Trigger for new development?

Between now and the build-out, it’s likely there will be a push by private developers to erect new office and residential projects in the neighborhood to the south of the Broward County Courthouse complex to serve lawyers, legal support workers and federal law enforcement,

Steven Hudson, CEO and president of Fort-Lauderdale-based Hudson Capital Group, arranged the sale of the land through a subsidiary called Dunmore Properties. He said Tuesday that he acquired the land over multiple years and that the properties were among four choices the government considered for the courthouse. The others included two sites near the CSX rail line and a site closer to the Broward courthouse.

The deal was first reported by the South Florida Business Journal.

The land bought by the GSA includes a parking lot at Southeast Fourth Avenue and Southeast 11th Street, and neighboring property on Southeast Third Avenue.

“Many of the local business organizations — whether it was the Downtown Development Authority, the Broward Workshop, the [Greater Fort Lauderdale] Alliance — really wanted to see the courthouse remain in downtown Fort Lauderdale,” Hudson said. “It’s the county seat. It’s the largest city.”

Even though the project’s scheduled completion date is nearly six years away — with construction starting in 2023 — it’s likely that more businesses will start gravitating toward the area.

“It’s always been an area for future development,” said Jenni Morijon, president and CEO of the DDA. “Ultimately we’re seeing residential continue south of the river just like we saw with Flagler Village” to the north.