Lauderdale postpones high-rise senior home vote
A vertical senior citizens’ home on the New River is nearing final approval in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
The tower, Riverwalk Residences of Las Olas, is the first of its kind proposed in the burgeoning downtown. Canadian developer Jean Francois Roy says it’s not “a nursing home,” but a luxury high-rise for older folks, including those who need assisted living or “memory care.”
The proposal is controversial, and city commissioners Wednesday postponed a vote to Sept. 19 because of Hurricane Irma’s approach.
Commissioner Dean Trantalis said residents at the WaterGarden condo next to the proposed tower have complained the building is too close to theirs, and it doesn’t have sufficient parking for residents and workers, things.
“They want Trantalis said.
The 43-story tower would replace a small office building at 333 N. New River Drive East, just east of the Third Avenue bridge, on the north side of the New River. The property is within walking distance to Las Olas Boulevard.
One owner in WaterGarden, Kurt Harrington, wrote to city commissioners Monday telling them that real estate value used to be determined by “location, location, location.” Now, he said, it’s “setbacks, setbacks, setbacks.”
He said the tower would be six feet away from WaterGarden’s property line.
Roy proposes 152 assisted living rooms, 57 memory care rooms, and 192 independent living units. He also proposes 1,618 square feet of retail/restaurant space. among it other smaller,”
South Florida’s senior population is expected to grow. Roy told the Sun Sentinel earlier this year that the high-rise would contain doctors’ offices, adult daycare and physical therapy services, plus luxuries like a rooftop bar, gourmet market, full-service spa and six hotel rooms for families of tenants.
Monthly rents would start in the low $4,000s and include food, transportation and activities, Roy said.
The project is expected to attract 1,250 car visits or departures a day, a traffic analysis found.
The project is expected to be built by 2019.
The developer first needs special approval for a social services residential facility, as well as approval for the overall site plan.
The project received preliminary approval from city staff at the end of July. City development staff said the tower’s lushly landscaped walkway would connect Southeast Third Avenue with the brick-paved Riverwalk, driver confusion and the potential for crashes, emergency managers said.
Florida’s Turnpike is the exception. All lanes could be converted to one-way from just north of the Boynton Beach Interchange, at mile marker 88, north for 166 miles to the Orlando area, ending at mile marker 254. Fewer turnpike access points reduce the dangers of reversing lanes, officials said.
There are a few things to do before driving off:
Fill the tank with gas, top off all fluids and have a tool kit in the trunk. Also, have a car charger for your cell phone.
Get new windshield wipers if needed, have a fully charged car battery, and gauge the wear and tear on your tires. You don’t want to drive on wet pavement improving downtown for pedestrians. They also lauded it for its 16-floor “sky garden,” “generous glass treatment,” and balconies, a city memo described.
Also capturing city development officials’ interest is the parking garage with 178 space, which would be “screened with a richly-articulated screening punctuated by tile mosaics depicting vegetation,” the memo says.
It passed the city’s Planning and Zoning Board on a split vote of 4-3 in mid-August, on the condition that traffic issues be further studied.
The study determined that intersections near the tower can accommodate the extra traffic.
In other action, Fort Lauderdale commissioners Wednesday:
BUDGET: Gave the first of two approvals to the city’s $770.4 million budget for the spending year that starts Oct. 1. Water-sewer rates will go up, stormwater fees will increase, but the fire fee without treads.
Steer clear of flooded roads. You could stall your engine, hit submerged debris or drive over downed power lines.
Beware of strong crosswinds if driving a highprofile van, truck, RV and/ or pulling a trailer. Your vehicle could flip on its side or jackknife.
If you plan to evacuate by bus, train, boat or plane, your options are limited. Local transit service buses will stop once winds reach 39 mph. Greyhound, Amtrak, local rail, cruise ships will not. The property tax rate will remain the same, but taxes will rise because of increased property values. The city will transfer $16.2 million from the water-sewer fund to the general budget. The final hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13. Commissioner Trantalis voted no because of the removal of water-sewer money. “When you’ve got millions of gallons of sewage spilling into our waterways, if that was done by a private entity, someone would be serving jail time,” he said, adding that the city needs to take the problems more seriously. Mayor Jack Seiler said the use of the watersewer money helps city residents because the money partly comes from utility customers outside the city.
CONSENT ORDER: Approved a consent order with the state. The document allows the state to enforce the city’s violations of clean water rules, with its spills of nearly 21 million gallons of sewage into waterways since 2014. and most airlines will stop service at least 24 hours before the storm arrives or if winds exceed 35 mph.
Boaters are advised to move to inland waterways but should not ride out the storm aboard their vessels. Drawbridges will be locked down at least 24 hours before the storm arrives or when winds reach 40 mph, authorities said.
The highway patrol has been escorting fuel trucks in the Keys to keep gas stations full. Troopers are scheduled to begin 12-hour shifts Friday to manage traffic and respond to emergencies until winds reach 40 mph.
“Be patient,” Wysocky said. “We know everybody’s in a stressful situation but just try to be patient and pay attention to what you’re doing.”
wkroustan@sunsentinel .com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan
PARK: Postponed to Sept. 19 a vote to purchase property on Riverland Road for a city park.
GREEN WATER: City Manager Lee Feldman said city tests of green canal water are not complete. The county also is testing the strangely colored water to determine whether it’s an algae bloom caused by the city’s sewage spills, or something else, like fertilizer runoff.
SLACKLINING: Rejected the idea of allowing slacklining — where participants balance on a stream of rope tied between two trees — in any city park. Commissioners said it seems dangerous.
Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman@sun-sentinel .com or 954-356-4541. Find her on Twitter @BrittanyWallman.