities needing a new federal courthouse,’’ Scherer’s memo said. That would put it in line for possible funding in the 2016-2018 timeframe, unless it can be bumped up, as the task force hopes. The group also believes building a joint project could reduce costs, with both courthouses benefiting from the same security and roadway work.

Broward County would have to alter its courthouse development plan to leave room for a new federal courthouse. The county would get the existing federal court site, as a land swap, or could offer the riverside land as a long-term lease to the federal government, Campbell said.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said he doesn’t want to delay the county’s courthouse construction, but he wants to see if there is a way to dovetail the two.

“I’ve made it clear to the federal government and our congressional people that the city will do everything it can to ensure that there is a federal court facility in downtown Fort Lauderdale,’’ said Seiler, an attorney, “because it is a critical component of downtown.”

The DDA is hiring an architect to look at the land and suggest ways to combine the federal-county plans.

“I thought that was always going to be the plan,’’ said Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom, who represents downtown. “Why would it go anywhere else? It’s a great location for it.’’

Two courthouses may be built in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

The planned construction of two new courthouses could end up in Downtown Fort Lauderdale along the New River waterfront.

Rendering from Sun-Sentinel...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2011-03/60417832.jpg
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-courthouses-broward-20110325,0,1518982.story

Meh........I guess it adds some density.

Hold on a sec, I thought that the courthouse was breaking ground this year ?

^^ Yes, sometime this year last I heard...

I created a thread dedicated to the courthouse, so please feel free to post related articles, discuss, etc = http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1351605

Mega-upgrade to Fort Lauderdale beach looms on horizon

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
2:29 p.m. EDT, April 5, 2011


FORT LAUDERDALE— More upscale hotels are on the way. An urban village of resorts, restaurants and boutiques similar to South Beach is planned. So is an iconic gateway entrance from Las Olas Boulevard.

Private developers and city officials are coming together in the next step of transforming Fort Lauderdale beach. It's a push to cement the beach as a chic, bustling destination that offers visitors more than sun, surf and cocktails.

More than $450 million could be spent.

Plans include upgrading promenades along the beach and building one along the Intracoastal Waterway. More plazas and parks are in the offing. And there is the renovation of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and a permanent home for the annual international boat show.

"We were taking baby steps, but now we're taking giant leaps," said public relations executive Chuck Malkus, who serves on the city's beach redevelopment board. "It's been a journey. The beach is maturing to reach the highest level as a world-class destination."

The recession brought development of Fort Lauderdale beach to a standstill, but that has begun to change. The projects beginning to emerge would build upon the earlier wave of high-end hotel openings on the beach – the Ritz Carlton, the W, the Atlantic, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort.

The most expensive of the new projects is the remodeling of the Bahia Mar hotel and marina complex. The most unexpected is Swedish investor Par Sanda's quiet purchase and renovation of more than a dozen struggling mom-and-pop hotels in the North Beach neighborhood.

Last week's grand opening of the B Ocean Hotel also portends new interest in the Sunrise Lane area long known for tattoo parlors and T-shirt shops. The recession killed plans for a luxury high-rise at the old Howard Johnson's, but developers now suggest renovating the shuttered building to a three- to four-star hotel.

For tourism executives and city officials, the projects represent the culmination of a sweeping vision laid out in late 2009 by the international consulting firm Sasaki Associates. The firm has helped with urban planning from Beijing to Abu Dhabi.

The consultants urged the city to offer more activities at the beach. They suggested a gateway of public spaces and landmarks that would define Fort Lauderdale the way Jackson Square defines New Orleans or the Ramblas defines Barcelona in Spain.

The consultants also were concerned that the beach is too disjointed. They said the Intracoastal Waterway was underemphasized and that the barrier island is ripe for more boutiques, art galleries and cafes.

"We are really crafting what the beach will look like in the next 20 years," said City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, who represents the beach area.

The city is set to make its biggest investment in the beach in decades – almost $100 million.

Much of that money comes from property taxes collected under a decision made in 1989 to designate the area as blighted. That decision allows the city to take all city and county property taxes paid by beach residents and businesses and spend it on beach improvements.

The largest single city project is called Oceanside Plaza.

The city plans to take its parking lot at A1A and Las Olas, build a garage and turn most of the lot into a plaza and park. The Sasaki plan suggests a performance stage for evening activities and landscaped terraces facing the beach. It also called for a viewing tower as part of the parking garage.

The beach entrance across A1A would be expanded to create the landmark gateway. Along the Intracoastal nearby, city plans include a visitors center and a transit stop from both the Water Taxi and trolleys.

Another plaza and park is planned alongside a garage at the city parking lot off Sebastian Street. It and the Oceanside Plaza would include shops and cafes. Almond Avenue would be upgraded to create a more upscale atmosphere for the beach entertainment district.

Beach activist Judith Scher said the changes are not just important to tourists, but will turn the beach into an urban village.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/60666435.jpg

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-beach-lauderdale-future-20110402,0,3005273.story

They talk about almost doubling the parking capacity by 2014 plus more developments on the same backed up roads....? Why no real transportation planning?

Why no real transportation planning?

:lol: It's South Florida! Do you think for a second that Floridians care a rat's ass about publicly funding real transportation planning?

:lol: It's South Florida! Do you think for a second that Floridians care a rat's ass about publicly funding real transportation planning?

C'mon, man. Everybody knows Dedicated Busways are the exciting and futuristic transit of tomorrow!

This is why I wish the local and/or state gas tax was increased, it would generate so much revenue for the area, decrease traffic, and classify drivers. The latter two happen no matter why the gas increases but a local tax would be the most beneficial to the local economy vs the middle east economy.

It's one case where democracy doesn't work because no one would vote for a gas price increase. Well, except me :lol:

Fort Lauderdale puts halt on new mega-developments
By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
4:23 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2011



FORT LAUDERDALE—
The city last week banned developers from using controversial land-use regulations that are at the heart of plans to expand First Presbyterian Church and redevelop the Bahia Mar hotel complex.

City commissioners temporarily halted the use of a law that neighborhood activists have condemned as a way for developers to skirt traditional protections for surrounding homes. The ban gives a citizens task force that will be set up time to recommend changes to the nine-year-old law.

The prohibition could last for a year.

The plans for First Presbyterian and Bahia Mar will not be affected even though the details of those projects led more than a dozen neighborhood associations to press for an overhaul of what's referred to as "planned-unit developments."

When the city created planned-unit developments, the idea was to allow "unique and innovative" projects outside the traditional bounds of zoning laws. Neighborhood activists have said the planned-unit development rules do not set any requirements about neighborhood compatibility, historic preservation or green space.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-lauderdale-big-developments-20110423,0,2216477.story

Prediction: There will be fight over Coke plant courthouse parking plan
By Brittany Wallman April 26, 2011 10:20 AM

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/courthousegarage.JPG

UPDATED with new memo
A little bit of historical preservation unrest is forming around Broward County's plans to build a 1,000 space courthouse employee parking garage at the old Coca Cola bottling plant on Andrews Avenue downtown.

It doesn't take a smart person to see that there will be a fight over this plan, on the grounds the building is historic. Anyone who can read can see for themselves.

Click here to see what the county's Historical Commission thinks about the plan, and here for a memory refresher on this site's selection.

Here's the Historical Commission's later memo: Click here to read it.

The resolution, which I told you about previously, was re-sent to county commissioners on Friday with a memo from Pete Corwin, assistant to the county administrator.

Here's Corwin's accompanying memo.

The developer, Stiles, proposes wrapping parking around the old bottling plant, as you can see in the rendering.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/04/coke_plant_courthouse_parking.html

There's a building going up on south side of N Andrews Ave between Sistrunk and the FEC railroad. They're just starting on the 6th floor. Didn't see any signage of what it's supposed to be. Anyone know anything? :dunno:

There's a building going up on south side of N Andrews Ave between Sistrunk and the FEC railroad. They're just starting on the 6th floor. Didn't see any signage of what it's supposed to be. Anyone know anything? :dunno:

I've noticed it for a while...the only sign I see it's some construction company (foccacia or something like that cant remember the name now). I went to their website and there's not much information...a mistery 'cause there are no renders...

Fort Lauderdale to discuss opening North Beach area to more business
By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
4:39 p.m. EDT, May 7, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—
City commissioners will sit down within the next couple of weeks with developers to map out opening the North Beach area to cafes and shops.

The move comes after a massive buy-up of small mom-and-pop hotels in the blocks on the barrier island between Bayshore Drive and Vistamar. Swedish investor Par Sanda has quietly purchased more than a dozen properties, while Canadian investor Michael Wekerle has bought the old Escape Hotel.

Sanda's attorney, Courtney Crush, told commissioners that she would like to discuss allowing the planned resorts to include other business. Sanda's aides have said he would like the beach neighborhood to become a more vibrant, higher-end destination like South Beach, with small chic resorts with adjacent places for visitors to shop, eat and have fun.

That would require tinkering with land-use regulations.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-beach-develop-discuss-20110507,0,885260.story

Is Stranahan House fight against Icon tower finally over?

By Brittany Wallman May 12, 2011 02:33 PM
Thirteen years ago, a developer bought a popular grocery store on upscale Las Olas Boulevard, with plans to be the first to build a high-rise condo in the heart of downtown.

This week, after lawsuits, counterlawsuits, a voter bond issue, and all manner of consternation and expense, not to mention the utter collapse of the real estate market, the development, the Icon tower, could be clear to move forward.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals issued a Wednesday ruling dismissing the last of the many lawsuits and challenges filed by the old Hyde Park Market’s scrappy neighbor, the city’s most historic building, the Stranahan House. Actually, it was the friends and supporters of that two-story, Dade pine house where much of Fort Lauderdale’s early history began. And they’re well-monied, politically connected friends.

They had in their corner, at various points over the years: the voters, the city of Fort Lauderdale, and the entire local congressional delegation.

That’s all over. What remains is one legal challenge to the 42-story tower, that was on appeal. This week’s decision had no written order with it. It was just a dismissal, outright.

Don Hall, who fought the entire war for the would-be developer, Related Group, and that company’s partner in the deal, Coolidge-South Markets Equities, put it this way: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.’’

On the Stranahan House side is attorney Tucker Gibbs, who with attorney Bill Scherer and a host of others waged a creative fight over the years.

He's got 15 days to file a motion for a rehearing or reconsideration. Will his side declare defeat, at least a court defeat? (After all, the Stranahan House legal attacks kept Related Group huddled with lawyers, while the other developers filled the downtown with high-rise condos.)

“I’m meeting with my clients and we’re looking at our options,’’ Gibbs said Thursday afternoon.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/05/is_stranahan_house_fight_again.html

Is Stranahan House fight against Icon tower finally over?

By Brittany Wallman May 12, 2011 02:33 PM
Thirteen years ago, a developer bought a popular grocery store on upscale Las Olas Boulevard, with plans to be the first to build a high-rise condo in the heart of downtown.

This week, after lawsuits, counterlawsuits, a voter bond issue, and all manner of consternation and expense, not to mention the utter collapse of the real estate market, the development, the Icon tower, could be clear to move forward.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals issued a Wednesday ruling dismissing the last of the many lawsuits and challenges filed by the old Hyde Park Market’s scrappy neighbor, the city’s most historic building, the Stranahan House. Actually, it was the friends and supporters of that two-story, Dade pine house where much of Fort Lauderdale’s early history began. And they’re well-monied, politically connected friends.

They had in their corner, at various points over the years: the voters, the city of Fort Lauderdale, and the entire local congressional delegation.

That’s all over. What remains is one legal challenge to the 42-story tower, that was on appeal. This week’s decision had no written order with it. It was just a dismissal, outright.

Don Hall, who fought the entire war for the would-be developer, Related Group, and that company’s partner in the deal, Coolidge-South Markets Equities, put it this way: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.’’

On the Stranahan House side is attorney Tucker Gibbs, who with attorney Bill Scherer and a host of others waged a creative fight over the years.

He's got 15 days to file a motion for a rehearing or reconsideration. Will his side declare defeat, at least a court defeat? (After all, the Stranahan House legal attacks kept Related Group huddled with lawyers, while the other developers filled the downtown with high-rise condos.)

“I’m meeting with my clients and we’re looking at our options,’’ Gibbs said Thursday afternoon.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/05/is_stranahan_house_fight_again.html


Good, this is the time for the Icon tower to be built.

Businesses in Fort Lauderdale experiment with wind turbines to cut power costs

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
5:58 p.m. EDT, May 13, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—
A giant, modern wind turbine sits atop a small corporate headquarters near downtown, spinning slowly in the breeze to provide some of the building's electricity. More may be on the way.

International Asphalt became the first business in the city to experiment with wind turbines to cut energy costs. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort wants to install 14 turbines, on its roof and next to the sidewalk along the beach.

The machines resemble art sculptures of curved, intertwining blades of metal more than they look like their distant farm-variety cousins. Some of those proposed for the Hilton would rise 35 feet from street level, looming above the palm trees almost to its pool deck.

Wind power is one of the fastest-growing forms of electric generation in the nation, particularly among small business. Florida has not been viewed as windy enough for large wind farms even though such an operation is being considered in Belle Glade.

International Asphalt installed its wind turbine two weeks ago as part of a research project into sustainable energy with Tufts University. Hilton's plans are part of a corporate strategy to promote itself as environmentally sensitive.

"We are trying to start very conservatively and modestly, but we're trying to lead the way," said Peter Wittich, International Asphalt's president and donor to Tufts' research program.

The push for the wind turbines has caught Fort Lauderdale land-use regulators flat-footed. The city has no rules about their installation, maintenance or operation, so each project requires special permission.

Neighborhood activists raised concerns about the lack of standards before the city approved the wind turbine for International Asphalt's building off 17th Street. The city's Board of Adjustment has held up Hilton's proposal until city commissioners can discuss the issue.

The city twice rejected proposals over the past five years from homeowners who wanted to install wind turbines. The residents said they wished to save money on electric bills, but neighbors feared noise and the large, looming presence of a windmill on their streets.

"We need to encourage alternate energy and renewable energy sources, and a windmill falls into that category," Mayor Jack Seiler said. "From a practical standpoint, though, we need to make sure it doesn't impact neighbors, whether it's noise or aesthetics."

Neither International Asphalt nor Hilton is certain how much they might save on energy.

Tufts University researchers working with International Asphalt say the turbine should produce enough electricity to power 100 40-watt light bulbs at peak production — when winds are blowing at about 20 mph. Architects on the Hilton project estimate peak production could power seven fluorescent lights in each of the hotel's 333 suites.

Florida has no commercial wind farms because the state is too low and too flat. The average wind speed recorded last year at Port Everglades was 9 mph. Areas such as the Midwest and the waters off Massachusetts are considered more ideal because of higher winds.

The Belle Glade project would be the first wind farm in the state. The site covers thousands of acres of sugar land, and proponents think there is enough breeze between Lake Okeechobee and the coast.

Despite the questions about commercial wind farms, there have been small, business-size projects considered around Florida. A shopping mall in Jacksonville installed wind turbines on its rooftop in 2009, while West Palm Beach rebuffed a plan by Target to add one at a new store there that year.

The American Wind Energy Association said small turbines differ from the larger utility-scale versions and can be suitable for properties as small as one acre.

Experts involved in the two Fort Lauderdale projects said their rooftop and coastal locations make them more likely to pick up necessary winds. They also said small businesses with wind turbines are using them to supplement electric needs and thus don't have the costs that utilities face with wind farms in storing and transmitting the electricity.

The design also helps. Shaped like a vertical helix, the wind turbines in the Fort Lauderdale projects can pick up breezes from any direction. The towers are also touted as quieter than rooftop air conditioning units, able to withstand hurricane-force winds and unlikely to lead to bird deaths.

Vincent Miraglia, an engineering coordinator with Tufts University, said researchers will use data from the International Asphalt building and a site in Boston to explore ways to improve wind production across different climates in the country.

Broward's tourism czar, Nicki Grossman, said Hilton's move makes sense because a growing number of associations and trade groups limit their business to environmentally friendly hotels.

Others have their doubts.

Fred Carlson of the Central Beach Alliance said the beach group supports Hilton's plan, but said he wonders if it's windy enough to work. "I can see they may have an emotional message that we are all on the same page of saving energy, but from a practical matter, it's hard to believe the wind turbines would ever pay for themselves," he said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-wind-turbine-lauderdale-20110513,0,3024831.story

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/1231/1013832.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/1013832.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

I'm looking for a tower crane or something, but all I'm seeing is a flip phone shot taken hastily while motoring down the freeway, all of which basically constitutes nothing and which lacks not only artistic intention, is short even of being a useful landscape, and which the primary focal point is what I assume to be a piece of schmutz on your windshield that is almost creating the illusion of the neighboring vehicle having a flat tire leading me to believe that maybe you were trying to catch a rare shot of an accident in action or something and wanted to show someone but couldn't find an appropriate thread so you just stuck it where you thought it would get the most attention and was less likely to get deleted.

Or, maybe you were just trying to do something nice to contribute what looks like it could be a ft lauderdale skyline and you just posted it here in the development thread as there lacks a "downtown fl pictures" thread. :)

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/1231/1013832.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/1013832.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Nice shot. :okay:

Is Stranahan House fight against Icon tower finally over?

Wow, I didn't realize there was still a fight going on. Seemed as if the project just kinda went away with the economy and real estate bubble.

Wonder if there's still a bat's chance in hell of this thing going up.

Wow, I didn't realize there was still a fight going on. Seemed as if the project just kinda went away with the economy and real estate bubble.

Wonder if there's still a bat's chance in hell of this thing going up.

Yeah dude! It's been going on for 13 years according to the article...I doubt if it starts soon; maybe the construction of the new courthouse. which should start in August, will push the market again and more office space comes to Dtwn...:cheers:

I've noticed it for a while...the only sign I see it's some construction company (foccacia or something like that cant remember the name now). I went to their website and there's not much information...a mistery 'cause there are no renders...

There's a building going up on south side of N Andrews Ave between Sistrunk and the FEC railroad. They're just starting on the 6th floor. Didn't see any signage of what it's supposed to be. Anyone know anything? :dunno:

Here's the mysterious construction...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/IMG00241-20110521-1925.jpg

and here's the company who's building it: http://www.facchina.com/ Same company who built the Eclipse Apartments

Hey, is that big skull with the eyes that seemed to follow you as you went down the freeway on a warehouse-looking building still there? I can't remember the road or street it was off of but I remember it from when i lived in Ft. Lauderdale.

I emailed Facchina last week, never heard back; web site list nothing either. It looks like a residential building, or maybe hotel? Seems kind of weird that Facchina is the only sign on property. :nuts:

Found it...

Progresso Point Project
*76 unit, eight story building
*studio or one bedroom units ranging from 500 to 650 square feet
*lobby and administrative offices on the ground level, there would not be retail
*amenities including a clubhouse and pool on the fourth floor
*10% of the units would be affordable for families with earnings at 28% of the area median income, and 90% of the units would be affordable to families and/or individuals at 60% of the area median income.
*units were committed to be affordable rental units for at least 30 years

Read minutes under item V = http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/documents/crab/2010/072810crab_minutes.pdf [PDF]


Looking at the actual construction, these renderings might not be up to date:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/Progresso1.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/Progresso2.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/Progresso3.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/Progresso4.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/Progresso5.jpg

^^ I like it! I mean the idea it's to increase density in the corridor of the possible "Wave" route, so buildings like this will do. A taller one would've been better but with the economic times we have, this helps maintain the construction business in the area alive...

From the article:

"...Ms. Chakas agreed the site was dense, however the building was designed so as not to appear so dense from the street. Mr. Lambrix felt the purpose of the urban village was to create density and a critical mass of housing to encourage retail and other activities in the area..."

Here are more good news...

Largely shuttered Las Olas Riverfront sold for redevelopment

By Scott Wyman May 20, 2011 12:09 PMFORT LAUDERDALE Las Olas Riverfront, the ambitious waterside development that became a virtual ghost town, is poised for a comeback.

The downtown entertainment and retail complex was sold Friday to a group of investors, including a Canadian hedge fund manager who gained attention earlier this year for buying large chunks of property near the beach.

Local officials who’ve talked to the purchasers say their immediate plans call for restoring the 3.5-acre center and filling now abandoned storefronts with shops and restaurants. The buyers are looking long term at extensive redevelopment to make the property a better fit with the Riverwalk promenade and the adjacent Himmarshee and Las Olas Boulevard business districts.

“It appears they want to make it a heart of downtown again,” said Chris Wren, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. “They are motivated to get much more life going on and that will give them time to make careful decisions about the future.”

The major investor is Michael Wekerle, vice chairman of the Toronto-based GMP Securities. Wekerle’s WEK Properties recently purchased the old Escape Hotel as well as buildings in the Sunrise Lane area around the new B Ocean hotel.

Wekerle is joined in the Riverfront purchase by Bill Holland, the executive chairman of one of Canada’s largest wealth management companies – CI Financial. The third partner is Dev Motwani, whose family has been longtime players on Fort Lauderdale beach through its company Merrimac Ventures.

Motwani declined to comment, as did Debbie Orshefsky, a lawyer-lobbyist working for the investors.


Creditors bought the property at public auction in 2009. Both local and national investors have eyed the property since then, but repeatedly backed away from a deal.

The price that Wekerle and his partners paid is not known, but creditors documented in court records that they are owed $24.3 million in loans, interest charges, taxes and legal fees. The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office values the complex at $17.6 million.

Riverfront was planned 13 years ago as a major entertainment destination, but is now largely vacant. Less than a third of the shops are occupied, the escalators haven’t worked in at least a year and part of the second story is cordoned off with yellow tape like at a crime scene.

The movie theater remains, and tourists can still catch the water taxi or river cruises from adjacent docks. The place picks up only late at night when partiers trek to Riverfront’s Living Room nightclub.

Michael Conenna, owner of Las Olas Riverfront Pizza, said he has been frustrated by years of watching neighboring shops close and his business dwindle.

“We’ve been trying to survive and hold on for five years now,” Conenna said. “We’re really struggling, but the reason I’m still here is I have hope because I remember what it was like before.”

Fred Behul, a longtime customer of Conenna’s who works for a nearby county government agency, doesn’t believe Riverfront can come back. “It’s a lost cause,” Behul said.

The complex, located just off Las Olas and Andrews Avenue, was heavily underwritten by tax money.

Taxpayers lost more than $3 million in deals leading up to the 1998 development of Riverfront. The school board initially paid $5.8 million for the land in the early 1980s, but sold it at a loss to the city after plans for an administration building collapsed. The city paid $2.9 million, and later re-sold the land to developers for $1.8 million.

For a while after it opened, Riverfront featured businesses such as Dan Marino’s restaurant, the Vogue Italia clothing store and Argenti Designer Jewelers. In 2005, developers proposed tearing down the complex and replacing it with a hotel, condo tower and office building. That plan fell apart when the real estate market crashed.

Officials who have talked to the buyers said they have begun seeking new tenants. The buyers promised that whatever they do, they will keep promoting Riverfront as an entertainment and shopping destination.

“It’s a critical piece of downtown and our city so I hope they improve what’s there,” said Tim Petrillo, owner of both the YOLO restaurant on Las Olas and the Tarpon Bend restaurant in Himmarshee. “It connects our major retail corridor of Las Olas to the entertainment district, and it’s one of the largest pieces along the river.”

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/05/largely_shuttered_las_olas_riv.html

^^ I like it! I mean the idea it's to increase density in the corridor of the possible "Wave" route, so buildings like this will do. A taller one would've been better but with the economic times we have, this helps maintain the construction business in the area alive...

From the article:

"...Ms. Chakas agreed the site was dense, however the building was designed so as not to appear so dense from the street. Mr. Lambrix felt the purpose of the urban village was to create density and a critical mass of housing to encourage retail and other activities in the area..."

Here are more good news...

Largely shuttered Las Olas Riverfront sold for redevelopment

By Scott Wyman May 20, 2011 12:09 PMFORT LAUDERDALE Las Olas Riverfront, the ambitious waterside development that became a virtual ghost town, is poised for a comeback.

The downtown entertainment and retail complex was sold Friday to a group of investors, including a Canadian hedge fund manager who gained attention earlier this year for buying large chunks of property near the beach.

Local officials who’ve talked to the purchasers say their immediate plans call for restoring the 3.5-acre center and filling now abandoned storefronts with shops and restaurants. The buyers are looking long term at extensive redevelopment to make the property a better fit with the Riverwalk promenade and the adjacent Himmarshee and Las Olas Boulevard business districts.

“It appears they want to make it a heart of downtown again,” said Chris Wren, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. “They are motivated to get much more life going on and that will give them time to make careful decisions about the future.”

The major investor is Michael Wekerle, vice chairman of the Toronto-based GMP Securities. Wekerle’s WEK Properties recently purchased the old Escape Hotel as well as buildings in the Sunrise Lane area around the new B Ocean hotel.

Wekerle is joined in the Riverfront purchase by Bill Holland, the executive chairman of one of Canada’s largest wealth management companies – CI Financial. The third partner is Dev Motwani, whose family has been longtime players on Fort Lauderdale beach through its company Merrimac Ventures.

Motwani declined to comment, as did Debbie Orshefsky, a lawyer-lobbyist working for the investors.


Creditors bought the property at public auction in 2009. Both local and national investors have eyed the property since then, but repeatedly backed away from a deal.

The price that Wekerle and his partners paid is not known, but creditors documented in court records that they are owed $24.3 million in loans, interest charges, taxes and legal fees. The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office values the complex at $17.6 million.

Riverfront was planned 13 years ago as a major entertainment destination, but is now largely vacant. Less than a third of the shops are occupied, the escalators haven’t worked in at least a year and part of the second story is cordoned off with yellow tape like at a crime scene.

The movie theater remains, and tourists can still catch the water taxi or river cruises from adjacent docks. The place picks up only late at night when partiers trek to Riverfront’s Living Room nightclub.

Michael Conenna, owner of Las Olas Riverfront Pizza, said he has been frustrated by years of watching neighboring shops close and his business dwindle.

“We’ve been trying to survive and hold on for five years now,” Conenna said. “We’re really struggling, but the reason I’m still here is I have hope because I remember what it was like before.”

Fred Behul, a longtime customer of Conenna’s who works for a nearby county government agency, doesn’t believe Riverfront can come back. “It’s a lost cause,” Behul said.

The complex, located just off Las Olas and Andrews Avenue, was heavily underwritten by tax money.

Taxpayers lost more than $3 million in deals leading up to the 1998 development of Riverfront. The school board initially paid $5.8 million for the land in the early 1980s, but sold it at a loss to the city after plans for an administration building collapsed. The city paid $2.9 million, and later re-sold the land to developers for $1.8 million.

For a while after it opened, Riverfront featured businesses such as Dan Marino’s restaurant, the Vogue Italia clothing store and Argenti Designer Jewelers. In 2005, developers proposed tearing down the complex and replacing it with a hotel, condo tower and office building. That plan fell apart when the real estate market crashed.

Officials who have talked to the buyers said they have begun seeking new tenants. The buyers promised that whatever they do, they will keep promoting Riverfront as an entertainment and shopping destination.

“It’s a critical piece of downtown and our city so I hope they improve what’s there,” said Tim Petrillo, owner of both the YOLO restaurant on Las Olas and the Tarpon Bend restaurant in Himmarshee. “It connects our major retail corridor of Las Olas to the entertainment district, and it’s one of the largest pieces along the river.”

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/05/largely_shuttered_las_olas_riv.html

Let's Hope sunglass hut gets back there and I Hope a hip-hop urban clothing store is also there too.
Fort Lauderdale will be big soon.

Let's Hope sunglass hut gets back there and I Hope a hip-hop urban clothing store is also there too.
Fort Lauderdale will be big soon.

LOL! I think dining and entertainment works best for this area.

LOL! I think dining and entertainment works best for this area.

and shopping as well, let's get this thing back on track.

Hopefully sunglass hut comes back here.
and let's hope guy fieri open his restaurant here.

^^ Let's hope everything gets better! Starting with the movies...I little make over wouldn't hurt since it looks like a movie theater from the 90's :lol:

More good news...

Appeals court clears way for demolition of Kennedy Homes in Fort Lauderdale
By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel

10:31 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2011
A state appeals court cleared the way Tuesday for the old Dr. Kennedy Homes low-income housing project in Fort Lauderdale to be demolished.

The three-judge panel in West Palm Beach refused to hear objections raised by historic preservationists to the city's redevelopment plans. The ruling brings an all-but-certain end to a yearlong legal battle.

The Kennedy Homes was one of the last public housing projects built before World War II and was added to the National Register of Historic Places last month.

The city plans to replace the cramped, antiquated concrete apartments along Broward Boulevard with 132 modern ones in buildings up to five stories tall. Three of the 45 existing buildings would be preserved to honor the historic significance.

The Trust for Historic Sailboat Bend lost the first court round in January when a state judge ruled that city commissioners acted properly in siding with their public housing agency in favor of the project. Housing officials moved residents out last summer in preparation for the work.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-kennedy-home-order-20110524,0,4738118.story

^^ Let's hope everything gets better! Starting with the movies...I little make over wouldn't hurt since it looks like a movie theater from the 90's :lol:

More good news...

Appeals court clears way for demolition of Kennedy Homes in Fort Lauderdale
By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel

10:31 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2011
A state appeals court cleared the way Tuesday for the old Dr. Kennedy Homes low-income housing project in Fort Lauderdale to be demolished.

The three-judge panel in West Palm Beach refused to hear objections raised by historic preservationists to the city's redevelopment plans. The ruling brings an all-but-certain end to a yearlong legal battle.

The Kennedy Homes was one of the last public housing projects built before World War II and was added to the National Register of Historic Places last month.

The city plans to replace the cramped, antiquated concrete apartments along Broward Boulevard with 132 modern ones in buildings up to five stories tall. Three of the 45 existing buildings would be preserved to honor the historic significance.

The Trust for Historic Sailboat Bend lost the first court round in January when a state judge ruled that city commissioners acted properly in siding with their public housing agency in favor of the project. Housing officials moved residents out last summer in preparation for the work.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-kennedy-home-order-20110524,0,4738118.story

Let's get to work, but I Will miss the kennedy homes.

This is right on the Broward County line, across from Gulfstream Park:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/5796724930_db24f36b7f_b.jpg

Upscale grocery coming to downtown Fort Lauderdale

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
11:27 a.m. EDT, June 16, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE— An upscale grocery store is under construction to serve downtown and the Victoria Park neighborhood.

Contractors have demolished an old bike shop and Dolph Map store on Federal Highway to make way for the Fresh Market. The 20,000-square-foot grocery should be open by the end of the year, developer Charlie Ladd said.

Taxi mogul Jesse Gaddis sold the property about a month ago to Fresh Market. The $10 million project will include a corner bank and restaurant.

"There was a huge need for the area," Ladd said. "Victoria Park is more upscale, and there have been a lot of residences built downtown. The shopping has to follow the people."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-fresh-market-downtown-20110616,0,1358998.story

^^ Yup! That's at the corner of 4th and US1. Movement is back to the area, hopefully for better times... I'll take pictures this weekend...

What's going to happen on the west side of US1 the empty area between 4th and 6th, if anyone knows?

What's going to happen on the west side of US1 the empty area between 4th and 6th, if anyone knows?

That's a project that might get built. Two towers, 14 stories. Minto was/is the builder...

Fort Lauderdale set to decide on redevelopment plans for Bahia Mar

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
4:52 p.m. EDT, June 18, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—
Tuesday is decision time on redeveloping the aging Bahia Mar resort. And the plans that the city will consider could tie up the prime public property on the barrier island for a century.

Last-minute opposition has arisen against the deal that would bring a Waldorf Astoria hotel to the beach.

The critics charge that the public will see little benefit even though developers have agreed to build a park, waterfront promenade and community center alongside the high-rise hotel. They question the deal's legality and whether the International Boat Show will have a permanent home as promised.

City commissioners are scheduled to vote on design plans by LXR Resorts, and then it likely will take nine months to negotiate the specifics of back-to-back 50-year leases. The time lag could push a vote on the leases beyond the spring elections, when the mayor and commission are seeking new terms in office.

The criticism has stunned developers and neighborhood activists who worked out a compromise last fall. The project was scaled down. The proposed public spaces were expanded.

"Bahia Mar and the entire South Beach area is blighted," LXR executive Peter Henn said. "We want to be part of the beach renaissance and can be part of the catalyst to make it happen."

In addition to the Waldorf Astoria, LXR's plans include renovating the current Bahia Mar into a Doubletree hotel and constructing a plaza of restaurants and shops along State Road A1A. LXR has 51 years left on its existing lease and promises the public amenities in exchange for a new agreement and approval of its development plans.

The $250 million project would be privately financed with no commitment of tax money.

Community activists Cal Deal and Ray Dettman say the public deserves more access and more benefit from land it owns. Fort Lauderdale acquired the property when the Coast Guard decommissioned its base there following the end of World War II.

"No matter how big it is, it probably won't be of much practical value to the people who actually live here," Deal said of the proposed park. "It will be a hard-to-get-at patch of grass with big boats blocking the view, and nothing to do."

Dettman termed the park "a joke" in an email to commissioners.

LXR would spend $9 million on public amenities. Henn says the proposed park would represent the largest on the barrier island between Hugh Taylor Birch State Park on Sunrise Boulevard and John U. Lloyd State Park inDania Beach.

The park space encompasses almost two acres primarily along the Intracoastal Waterway. There is a wedding pavilion, gardens and restaurant. A 20-foot-wide promenade would run about a mile around the edge of the property — wider than the walk alongSouth Beach inMiami Beach.

Mayor Jack Seiler is defending the LXR proposal as a major breakthrough in making the property more public.

"I just find it ironic that people are saying we're giving up public land if we do this deal," Seiler said. "We've never had real access to this land because it is in a long-term lease. We can leave it as it is, and it won't be improved or available for the public to use."

Other critics are focusing on what happens after the city approves the design plans. They argue a new long-term lease will be a foregone conclusion and that its terms are unacceptable.

Fort Lauderdale lawyer Rochelle Golub set off the new wave of criticism two weeks ago when she told commissioners that she regretted supporting the Bahia Mar plans as a member of the city planning board.

She questioned if the 100-year terms violate the city charter, if the city is guaranteed that the new hotel will be a Waldorf Astoria and if private condos should be built on public land. She also is concerned about LXR's commitment to hosting the boat show.

LXR and its supporters have scrambled to respond since.

The city charter says that the Bahia Mar property cannot be leased for more than 50 years without public bids, but city attorneys have said a 50-year lease with a 50-year extension would be legal.

Henn said LXR's parent company owns the Waldorf Astoria brand and plans for the new hotel to be one. He said the hotel would carry the industry equivalent of at least a four-star rating.

Four stories of the 26-story hotel would be dedicated to condos. Henn said Waldorf Astoria hotels traditionally include condos and that the 27 units are needed to make the financing work.

The boat show has been key to city support for redevelopment because of its large economic impact each year. Henn said LXR is committed to hosting the show and is negotiating a new long-term deal.

LXR has the continuing support of the activists who worked on last fall's compromise.

Mary Fertig, a leader of the nearby Idlewyld neighborhood, said LXR made significant concessions and that neighboring residents face the possibility of something far worse if the proposal is rejected. LXR is allowed to construct six 120-foot-high apartment buildings under its current lease and zoning.

Commissioner Bruce Roberts delayed a vote two weeks ago after the new questions began. He said he has received the assurances he wanted, but Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom said she will press ahead with raising the latest concerns Tuesday.

"Tuesday is a game-changer," Rodstrom said. "We will lose any leverage in negotiating the lease by approving the plans of what they want to do with the site. This will set things up to tie up the property longer than it ever has been in its history."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-vote-bahia-mar-20110618,0,2496099.story

Let's get to work, but I Will miss the kennedy homes.

I wont! They are demolishing them right now! :cheers: :banana: pictures this weekend....

I wont! They are demolishing them right now! :cheers: :banana: pictures this weekend....

They been in our history for years and I Will miss them, at least those 3 houses will be preserved.

I wish I could find an architectural value for these buildings but I simply can't. We'll see how the city plans to maintain a museum for this historic place. I hope they ran a Cost Analysis to see if this is feasible...

Demolition of Fort Lauderdale’s Kennedy Homes housing project begins

By Scott Wyman June 25, 2011 02:34 PM
FORT LAUDERDALE

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/KENNEDY.jpg

Construction crews have begun demolishing the old Dr. Kennedy Homes low-income housing project after historic preservationists failed in their quest to save it.

The city’s Housing Authority is replacing the cramped, antiquated concrete apartments along Broward Boulevard with 132 modern ones in buildings up to five stories tall. A state appeals court last month dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trust for Historic Sailboat Bend and cleared the way for construction.
The Kennedy Homes was one of the last public housing projects built before World War II and was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three of the current 45 existing buildings would be preserved to mark its history.

The cottages were built in 1941 for the city's poor white residents during segregation and named after Dr. Thomas Kennedy who helped fight a yellow fever outbreak as the city's first doctor.

The new apartments represent a joint project between the housing authority and Miami-based Carlisle Development Group using $21 million in federal tax credits. It’s part of an ambitious plan by the housing authority to rebuild hundreds of public housing apartments.

Residents moved out last summer. Construction should take 12 to 15 months.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/06/demolition_of_fort_lauderdales.html

Tear 'em down. Not everyting old is a historic gem. Some people take that stuff way too far.

Besides, at two stories they're way too tall for FTL!

:lol:

But they're replacing them with whopping, ~up to~ 5 story buildings.

Lol! Anyone have any recent pics of 8th Avenue? I used to live in that neighborhood back in the mid 70's. :D

:lol:

But they're replacing them with whopping, ~up to~ 5 story buildings.

How the hell did that get past city council ? :nuts:

Five stories will BLOCK OUT THE SUN!

:lol:

But they're replacing them with whopping, ~up to~ 5 story buildings.

and preserving only 3 of them.

How the hell did that get past city council ? :nuts:

Five stories will BLOCK OUT THE SUN!

I assume Orlando has "5-star luxurious" low-income buildings in the shape of Mickey Mouse (or any other Disney character of your liking) with such architectural value that it's worth bragging about it all over town....:lol: Didnt think so...


Anyway continuing with low-income projects, which seems to be the trend now...

Davie aggressive in providing low-income housing

Town has joined efforts to increase more affordable options for residents during economic slump.

By Brent Wells
bwells@miamiherald.com

The town’s two latest efforts will serve more than 5,000 residents and create more than 350 jobs.

Davie has finished three other low-income housing projects since construction was completed on its first such project in 2000.

According to the 2000 census, 54 percent of residents in Davie would qualify for low-income housing. The 2010 census data for income will be available in the fall.

Giovanni Moss, director of housing and community development for Davie, said there’s a “need for low-income housing in the town, but also countywide” and Davie wanted to take part in providing it.

“We wanted to offer residents who are cost burden (spending more than 30 percent of income on housing) and living in homes they can’t afford an alternative,” Moss said. “We have all the factors, more available land and a government that supports it.”

The 2009 federal stimulus package and other government programs have helped, offering funding and tax incentives to build low-income housing.

Davie obtained nearly $480,000 in federal money, which it had reserved from previous years, to support the two projects now under construction: East Village off Davie Road and Town Park Crossing off Davie Road Extension.

Carlisle Development Group and the Broward County Housing Authority are partners on the $33 million East Village project.

Rents at the 155-unit complex will range from $352 to $1,154 per month for one to three bedrooms, based on residents’ income.

At their June 15th meeting, Council members presented a check for $110,000 to Ann Deibert, CEO of the Broward County Housing Authority, and Jason Haun from the Carlisle Development Group to go toward the East Village Project..

The town also waived $35,000 in fees, with the aim of streamlining the construction process.

Broward County Housing Authority previously had a 100-unit complex at the East Village location that was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Wilma.

Deibert said building something new made more sense financially, and that the Broward County Housing Authority had a small window of opportunity to obtain approval for East Village.

“The town approved permits quickly, which was extremely crucial,” she said.

Moss said his goal is to make sure the projects run smoothly.

“We try to waive fees or search for the funding that will help with the cost on both sides,” Moss said.

Financing for low-income housing projects also comes from private lenders and local government subsidies.

Moss said federal and state grants make low-income housing possible.

Ken Naylor, chief operations officer of the Carlisle Development Group, said the town made sure the deal happened for East Village.

“The town moved us through the permit process quickly enough to meet federal guidelines so we could receive funds,” Naylor said. “They put us on an extremely fast track.”

The town is currently working with a second developer on another project.

Jack Weir, president of Eastwind Development, whose $20 million, 100-unit Town Park Crossing endeavor is the company’s first such project in Davie, said “the town’s help goes beyond the mere funding for the project.”

“They have also been instrumental in the planning process and without the town’s contribution, this development would not have occurred,” Weir said.

The development will also offer rents, based on residents’ income, ranging from $750 to $1,025 per month for one to three bedrooms.

Weir said the town also provided extra funds for costs his company didn’t anticipate.

“They were able to find the funds that paid their fees and helped us with our extra costs,” Weir said. The town could not afford to waive the fees, but they used funds from the State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) program and Broward HOME Investment Partnership to pay their fees and offer Eastwind the money needed for additional construction costs.Moss said the town provided $369,450 in local government funds for Town Park Crossing.

“It was a smaller project and needed a little more assistance,” he said.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/26/2285822/davie-aggressive-in-providing.html#ixzz1QfzpMY2a

Construction crews have begun demolishing the old Dr. Kennedy Homes low-income housing project after historic preservationists failed in their quest to save it.


Someone wanted to save that piece of s#it building? :lol:

^^
What are you talking about, it's almost as good as my old apartment :lol: :lol: :lol:

Compromise reached in controversial First Presbyterian expansion

By Scott Wyman, Sun Sentinel
10:38 p.m. EDT, July 11, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—
First Presbyterian Church's long-running battle with neighboring residents over a planned expansion could be at an end.

The church has agreed to drastically scale back the family center complex it wants to build downtown. Gone is a five-story parking garage. The family center would be smaller and would be built along Las Olas Boulevard rather than in the old Colee Hammock neighborhood.

Colee Hammock's neighborhood association has tentatively endorsed the new plans. Architects for the church are drawing up the revisions, and church leaders hope to take them to the city for approval this fall.


"The church and the neighborhood have worked very hard to find consensus on something we both can live with, and I think what they have come up with would minimize the impact on the neighborhood," said Jackie Scott, president of the Colee Hammock Homeowners Association.

First Presbyterian wanted to build a pair of Spanish mission-style buildings south of Las Olas between Tarpon Drive and Southeast 15th Avenue. One was to be a two-story family center with classrooms, gym, kitchen and stage. The other was the garage with small stores and restaurants on the first floor.

The 2,000-member church has sought to expand for four years. It has argued that it outgrew its space and that the expansion was vital. But neighboring residents organized in opposition because of concern the buildings were too massive and would overwhelm Colee Hammock with traffic.

Senior Pastor Douglas Brouwer said a family center mainly will consist of a gym and stage and may have some retail on the first floor. Instead of a garage, the church's current parking lots would be improved. The current Newman Center will be renovated to accommodate some of the classrooms and meeting space that the church wanted.

Brouwer said he believes the scaled-back expansion still allows the church to expand its outreach ministries and attract new members as desired.

The new plan would cost less than the original $20 million price tag, but Brouwer said he will not have an estimate until the architectural renderings are completed. He said the church will drop the controversial zoning change it wanted and may have to restart the city approval process because the plans are so different from what had been proposed.

"A year ago, I would not have guessed we could get this far," Brouwer said.

The dispute has been enmeshed in politics, and the City Commission has held off a decision for the past year in hopes of a compromise.

The politically influential church counts billionaire businessman H. Wayne Huizenga and construction executive Terry Stiles among its members. But neighborhood associations also wield power in the city, and Colee Hammock pressed other neighborhood groups to join its cause and threatened to make the church an issue in next year's elections.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-presbyterian-church-expansion-20110709,0,3641374.story

^^^ Lame :( So we are going to have a religious community center on the Las Olas side instead of the 5 story garage with shops on the bottom?

I prefer it over a five story (or any size) parking structure. Plenty of parking downtown. A Sun Trolley route with stops at parking garages and every other block down Las Olas could do the trick?

FPL to demolish Port Everglades plant and replace with cleaner plant

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2011-07/244868000-18140645.jpg


By David Fleshler
4:53 p.m. EDT, July 18, 2011

The red-striped smokestacks at Port Everglades will be demolished in 2013 under a plan by Florida Power & Light to modernize its old, polluting power plant, the company announced Monday.

The company said it plans to invest $1 billion to convert the plant from oil fuel to natural gas, using technology that will increase the plant’s efficiency and sharply reduce air pollution. The new plant will cut air pollution emissions by more than 90 percent.

“The emissions reductions are quite spectacular,” said Daniela Banu, Broward County’s air quality administrator, after reviewing the company’s plans.

Although the company had taken steps to reduce emissions over the years, the new plant will reduce or eliminate emissions of several major pollutants by switching to cleaner-burning natural gas, she said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/blogs/green-south-florida/sfl-fpl-to-demolish-port-everglades-plant-and-replace-with-cleaner-plant-20110718,0,4150414.story

^^ Awesome news!

Yes, that old factory won't be missed.

I actually like the current red and white smoke stack.....but am happy a cleaner plant is coming along.

I don't (they're painted that way because of the airport and so they don't need aircraft warning lights) because they look so industrial and that doesn't fit in well at all, here. Then again, I wouldn't mind it if there were a bunch of giant, sucessful plants or factories to soak up more of the migrant workers to make the economy better for the rest of us.

I actually like the current red and white smoke stack.....but am happy a cleaner plant is coming along.

I'm with you.




Longer article...

FPL plans to demolish Port Everglades plant
The company will replace it with a cleaner, more efficient plant

By David Fleshler, Sun Sentinel
9:18 p.m. EDT, July 18, 2011


The red-striped smokestacks that tower over Port Everglades will crash to the ground in 2013, under a plan by Florida Power & Light to modernize an old, heavily polluting power plant.

The company said Monday it will invest $1 billion to demolish the plant and replace it with a more efficient one that will generate more electricity while reducing air pollution emissions by more than 90 percent. The construction work will generate 650 jobs, assuming the project wins regulatory approval and goes forward.

The potential impact on electric bills is unclear. The Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates FPL, has in the past allowed the company to pass on to customers the cost of power generation projects.

FPL spokesman Neil Nissan said any change in rates wouldn't take place until the plant goes into operation in 2016. He said it's too soon to know the short-term impact on rates. But he said the new plant's increased efficiency will yield a net savings of $400 million for customers over its projected 30-year life.

"Modernizing our Port Everglades facility makes the best sense for continuing to meet our generation needs, while offering many benefits to FPL customers," he said.

The plant's four 350-foot stacks have been a prominent, if unloved, part of the Broward skyline since the mid-1960s. In a county that lacks heavy industry, it has long been the biggest single source of air pollution (with cars by far the biggest source overall), generating occasional protests from environmental groups and complaints from elected officials.

George Cavros, a member of the Broward Sierra Club, welcomed the plan.

"The community has been asking FPL to refurbish the plant for 10 years,'' he said. "It's a long time coming, but it's good news."

The plant, which runs mainly on oil, will switch to natural gas, reducing or eliminating emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants. It also would cut in half emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important gas implicated in global warming.

"The emissions reductions are quite spectacular," said Daniela Banu, Broward County's air quality administrator, after reviewing the company's plans.

FPL has embarked on similar modernization projects, most recently in Riviera Beach, where that plant's destruction gave a taste of what Broward County can expect in 2013. On a Sunday morning last month, crowds lined shorelines and hundreds of boaters gathered to watch skillfully placed dynamite charges bring down the plant's stacks.

The project will generate a substantial economic impact, through jobs and through the increase to the region's tax base. The company says the plant's first full year of operation will yield more than $20 million in additional tax revenue to local governments, including the county, the city of Hollywood and the Broward School District.

"It's an exciting day when you see that kind of investment in our tax base," said Bob Swindell, president of The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, a public-private partnership that promotes economic development.

Particularly welcome, he said, are the jobs.

"Construction has been hit the hardest, and this is going to have a very positive impact,'' he said.

The new plant will have three 150-foot stacks. It will generate 1,280 megawatts of power, enough to serve about 260,000 households. This represents a slight increase over its current capacity of 1,200 megawatts. But the new plant will achieve the increase while using 35 percent less fuel per megawatt hour, according to a company fact sheet.

The company began briefing public officials on the project Friday.

"I am so excited," Hollywood Vice Mayor Patty Asseff said. "This will be state of the art. It's not a nuclear plant. It will be a clean-burning plant. They're going to get rid of those stacks.''

The project must go through a complex permitting process from the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies. The company filed the initial paperwork Monday to start the PSC approval process.

The plant's water discharge zone is among the most important places in Florida for endangered manatees. While warm-water emissions would normally stop with a halt in the plant's operations, Nissan said the company will install a system to allow the discharges to continue for the manatees, as it has for the project at its Riviera Beach plant.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-power-plant-20110718,0,2071914.story

^^ I also like the towers but if it improves our area and bring more jobs, it'll be totally welcome...

In other news:

Developer looks to turn North Beach area into urban village

By Scott Wyman July 19, 2011 10:34 PM

FORT LAUDERDALE— The city has long wanted to see the North Beach area developed into an urban village. Now, the neighborhood's major property owner is pressing officials to turn their words into action.

Swedish investor Par Sanda has asked the city to lift a longtime ban on small hotels having cafes, retail shops and any other side business. Sanda has bought more than 20 North Beach properties and wants to add everything from bagel shops to art galleries in the old mom-and-pop hotels he's begun renovating.

While his redevelopment takes place over the next five years, Sanda also wants the city to allow him to take temporary steps to improve North Beach's allure. He wants to open a community park and would like to bring in mobile restaurants.

The development boom a decade ago largely passed over North Beach – the section of the barrier island's interior between the Bonnet House and Bayshore Drive – as high-rise hotels were built along State Road A1A. It remains pockmarked with dilapidated hotels, vacant lots and shuttered buildings.

"This is about bringing the otherwise sleepy area up to date and adding interest and allure, so, hoorah," said Fred Carlson, a leader of the Central Beach Alliance neighborhood group and resident of North Beach. "It will be the best thing to happen to the area in years."

Sanda has quietly spent more than $28 million buying small motels, apartment buildings and undeveloped land in North Beach. In recent meetings with city officials and beach activists, he has began laying out his vision for a European-style village where visitors and residents can walk to shops and restaurants.

A key part of his plan is adding first-floor shops and restaurants as he renovates the hotels. But he also would like the city to redo the neighborhood streets with landscaping, roundabouts and brick crosswalks.

The city doesn't allow hotels with fewer than 50 rooms to include additional businesses. Almost every North Beach hotel is smaller than that, except the Royal Palms Resort. At 62 rooms, it was large enough for Sanda to add a restaurant-bar when he renovated it this spring.

City leaders want to move cautiously.

While they support the overall idea, they want to ensure affordable hotel options remain and that there is not a repeat of noise disputes that have dogged hotels and businesses on other parts of the beach.

"That area has been so rundown for so long, and we can strive to do a lot better in Fort Lauderdale," City Commissioner Bruce Roberts said. "It's not about becoming South Beach, but creating a subdued, laid-back atmosphere where people are walking to shops and stopping to have a cup of coffee."

The proposal that Sanda is laying out to officials would turn Breakers Avenue into a main street for North Beach.

Courtney Crush, his development lawyer, said he is interested in small shops and not businesses like nightclubs that would raise concern about late-night noise. The Central Beach Alliance wrote the city in support, saying the plans would "blend the casual, easy-going residential atmosphere with the world-class tourist destination that are both part of the Fort Lauderdale beach experience."

The community park that Sanda has proposed would be on the site of a set of old, closed tennis courts at Breakers and Belmar Street that he bought in one deal. In addition to a mobile restaurant there, he would add a game court, umbrella-covered patio tables and a splash pool.

"This won't happen overnight, but will evolve," said Richard Gray, a longtime Fort Lauderdale hotelier who is working with Sanda. "It's all about enhancing the destination and adding opportunities for tourists, who are our bread and butter, as well as for local residents."

Stacey George, who recently moved to North Beach from Orlando, said she would like to see businesses in the area so she and friends had places to walk to rather than drive north to Sunrise Boulevard or south to the restaurants and shops near Las Olas Boulevard and A1A.

"It would bring some culture to the area," she said.

Others, like Francisco and Anna Madrazo, don't care. The longtime vacationers from Argentina say they are content walking to the beach to relax during the day and driving off in their rental car to shop and eat.

"We like very much this place," Francisco Madrazo said. "We're very close to the beach."

A North Beach village was first pitched two years ago as part of a sweeping vision of the entire beach that the international consulting firm Sasaki Associates laid out for city officials.

It suggested the city to focus on adding amenities on the barrier island, making the area more pedestrian friendly and creating signature gateway entrances. The city has started moving that direction with plans for $100 million in public improvements on the beach.

In North Beach, the consultants specifically called for upgrading the streets to encourage bicyclists and walkers and turning Breakers into a corridor of shops and restaurants. They said such a move would not only encourage redevelopment in North Beach but compliment the new hotels along A1A.

"I would like some improvement," said Anny Hayward, a longtime part-year resident of North Beach from New York. "The whole street is a swamp, run-down and not even clean."

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/07/developer_looks_to_turn_north.html

they're painted that way because of the airport and so they don't need aircraft warning lights

Not sure where you got that from, but they are lit for anti-collision, especially being right near the airport...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3336883868_6f409eb6ff.jpg

I will actually miss them. While taking drives around the area with the family at a very young age...feeding the manatees in the cooling canal, watching the planes take off and land, the ships coming in and out of port...Those giant red and white stacks have a place in some of my earliest memories. Will be sad to see them go.

Oh, well clearly they have the paint scheme as well as the lights for double caution due to their location. All I was saying was that that's what the paint job was for. Visibility.

Any Skyscraper's Planned for Downtown Ft.Lauderdale?

Have you guys ever been to the main library in Ft. L? It has more cobwebs than the münster's house.

Are there any Approved or Proposed SkyScrapers (20 Floors +) For Downtown Ft.laturdale... I heard there are a few... I just cant find there websites or updates.

^^ Yes! However, like in Miami, they wont get built until this recesion is over. The only new addition to be happening pretty soon is the new Courthouse building, which should start in August and has its own thread.

Thanks for the Info... Now if we could get the Wave Streetcar built...

Broward College may demolish, rebuild downtown tower

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2011-08/63784491.jpg

By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel
5:12 p.m. EDT, August 5, 2011


Broward College is considering demolishing its 57-year-old building in downtown Fort Lauderdale and possibly replacing it with a larger structure with retail space and more classrooms.

The reason: There's too little room for its growing population of 2,500 to 3,000 downtown students.

A 2010 report showed Broward College, which has about 61,000 credit-seeking students on all its campuses, was the most crowded state college in Florida, having just 37 percent of the space it needs for its enrollment. Palm Beach State College, by contrast, had 60 percent of the space it needed.


To make room downtown, the college plans to move some administrative functions to a recently purchased, 73,000-square-foot facility on Cypress Creek Road. But many of the soon-to-be vacated offices at 225 E. Las Olas Blvd. aren't equipped to be classrooms. So the college must renovate or rebuild the six-story building, which fails to meet current building codes, the Americans with Disability Act standards, and is not energy efficient, according to a feasibility report.

"Ultimately it might be more cost effective to remove the building and start from scratch," college spokeswoman Aileen Izquierdo said. "However, that would be a long-term plan."

The college hasn't decided what to do, although the feasibility study from West Palm Beach architectural firm Leo A. Daly recommends rebuilding it. The Board of Trustees is expected to discuss plans this fall. It would not affect the tower one block west, which Broward College shares with Florida Atlantic University.

A new downtown building could include retail space, such as a café and a bookstore.

"We recognize we're a very large presence in the downtown area and want to make sure we collaborate with other agencies in what happens downtown," said Alex Denis, the college's vice president for operations.

That idea of retail, which still in its infancy, has the support of the city's Downtown Development Authority.

"It would create foot traffic and a more pedestrian-friendly downtown," said Elizabeth Van Zandt, planning and design manager for the downtown group. "We support creating areas that people actually want to go, and it would also be good for the student base."

A rebuilt tower possibly would be larger than the current 67,000-square-foot structure, said Denis, adding are currently are no cost estimates or time frame for renovating or rebuilding.

The feasibility study proposes increasing the number of student seats in the tower from 150 to 484. The college also plans to open new centers in Miramar and Coral Springs to meet enrollment demands, which accelerated as the state's weak economy spurred many people to be retrained or get new degrees.

Merrilyn Rathbun, research director for the Fort Lauderdale History Center, said her group would have no objections to tearing down the tower. Built in 1954, the former bank building has undergone numerous exterior alterations since the college acquired it in 1978.

"I doubt it's anything that would be considered historic," she said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/highered/fl-broward-college-downtown-20110805,0,4897976.story

"Adding are currently are.." do you think that appears in the print version?

Regardless

Why dont just build another tower?!?! Leave the old thing for administrative offices...

What Happend to this?

http://www.oneelevenbroward.com/

It would have had an observation deck. :/

What Happend to this?

http://www.oneelevenbroward.com/

It would have had an observation deck. :/


I Hope one day it gets built.

Agreed.

Me too

The site for that project has been cleared out for almost a year now waiting for construction. Great location!!!!

The site for that project has been cleared out for almost a year now waiting for construction. Great location!!!!

:) Thank you

I assume Orlando has "5-star luxurious" low-income buildings in the shape of Mickey Mouse (or any other Disney character of your liking) with such architectural value that it's worth bragging about it all over town....:lol: Didnt think so...


Anyway continuing with low-income projects, which seems to be the trend now...

Davie aggressive in providing low-income housing

Town has joined efforts to increase more affordable options for residents during economic slump.

By Brent Wells
bwells@miamiherald.com

The town’s two latest efforts will serve more than 5,000 residents and create more than 350 jobs.

Davie has finished three other low-income housing projects since construction was completed on its first such project in 2000.

According to the 2000 census, 54 percent of residents in Davie would qualify for low-income housing. The 2010 census data for income will be available in the fall.

Giovanni Moss, director of housing and community development for Davie, said there’s a “need for low-income housing in the town, but also countywide” and Davie wanted to take part in providing it.

“We wanted to offer residents who are cost burden (spending more than 30 percent of income on housing) and living in homes they can’t afford an alternative,” Moss said. “We have all the factors, more available land and a government that supports it.”

The 2009 federal stimulus package and other government programs have helped, offering funding and tax incentives to build low-income housing.

Davie obtained nearly $480,000 in federal money, which it had reserved from previous years, to support the two projects now under construction: East Village off Davie Road and Town Park Crossing off Davie Road Extension.

Carlisle Development Group and the Broward County Housing Authority are partners on the $33 million East Village project.

Rents at the 155-unit complex will range from $352 to $1,154 per month for one to three bedrooms, based on residents’ income.

At their June 15th meeting, Council members presented a check for $110,000 to Ann Deibert, CEO of the Broward County Housing Authority, and Jason Haun from the Carlisle Development Group to go toward the East Village Project..

The town also waived $35,000 in fees, with the aim of streamlining the construction process.

Broward County Housing Authority previously had a 100-unit complex at the East Village location that was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Wilma.

Deibert said building something new made more sense financially, and that the Broward County Housing Authority had a small window of opportunity to obtain approval for East Village.

“The town approved permits quickly, which was extremely crucial,” she said.

Moss said his goal is to make sure the projects run smoothly.

“We try to waive fees or search for the funding that will help with the cost on both sides,” Moss said.

Financing for low-income housing projects also comes from private lenders and local government subsidies.

Moss said federal and state grants make low-income housing possible.

Ken Naylor, chief operations officer of the Carlisle Development Group, said the town made sure the deal happened for East Village.

“The town moved us through the permit process quickly enough to meet federal guidelines so we could receive funds,” Naylor said. “They put us on an extremely fast track.”

The town is currently working with a second developer on another project.

Jack Weir, president of Eastwind Development, whose $20 million, 100-unit Town Park Crossing endeavor is the company’s first such project in Davie, said “the town’s help goes beyond the mere funding for the project.”

“They have also been instrumental in the planning process and without the town’s contribution, this development would not have occurred,” Weir said.

The development will also offer rents, based on residents’ income, ranging from $750 to $1,025 per month for one to three bedrooms.

Weir said the town also provided extra funds for costs his company didn’t anticipate.

“They were able to find the funds that paid their fees and helped us with our extra costs,” Weir said. The town could not afford to waive the fees, but they used funds from the State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) program and Broward HOME Investment Partnership to pay their fees and offer Eastwind the money needed for additional construction costs.Moss said the town provided $369,450 in local government funds for Town Park Crossing.

“It was a smaller project and needed a little more assistance,” he said.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/26/2285822/davie-aggressive-in-providing.html#ixzz1QfzpMY2a

^ Envious of our mouse.

The building in the southwest corner of Andrews and Broward has been demolished. Does anybody know what's gonna happen there?

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/IMG00416-20110918-1237.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/IMG00417-20110918-1522.jpg

The building in the southwest corner of Andrews and Broward has been demolished. Does anybody know what's gonna happen there?

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/IMG00416-20110918-1237.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/IMG00417-20110918-1522.jpg

A High Rise.

How are you so sure?

A High Rise.

How are you so sure?

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. I think that corner belongs to the Government Center...

It mustn't be a skyscraper.. Because their would have been news if it was

Has Broward created a Panhandler Park downtown?
By Brittany Wallman September 22, 2011 10:10 AM


It looks like a new park is coming to a corner downtown that is the premier spot for homeless panhandlers. So for now, let's just call it Panhandler Park.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/panhandlerpark-thumb.jpg

Top county official Pete Corwin, assistant to the county administrator, said the county will be landscaping it soon. In this photo, shot from my vehicle this morning, you see the empty lot, a piece of heavy machinery on it, a fence around it, and an unidentified fellow.

As you may know, this lot is directly across Andrews from the favorite hangout for Broward homeless people: Stranahan Park.

I asked Corwin what the county's long-term plans for the recently cleared lot are, and whether access will be prevented in some fashion after the landscaping goes up. I'll let you know what I find out.

In the meantime, we re-introduce you to some of the homeless people who hang around this area. There's Gary Kerpan, the child murderer. There's Billy, the self-described alcoholic who said he killed a black man. And Sarah, pregnant and 21 when we caught up with her. And Mike Nagy, a Baptist church member trying to get into an apartment. And Rolfe Newman, who helpfully has his name tattoed on his arms in case he gets into a bad motorcycle accident.

Also, for amusement, remember last year when Broward helped homeless people countywide find Stranahan Park? If you don't, click here to see the county's ad "Stranahan Park is only a bus ride away!''
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/09/has_broward_created_a_panhandl.html

^^ Mistery resolved... :lol:

In other news...

Wave of apartment construction set to sweep South Florida

By Scott Wyman and Paul Owers, Staff writers
September 25, 2011


FORT LAUDERDALE—
South Florida is about to go from condo bust to apartment boom.

Developers are set to kick off a new round of housing construction with plans underway to build more than 4,000 rental apartments. Five years have passed since the collapse of the housing market brought an end to the condo construction craze that swept the region.

Apartment complexes across the area were converted to condos during the real estate boom years, but now developers say they see a new need for rentals.

Among the potential customers: young professionals skittish about buying property and people forced out of homes they bought but could no longer afford. These are higher-end apartment communities where the rent for a one-bedroom will top $1,000 a month.

"People are doing away with large homes and like the freedom of being in places with no down payment where things are totally taken care of," said Jorge Perez, whose Miami-based Related Group is behind projects in Fort Lauderdale and Plantation. "If the A/C goes out, you don't have to worry about calling the air conditioning guy."

Developers are turning to sites they previously considered for hotels, condo communities and shopping plazas as locations for apartments.

Perez's planned 26-story New River Yacht Club along Fort Lauderdale's downtown Riverwalk is the site of an old nightclub that was once eyed for condos. Alliance Residential is proposing a 414-unit apartment complex along State Road 7 and Hillsborough Boulevard in Coconut Creek on an old mobile-home park that was cleared out years ago in preparation for commercial development.

Many of the proposals are also located near entertainment, shopping or business districts -- locations that developers say are the most viable because tenants could live closer to work and nightlife. The proposed 350-unit Toscana would be near Nova Southeastern University in Davie, while developers are planning up to 500 units next to Imperial Pointe Medical Center and the Atlantech office tower on Federal Highway in northern Fort Lauderdale.

Some are skeptical of the sudden burst of apartment proposals.

Broward County Commissioner Lois Wexler, who chairs a regional housing task force, said the plans don't seem to address the area's biggest need – lower-priced apartments that are affordable to the bulk of the area's workforce such as starting teachers, retail salespeople and restaurant workers.

And some neighborhood activists worry about overdevelopment. They fear traffic congestion and the possibility of a developer abandoning apartment complexes half-finished or the place being built and then not fully occupied.

Leaders of the Wilton Manors East Neighborhood Association are girding again for battle. They fought off the construction of a resort hotel on church property along Northeast 26th Street last year, but new developers are considering the site for apartments.

"Developers are always chasing the latest trend and half of the time the trend has passed them by," neighborhood leader John Fiore said. "All they see is land and how much they can put on it to maximize their profit so cities need to be vigilant to keep them from going as far as they possibly can."

Real estate market analysts say there is a pent-up need for apartments.

Less than 5 percent of apartments in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are unoccupied, according to Dallas-based MPF Research. And while rental rates had largely been stagnant last year, renters saw an average rate increase of 2.7 percent between April and June.

South Florida's supply of rental apartments took a huge hit from 2003 to 2005 when developers converted thousands of units to condominiums to meet the demand for homeownership. Those apartments have never been replaced and many of those that remain are older properties.

"The quality is just not there," said Jeff Meehan, a partner with The Housing Group, a Tampa firm building the 308-unit Sanbourn Cove in Boynton Beach.

Financing for developers remains a challenge. But developers and market analysts say the industry is better than it's been in a decade and that financing for apartments is easier than for hotel or condo development.

At least one major project, though, doesn't rely on traditional financing.

Hollywood Circle is proposed by a company that teams up foreign investors on ventures in the United States. Gold Coast Florida Regional Center taps a federal government program that allows the investors to obtain visas for permanent residency. It hosted a group of Chinese investors earlier this year to consider the $149 million proposal.

City planners expect more proposals to come soon.

Pompano Beach is reviewing two apartment proposals now, and officials say others have approached the city about building apartments but have yet to submit plans. Construction is beginning in Delray Beach on the 451-unit Alta Congress complex, and officials say there also has been interest in developing apartments at the southwest corner of Military Trail and Atlantic Avenue and the old Pawn Shop property on North Federal Highway.

Still, one major South Florida developer said he doesn't view the burst of apartment plans as the start of a new real estate boom.

"You're seeing something you haven't seen happen in a while with apartment construction, but I really see it as filling a niche," said Allen Hooper, who helped develop the Flagler Heights area near downtown Fort Lauderdale. "Lenders are being careful and will turn off the spigot if the market isn't there, so I don't think it will be allowed to get into a boom."

Staff writers Lisa J. Huriash, Susannah Bryan, Maria Herrera, Rebekah Monson and Larry Barszewski contributed to this report.

swyman@tribune.com, 954-356-4511.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/jesusf80/64993571.jpg
New River Village

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-apartment-building-boom-20110925,0,892327.story

I like the base, but the rest is very ugly. Where exactly is this proposal located?

EDIT- Ah, this must be 5th Ave & Smoker Park

"Perez's planned 26-story New River Yacht Club along Fort Lauderdale's downtown Riverwalk is the site of an old nightclub that was once eyed for condos."

^^

I Googled the Name and found no information it.. Must be a new proposal.

It's where the sea monster night club was....or for those older.....it's where where squeeze/button south was.

BofA Plaza on Las Olas sells for $164 million

South Florida Business Journal
Date: Friday, September 30, 2011, 12:54pm EDT - Last Modified: Friday, September 30, 2011, 12:57pm EDT

http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2010/11/08/Las%20olas%20city%20centre.jpg

A fund operated by JPMorgan Investment Management has closed on the $164 million purchase of Bank of America Plaza at Las Olas City Centre.

Minority owner Stiles announced the close of the purchase of the 408,000-square-foot building, at 401 Las Olas Blvd., on Friday in a news release.

Although Stiles did not identify the owner, the Business Journal reported in August that it was a fund operated by JPMorgan Investment Management.

The building, which is about 95 percent leased, is located in the central business district of downtown Fort Lauderdale.

“This transaction is a testament to the viability and quality of real estate in the Fort Lauderdale area as well as our ability to create value for our partners and execute on our asset strategy,” said Rocco Ferrera, Stiles Chief Investment Officer.

The transaction, among others, signals the return of institutional buyers to the commercial market, which is driving big returns for owners of core assets.

Stiles has handled the leasing and property management of the building since its inception. This state-of-the-art office and retail complex includes a five-story, 1,042-space parking garage and a pedestrian-friendly high-volume plaza with direct frontage on Las Olas Boulevard. The building is Energy Star rated and has won numerous awards.

Stiles Property Management and Stiles Realty will be retained to manage and lease the property.

The Business Journal wrote in April that that the property was on the market, and a source predicted that it would generate about $400 a square foot.

Stiles, which built the building in 2002, co-owns the property with majority owner San Francisco-based Shorenstein Realty Services. It was remodeled in 2005.

The Fort Lauderdale market has been very active. One recent deal involves the 28-story One Financial Plaza, home to the Tower Club and Regions Bank. A joint venture between Crocker Partners and Westcity Realty paid $4 million for the building and two adjacent development sites, a purchase designed to position the partners to play an important role in future development.
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/09/30/bofa-plaza-on-las-olas-sells-for-164.html

Renders for the Kennedy Homes have been posted on the fence just outside the construction site. I'v been looking online for a picture but nothing has showed up. It looks really cool and nothing like I imagine--for some reason I thought it was gonna be like Dixie Ct. Anyway, here's some info about the developer: www.carlisledevelopmentgroup.com I'm gonna try to take pictures with my phone...

Looks like the Related Group is on a roll again with towers planned in Brickell, Edgewater and now downtown Ft. Lauderdale.


New 26-Story Tower Proposed For Downtown Fort Lauderdale

http://www.condovultures.com/News/MarketIntelligenceReport/tabid/214/ArticleId/51244/New-26-Story-Tower-Proposed-For-Downtown-Fort-Lauderdale.aspx

As developers work to sell off the remaining one percent of the Downtown Fort Lauderdale condos created during the last real estate boom, South Florida's biggest vertical residential developer - Jorge Perez of the Related Group - is proposing a 26-story rental tower on the south bank of the New River.

A Related Group-controlled entity is proceeding through the governmental process in hopes of constructing the proposed 256-unit New River Yacht Club on a site just west of Andrews Avenue that had once been slated for a condo tower, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

As of Nov. 17, 2011, developers have proposed at least 14 new highrise condo towers with more than 3,600 units for the tricounty South Florida region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, according to the CondoVultures.com Preconstruction Condo Projects list.

"Market conditions in the Downtown Fort Lauderdale and Beach condo market are improving," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC. "Only about 65 of the condos that were created during the real estate boom in the Downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Beach market - dating back to 2003 - have not yet been sold. On the rental front, the Downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Beach market has about a 45-day supply of condos available for lease as of November 2011.

"Given the numerous new condo towers being proposed for South Florida, we would not be surprised to see additional projects being planned for the Downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Beach market."

The site has been demolished

Is the courthouse u/c ?

Ft.Laudedale Downtown Skyscraper Boom?

Wow, it's hard to believe occupancy is that good already and that construction on new inventory didn't start yesterday if it's true. I wonder what percentage of all condo owners right now are just real estate investors looking to turn them over for profit who will never even be at them. It's hard to believe they only have a "45 day supply" when the economy is so bad and no one has starting building again yet.

The amount of investors owning units has nothing to do with people living in the units. Go and try and rent a unit and you will see the demand is high. A friend of mind looking into renting in Capital Lofts in downtown Miami and there wasn't a unit available until January.

Then why has no one started building yet? They need to get on the ball and take advantage of these "low construction costs" everyone keeps referring to (even in other countries).

Most developers can't get construction financing. If you noticed all the stuff announced is by Swire, Genting (companies large enough to self finance) and projects like MyBrickell and Brickell house where the developers are having the buyers put down 705 - 80% to finance the construction.

Oh yes, of course, but shouldn't they have some significant amount of money from their now successful previous projects that are now full. Don't tell me they develop for free.

First rule of development. Always develop with other peoples money.

For any litigation and other foreclosure issues involving real estate properties, you should always seek the advice of a legal expert. Tampa Foreclosure Lawyer (http://www.kolspot.com/dperry)

Photo gallery: New River project to draw inspiration from Brooklyn

South Florida Business Journal by Oscar Pedro Musibay, Reporter
Date: Friday, December 30, 2011, 12:21pm EST - Last Modified: Friday, December 30, 2011, 4:12pm EST

http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/sfbj%20Water%20Taxi%20%20Pirate*280.jpg?v=1

"Asaf “Asi” Cymbal, of Cymbal Development, is drawing inspiration from a Brooklyn neighborhood as he plans a project along the south side of the New River in Fort Lauderdale.

Cymbal has just purchased the Cabi New River site out of bankruptcy for $11.5 million and is drawing inspiration from the personality-driven Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn. The site currently includes the Pirate's Republic Restaurant, which was once known as Shirttail Charlies.

The neighborhood has already started a transformation with new townhomes and a high-rise residential project.

Cymbal told the Business Journal he plans to travel the world to determine the best combination of mixed-use elements for the six-acre site, which is adjacent to The Related Group’s three-acre holdings where apartments are being planned.

Another neighbor, across the water, is the 245,000-square-foot Las Olas Riverfront retail center, which sold last year to a group that includes Canadian trader Michael Wekerle and hotel investor Dev Motwani. Motwani told the Business Journal that the half-empty property is already undergoing a renovation and plans a repositioning in the marketplace with new long-term tenants.

The Riverfront revitalization would shore up activity on the north side of the river, which is near the the city's historic district, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Museum of Science and Discovery, which in September expanded by 34,000 square feet.

The projects by Related and Cymbal – plus a new $273 million county courthouse – could further transform the south side of the New River into a development hot spot. Broward County commissioners are expected to vote soon on a contractor to build the courthouse, the Sun Sentinel reported in mid-December
"

Read the Second Page: http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/12/30/new-river-project-to-draw-inspiration.html

Photo gallery: New River project to draw inspiration from Brooklyn

South Florida Business Journal by Oscar Pedro Musibay, Reporter
Date: Friday, December 30, 2011, 12:21pm EST - Last Modified: Friday, December 30, 2011, 4:12pm EST

http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/sfbj%20Water%20Taxi%20%20Pirate*280.jpg?v=1

"Asaf “Asi” Cymbal, of Cymbal Development, is drawing inspiration from a Brooklyn neighborhood as he plans a project along the south side of the New River in Fort Lauderdale.

Cymbal has just purchased the Cabi New River site out of bankruptcy for $11.5 million and is drawing inspiration from the personality-driven Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn. The site currently includes the Pirate's Republic Restaurant, which was once known as Shirttail Charlies.

The neighborhood has already started a transformation with new townhomes and a high-rise residential project.

Cymbal told the Business Journal he plans to travel the world to determine the best combination of mixed-use elements for the six-acre site, which is adjacent to The Related Group’s three-acre holdings where apartments are being planned.

Another neighbor, across the water, is the 245,000-square-foot Las Olas Riverfront retail center, which sold last year to a group that includes Canadian trader Michael Wekerle and hotel investor Dev Motwani. Motwani told the Business Journal that the half-empty property is already undergoing a renovation and plans a repositioning in the marketplace with new long-term tenants.

The Riverfront revitalization would shore up activity on the north side of the river, which is near the the city's historic district, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Museum of Science and Discovery, which in September expanded by 34,000 square feet.

The projects by Related and Cymbal – plus a new $273 million county courthouse – could further transform the south side of the New River into a development hot spot. Broward County commissioners are expected to vote soon on a contractor to build the courthouse, the Sun Sentinel reported in mid-December
"

Read the Second Page: http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/12/30/new-river-project-to-draw-inspiration.html


Let's Hope they build Icon Las Olas Next.

More about ^^

Developers look to revive stretch of New River in Fort Lauderdale


By Paul Owers, Sun Sentinel
5:32 p.m. EST, January 6, 2012

Two recent deals for properties in distress along the New River are expected to help renew a key stretch of downtown Fort Lauderdale, although the developers face challenges, an expert says.

In the last week of December, Miami-based Cymbal Development paid $11.5 million for nearly 6 acres on the south side of the river, a site that once housed the Shirttail Charlie's waterfront restaurant. Cymbal is planning a $135 millioan project that will include retail and residential.

Across the river, an investment group spent $16.7 million last summer on Las Olas Riverfront, the once-thriving entertainment landmark that has struggled during the past several years.

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated Cymbal bought its property from Cabi New River, which filed for bankruptcy last year. And Riverfront had fallen into foreclosure before the investors acquired it from creditors.

The two projects, along with roughly 2,000 rental units proposed nearby, will play an important role in the downtown's future, said Chris Wren, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.

"Downtowns, like any communities, need to grow," he said.

Cymbal says it has developed $1 billion in real estate in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. This is its first foray into Broward County, and the company hopes to build $500 million worth of projects in South Florida in the next several years.

A marina with 200 storage spaces sits on the 5.8-acre site now, along with a water taxi service. Shirttail Charlie's closed in 2007 and the restaurant now is Pirate Republic Seafood Grill & Bar. Cymbal assumed the existing leases as part of the purchase.

Cymbal President Asi Cymbal, a Miami resident, said he intends to move near the property to get a better feel for redeveloping it. The land is positioned between Fort Lauderdale's business district and the Broward Performing Arts Center and is seen as a key link between the two.

"The site itself, we believe, has tremendous potential," he said last week. "It's not about building a box. It's about contributing to the community."

The Las Olas Riverfront LP investment group is renovating the 280,000-square-foot project and hopes to sign leases with about 20 new businesses, said partner Dev Motwani.

The investors are in the final stages of negotiations with an Italian restaurant and also a coffee shop, Motwani said. They're talking to restaurants, bars, gym operators and clothing retailers. They're also looking to upgrade the existing movie theater.

Riverfront opened in 1998 as an entertainment destination. After initial success, it fell into disrepair. Some merchants closed their shops, and the escalators stopped working. Part of the second story is still sectioned off with yellow tape.

Motwani said his group plans to spend more than $1 million renovating the project. Included in that will be new lighting to make Riverfront feel safer at night, he said.

The center is 70 percent vacant, but Motwani expects it to be almost fully leased during the next six to nine months.

"The goal is to reincarnate the center based upon what it was in its glory days," said Motwani, whose family-owned company, Merrimac Ventures, has helped redevelop Fort Lauderdale beach.

Still, development on both New River sites will be tested beyond the nation's economic troubles, said Jonathan Kingsley, a senior vice president of the Jones Lang LaSalle commercial real estate firm in Miami.

Access on the south side of the river is difficult, which is part of the reason Shirttail Charlie's closed, Kingsley said. He doubts that upscale office or retail development can succeed there long-term.

As for Riverfront, it needs a presence from national retail chains, but they aren't likely to open there because it's not a traditional shopping district or easily accessible, Kingsley said.

Abacoa, a similar development in northern Palm Beach County, opened about the same time and saw many individual retailers close, in part because the center doesn't have a big national draw.

"Local retailers can survive on their own for only so long," Kingsley said.

The development authority's Wren acknowledges those concerns but points to transit projects planned for the next several years that will improve access in the downtown.

He's also impressed with the credentials of the developers, saying they have the expertise to attract the right mix of tenants to the area.

"I think they can help break the mold," he said.

Powers@tribune.com, 561-243-6529 or Twitter @paulowers

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/fl-commercial-development-20120108,0,205906.story

^ I Read this Article.

What Do you think Cymbal will Build? And Related Group is already in the planning stage of a 26 Story Tower on the River.

More about ^^

Developers look to revive stretch of New River in Fort Lauderdale


By Paul Owers, Sun Sentinel
5:32 p.m. EST, January 6, 2012

Two recent deals for properties in distress along the New River are expected to help renew a key stretch of downtown Fort Lauderdale, although the developers face challenges, an expert says.

In the last week of December, Miami-based Cymbal Development paid $11.5 million for nearly 6 acres on the south side of the river, a site that once housed the Shirttail Charlie's waterfront restaurant. Cymbal is planning a $135 millioan project that will include retail and residential.

Across the river, an investment group spent $16.7 million last summer on Las Olas Riverfront, the once-thriving entertainment landmark that has struggled during the past several years.

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated Cymbal bought its property from Cabi New River, which filed for bankruptcy last year. And Riverfront had fallen into foreclosure before the investors acquired it from creditors.

The two projects, along with roughly 2,000 rental units proposed nearby, will play an important role in the downtown's future, said Chris Wren, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.

"Downtowns, like any communities, need to grow," he said.

Cymbal says it has developed $1 billion in real estate in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. This is its first foray into Broward County, and the company hopes to build $500 million worth of projects in South Florida in the next several years.

A marina with 200 storage spaces sits on the 5.8-acre site now, along with a water taxi service. Shirttail Charlie's closed in 2007 and the restaurant now is Pirate Republic Seafood Grill & Bar. Cymbal assumed the existing leases as part of the purchase.

Cymbal President Asi Cymbal, a Miami resident, said he intends to move near the property to get a better feel for redeveloping it. The land is positioned between Fort Lauderdale's business district and the Broward Performing Arts Center and is seen as a key link between the two.

"The site itself, we believe, has tremendous potential," he said last week. "It's not about building a box. It's about contributing to the community."

The Las Olas Riverfront LP investment group is renovating the 280,000-square-foot project and hopes to sign leases with about 20 new businesses, said partner Dev Motwani.

The investors are in the final stages of negotiations with an Italian restaurant and also a coffee shop, Motwani said. They're talking to restaurants, bars, gym operators and clothing retailers. They're also looking to upgrade the existing movie theater.

Riverfront opened in 1998 as an entertainment destination. After initial success, it fell into disrepair. Some merchants closed their shops, and the escalators stopped working. Part of the second story is still sectioned off with yellow tape.

Motwani said his group plans to spend more than $1 million renovating the project. Included in that will be new lighting to make Riverfront feel safer at night, he said.

The center is 70 percent vacant, but Motwani expects it to be almost fully leased during the next six to nine months.

"The goal is to reincarnate the center based upon what it was in its glory days," said Motwani, whose family-owned company, Merrimac Ventures, has helped redevelop Fort Lauderdale beach.

Still, development on both New River sites will be tested beyond the nation's economic troubles, said Jonathan Kingsley, a senior vice president of the Jones Lang LaSalle commercial real estate firm in Miami.

Access on the south side of the river is difficult, which is part of the reason Shirttail Charlie's closed, Kingsley said. He doubts that upscale office or retail development can succeed there long-term.

As for Riverfront, it needs a presence from national retail chains, but they aren't likely to open there because it's not a traditional shopping district or easily accessible, Kingsley said.

Abacoa, a similar development in northern Palm Beach County, opened about the same time and saw many individual retailers close, in part because the center doesn't have a big national draw.

"Local retailers can survive on their own for only so long," Kingsley said.

The development authority's Wren acknowledges those concerns but points to transit projects planned for the next several years that will improve access in the downtown.

He's also impressed with the credentials of the developers, saying they have the expertise to attract the right mix of tenants to the area.

"I think they can help break the mold," he said.

Powers@tribune.com, 561-243-6529 or Twitter @paulowers

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/fl-commercial-development-20120108,0,205906.story

I Hope Las Olas Riverfront comes back with a vengence.

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport to get tall new control tower

By Ken Kaye, Sun Sentinel
6:43 p.m. EST, January 16, 2012

Squeezed between business districts and bustling with corporate jets, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is about to get safer — and its control tower far more visible.

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to build an ultra-modern 12-story tower by mid-2014, replacing a squat control tower built 41 years ago, when the airport was mostly used by small planes and bordered by cow pastures.

"We're just happy to have a state-of-the-art facility that will enhance airport efficiency and safety," said Clara Bennett, the airport's manager.

Costing more than $9 million in federal money, the new tower will be 117 feet tall, more than twice the size of the old five-story tower. It will feature a tubular design and be equipped with sophisticated aircraft-tracking systems.

"It will be a taller facility that gives controllers more room to work and will allow us to install the latest air traffic technology," said Kathleen Bergen, FAA spokeswoman.

Although the tower is being designed to handle increased air traffic, there's not much growth in sight. Executive Airport, like the rest of aviation, has been hit hard by the slow economy, officials said.

Since 2008, air traffic has decreased about 25 percent, from 200,000 takeoffs and landings per year to 150,000, Bennett said. Still, it is one of the region's busiest general aviation airfields, home to more than 700 aircraft, including about 115 corporate jets.

Although Executive Airport's neighbors have long protested expansion plans, fearing more air traffic and noise, Bennett said the tower will play no role in promoting growth.

"Air traffic activity is really driven by the economy and demand, not projects such as this," she said.

Linda Bird, president of Lakes Estates Homeowners Association, said neighbors don't oppose the new tower because it should enhance safety. However, she said the federal money would have been better spent on hiring more inspectors to ensure planes are well-maintained, in light of several crashes around the airport in the past decade.

"We do not have an adequate number of inspectors on ground," she said. "That's where the money needs to be spent."

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new tower is to be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. In conjunction with the tower, a 6,900-square-foot base building is to be constructed on the south side of the airport. The old tower is slated to be torn down when the new one goes into operation.

Also to be demolished will be an old airport firehouse near the tower site. The station was shut down four years ago when a new one opened on the north side of the airfield.

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport was built in 1941 as an auxiliary training airfield to the Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station, now Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. When the current control tower opened in September 1970, Richard Nixon was president.

"The existing tower is in dire need of replacement," Bennett said. "It doesn't meet current FAA standards."

Source (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-executive-tower-20120116,0,2759574.story)

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/09/22nd-condo-tower-proposed-east-of.html

Related Group plans new Hallandale Beach condo development

South Florida Business Journal by Oscar Pedro Musibay, Reporter

The Related Group is planning a new condo development in Hallandale Beach that would also include a hotel. The 31-story Beachwalk tower would have 84 residences and 432 hotel rooms.
The proposed project would be located on the Intracoastal Waterway, at the western end of the Hallandale Beach Boulevard Causeway, according to Condo Vultures.
Related is already selling units for its 49-unit, oceanfront project Apogee Beach in Hallandale Beach. It broke ground on the project in December.
Beachwalk is the 22nd project to be proposed east of Interstate 95 in South Florida. If they are all built, the projects would add nearly 4,400 units into a market that had 4,200 developer units unsold at the end of last year, according to Condo Vultures.
A Related affiliate bought the Beachwalk development site, home to Manero’s Steakhouse for five decades, for more than $2.9 million from TD Bank in May 2011. The Beachwalk project is slated to cost $60 million to construct and have a market value of $80 million at completion, according to Hallandale Beach government documents Condo Vultures cited in its report.
Related is also planning to start construction in two weeks on its MyBrickell condominium in Miami. To date, about 80 percent of the 192 units are under contract, with buyers paying a 20 percent deposit, the company said. It would be the first new condominium project to break ground in downtown Miami in several years.
Developers seeking to launch new condo projects are focusing particularly on the high-end market, which continues to dominate because of the ability of its prospective buyer pool to pay cash for units. The 70-unit Bellini Bal Harbour high-end condominium recently broken ground.

More projects for Dtwn.... http://relatedgroup.com/2011/11/henry-square/

Orion condo getting a second look

DON CRINKLAW Forum Publishing Group
11:11 a.m. EDT, March 16, 2012


The Orion, an 18-story planned condo/hotel that was to reclaim the derelict Howard Johnson property on A1A in Fort Lauderdale's North Beach, was dumped into limbo two years ago when the economy tanked. The proposal is back now, with changes – it's all condos, no hotel – and it received resounding approval from the Central Beach Alliance last week.

"It's stunning," said CBA board member Fred Carlson as the developer's staff put projected images on a tripod.

"It's what the area needs," added Ina Lee, publisher of Travelhost magazine.

The Howard Johnson is a shell now, a crumbling, empty, nine-story hotel with a dead restaurant on the beach side. It's surrounded by a half-acre of scorched asphalt, all contained behind a chain-link fence. It was the site of some of the boozier debauches of the Spring Break era.

Silvia Coltrane's Miami-based Transacta Prive Development bought the building for $20.6 million after Hurricane Wilma damaged it.

The plan back then was to demolish the old wreck, said Transacta's lawyer, Heidi Davis. A 20-story resort would take its place. The Orion would cost $340 million and would hold 340 hotel units.

Coltrane's group sought – and got – the blessing of the City Commission. But there was a glitch when the landmark Bonnet House, located just to the north, sued to block construction. Transacta Prive later agreed to pay Bonnet House about $430,000 for landscaping and trees to help block the hotel from view.

"By the time we'd sorted it out and were ready to talk to lenders, the market was dying," said land use lawyer Don Hall. Six years later, financing is starting to become available again. "But the beach isn't crying out for another luxury hotel."

"Everybody knows that the condo-hotel market has not proven itself to be financially viable," Coltrane said at the recent CBA meeting. "This is going to be the only true condominium project on the whole beach, and that is what will make us successful."

The reconfigured all-residential Orion will hold 170 condos, Davis said. It will have 60,500 square feet of retail space, plus a 4,000-square-foot restaurant and a 1,000-square-foot bar. The western side fronts on Breakers Avenue, which is the heart of developer Par Sanda's plans for an urban entertainment area. The developer hopes to create a tiny boutique village of restaurants, shops and galleries to perk up the neighborhood.

The blighted Howard Johnson property is at the north end of the commercial strip, about three blocks above the ambitious brands — The Atlantic, the Hilton, the W.

"We'll have to go to the City Commission again," Hall said. "Then we seek funding. It's there now for projects that are well designed and well situated. It's a striking building in a terrific location. I think the money will be available."

"It should work," Carlson said. "I hope it will."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-esb-orion-0315-20120315,0,883977.story

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee19/mrjones12345/YWlZd.jpg

Whats the Latest on Icon Las Olas

Whats the Latest on Icon Las Olas

I Hope it's built in the future.

FPL gets okay to replace Port Everglades power plant

http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f70e15a/turbine/fl--hollywood-fpl-meeting-brf-20120326-001/600



By Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun Sentinel
4:01 a.m. EDT, March 28, 2012

It's official. Those candy-cane-striped smokestacks at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale are history. They'll be demolished around June next year — surely an event to watch, like the Riviera Beach power plant implosion in 2011.

Regulators on Tuesday approved Florida Power & Light Co.'s plan to replace its early 1960s oil-burning plant with one that burns mostly natural gas, which is much more efficient.

Expect to see three 150-foot-tall smokestacks compared to the four, 350-foot tall towers at the port now..

Until construction begins in early 2014, customers will get power from other FPL sources. Ratepayers won't pick up the tab for the $1.2 billion plant until it begins operating in mid-2016, FPL says.

While it's too early to say how much construction costs could increase residential bills, operating the new plant will save a projected $469 million over 30 years, the utility says. It also will provide cleaner energy, reducing carbon emissions by 90 percent.

The project will generate 650 construction jobs, FPL said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-fpl-port-everglades-approval-20120326,0,2712433.story

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2012/04/04/20/10/1aKTkk.Em.56.jpg

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/04/2732167/hollywood-developer-ink-deal-for.html

Hollywood, developer ink deal for glam Young Circle project

Two new developments — including one that would house a state-of-the-art grocery store — could soon come to Young Circle.

BY CARLI TEPROFF CTEPROFF@MIAMIHERALD.COM

A developer with plans to put a $150 million, 25-story complex on the northeast corner of Young Circle got what he needed from the Hollywood City Commission Wednesday: a tax incentive that makes it financially do-able.

The project, dubbed Hollywood Circle, would house a boutique hotel, upscale retail stores and apartments. The plan also includes replacing a worn-down Publix grocery store just south of the property.

“This is exactly what downtown needs,” said Muayad Abbas, the head of Gold Coast Florida Regional Center, which has had plans to build the multi-use project at 1740 Polk St. since 2002. “We are bringing the critical mass to downtown.”

Last November, the commission gave the site plan the green light, but held off on offering an incentive because of another project Gold Coast has in the pipeline. City leaders said at the time that Gold Coast owes Hollywood $1.3 million for the land which on the opposite side of the circle, and until that residential project was completed, the city wasn’t going to allow the new project to begin.

But that changed Wednesday when the commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board, agreed to split the money it would get from tax increment revenues generated by the projects.

The difference? Wednesday’s agreement included language that says Gold Coast will not receive any money until the $1.3 million debt is paid back to the CRA.

“I think this is as good as we can make this agreement,” said Camejo.

Commissioner Patricia Asseff said she was excited to see the project move forward and was willing to offer the incentive.

“That’s a great investment in our city,” she said.

Gold Coast says the Hollywood Circle development will add energy to the ArtsPark, which recently went through a more than $3 million renovation.

The parcel now holds an old apartment building and pizza shop and is blocked off by a mesh-covered fence.

For years, there have been complaints about the Publix along the Circle being too small and attracting vagrants. The plan calls a state-of-the-art grocery store to be built in its place.

“The fact of the matter is the Publix is very small,” said CRA Director Jorge Camejo. “Having a larger grocery will cater to patrons and neighbors downtown instead of them having to drive to Sheridan or Hallandale Beach.”

Gold Coast will make its first payment — for $430,000 — in May to the city for the land on the southwest side of the circle in May. That parcel houses the now boarded up Great Southern Hotel, built by city founder J.W. Young in 1924 but closed since 1991.

The developer plans on building a rental apartment building with 229 units and retail space on that property, said Abbas.

“At the end of the day, downtown will have two great anchors,” he said.

Also at Wednesday’s Hollywood Commission meeting:

• The commission took steps to promote live music and art in the downtown district. First, it gave initial approval to a law that makes it easier to get a liquor license if a business agrees to offer live music at least three nights a week for three hours. The new process would eliminate a six-month waiting period and it would also cut down on the cost. The commission also gave final approval to a law that will help expedite the process of putting a mural on an outside wall.

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2012/04/04/20/10/1aKTkk.Em.56.jpg

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/04/2732167/hollywood-developer-ink-deal-for.html

I Hope it happens.

^ Didn't see that coming!

I believe this would replace the Papa John's building and that 50's era mid-rise. Such a blighted section of Young Circle -- great development!

Another tower on prehistoric park in Fort Lauderdale


4:12 a.m. EDT, April 17, 2012

FORT LAUDERDALE—Another riverfront high-rise will be built soon on a piece of county land leased 20 years ago to private developers.

Back then, the public cried out, calling the arrangement with well-connected businessmen a "sweetheart deal." And historic advocates tried to halt the apartment development by proclaiming the site was a sacred Native American burial ground, and that the trees were arranged in a "thunderbird pattern.'' One woman vowed to chain herself to a tree to face down bulldozers.

It wasn't exactly the Miami Circle – the stunning archaeological find that halted construction of a Miami luxury condo in 1999. But a lot of attention was paid to the Smoker Park project nonetheless.

This time around, the third and final phase of what's now a giant condo-apartment complex, approvals came relatively easily. No one came forward to protest. And passersby at the fenced site just west of the Broward County Courthouse juror parking garage expressed complete surprise that a tower was coming at all.

A public notice on the property alerts the public of a vote in May about 14 residential units. Truth is, the project will have about 200, and the May vote just adds some one-bedrooms to the mix.

Broward County leased the choice property in 1992 to a group of politically connected businessmen, a team that at the time included Fort Lauderdale billionaire H. Wayne Huizenga, then-owner of the Florida Marlins. Now, prominent attorney Bill Scherer is the only remaining original member of the group, and has teamed up with Miami developer Granvil Tracy.

Though the site is still listed among Broward's archaeologically significant, and previous excavations only surveyed part of the overall property, the developers weren't required to do anything special to protect what might be buried there.

"We don't think we need it,'' said John Scherer, son of Bill Scherer. "I don't think we're going to find Stranahan's buried treasures.''

The property is across the New River and upstream a tad from the pioneer home and trading post of Frank Stranahan, the father of Fort Lauderdale. The businessman and banker traded with the Seminoles in the early 1900s, historians say, and a ferry carried people to the river's south side. Stranahan drowned himself in suicidal despair in the river after his bank collapsed in the late 1920s.

County archaeologist Matt DeFelise said the entire New River Village property carries the secrets of the Indians who lived there, including in prehistoric times.

"I hope that's not lost on people — it is where our understanding of how people lived before us comes from," he said.

DeFelise recommended an archaeologist be hired to watch over the construction. In the county's historical offices, he picked up a faceted blue jewelry bead with his gloved hand, saying it was the kind of artifact that might be expected on a site like this.

The value of the site is minor compared to others in Broward, including a city parking lot on Fort Lauderdale beach where archaeologists last year found a wealth of Indian artifacts.

A previous dig at the New River Village site uncovered a Seminole metal projectile point, reports in the county's history files say.

But experts reported they also found a lot of ancient trash, and the bones of "chicken, pig, deer, cow."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tower-archaeology-broward-20120416,0,5178663.story

Thanks for preventing developers from building anything iconic on the site, nimbys.

Thanks for preventing developers from building anything iconic on the site, nimbys.

None of them would even use the park that they would like to see on the site........nor do they have any ideas for who should pay for that park. Blame everything on greedy developer. :bash:

Eventually things will move up as there is no room in Broward County.

200 units = how tall of a building, we talking about. 25 floors?

More projects for Dtwn.... http://relatedgroup.com/2011/11/henry-square/

This project is breaking ground in 6 months according to the Flagler Village facebook page. They also mentioned another project next to Strada 315 but didnt see a name; just a picture that does not say much...but hey! Godd news! Cranes will be back to Downtown FLL. :banana: