South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Don’t mess with Las Olas, its median
FORT LAUDERDALE — Judging from the rumblings, not everyone is in love with the idea of an extreme makeover for Las Olas that will forever remove the treelined median — a timeless touch that helped the iconic boulevard win a national competition for most beautiful street in America.
The coming redesign of the 2.4-mile historic corridor has tongues wagging and keyboards clacking, with residents blasting their opinions on social media and in emails to City Hall.
“Removing … the center trees is crazy to me,” one man from Las Olas Isles griped.
Another complaint came
from a longtime resident and activist in the Harbor Beach neighborhood: “Majority are very critical of removing the trees for both loss of charm and shade. Not a popular plan with little support. What’s the alternative?”
Even a guy from Denver weighed in.
“I’m 1,703 miles away, haven’t been a part of the discussion and may not know all the facts about the changes to Las Olas Boulevard,” he wrote in a letter to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “But there is the old phrase about the forest and the trees. This decision will come back to haunt city leaders.
“I remember after the tree-lined median was planted how bearable it was to visit the Las Olas Arts Festival at midday because of the shade. … Leave the center median in place and prevent those inevitable head-on collisions.”
The redesign will cost close to $140 million, according to early estimates. Now Fort Lauderdale leaders have to find a way to pay for it.
Commissioners signed off on what they called “the vision” Tuesday night, but they say there will be tweaks along the way.
“All of this will be fleshed out as we continue,” said Commissioner Steve Glassman, whose district includes Las Olas and the surrounding neighborhoods. “We are accepting a vision, then we will go through the design phase. All along the way we will have public input. It’s still a long road.”
Under the current plan, the shopping district would have one lane of traffic in each direction to encourage drivers to slow down and take it easy as they cruise through one of the most traveled sections of the boulevard.
In the Isles, where critics say Las Olas has turned into a speedway, the width of the outside lanes would be narrowed from 12 feet to 11 feet. The inside lanes would be narrowed from 12 to 10 feet. The experts say that will get drivers to slow down. Critics worry it will only lead to more accidents.
Shade trees, colorful vines and lush landscaping would be planted along the rest of the boulevard to add to its charm. And benches would be added in the Isles for people needing a spot to rest on their stroll to and from the beach.
So far, the vision still includes getting rid of the median and the black olive trees — a part of the plan that’s unlikely to change, city officials say.
The olive trees were planted more than 50 years ago, helping Fort Lauderdale’s most famous boulevard win that coveted national award three years later, in 1971.
Bob Moorman, the owner of Carroll’s Jewelers at 915 East Las Olas Blvd., has watched the trees thrive and grow over the years.
“I came in 1980 when they were young trees,” he said. “They’ve been here 50 years. These trees have survived hurricanes. I love the trees. I hope they live forever.”
But Moorman knows their time has perhaps come and gone, with a major redesign on the horizon.
“We are sort of opposed to it, but we understand the city must move on,” he said. “The street must move on.”
Residents say they’ve been told some of the trees — which can live 150 years or more — are diseased and at the end of their life cycle.
But the real reason the trees need to go has nothing to do with whether they are healthy or not. It’s all about getting rid of the 8-footwide median and making more space for wider sidewalks and outdoor dining, said Joe Corradino, a consultant whose company Corradino Group was hired to help come up with a redesign plan.