City hits ceiling over 39-story Bahia Mar plan
Commission wants to see new plan with smaller buildings
FORT LAUDERDALE — It’s back to the drawing board for developers of the Bahia Mar resort and marina after city commissioners shot down their plans for two 39-story condominium towers, which would have been the tallest on the city’s barrier island.
Commissioners waded through eight hours of testimony and debate that lasted past 4 a.m. Wednesday before deciding to give the developers, TRR Bahia Mar LLC, another month to come back with plans on a smaller scale.
“I think it’s a little disingenuous of the developer to tell us he needs two 39-story buildings to make the whole thing work,” Commissioner Dean Trantalis said.
Commissioners did not vote down the plans that had many of the things they desired for the city-owned property: Itwould become a permanent home for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, would be opened to the public with a half-mile promenade around its perimeter, and include waterfront restaurants and a grocery store desired by many beach residents.
“I do like the project,” Vice Mayor Robert McKinzie said. “It’s going to be an attraction. It’s going to be a destination.”
Commissioners will look at the plans againMarch1to give developer Jimmy Tate and his group time to rework the proposal. Commissioners also asked for a market appraisal to be done so they can have a better sense of what the property isworth.
They never got around to discussing the lease and deferred that item until April 5, which would be the same time as the second reading of the rezoning and site plan request.
The time framemay have to be adjusted. City Manager Lee Feldman said it would take 12 weeks to get the market appraisal. Commissioners also said they’d like the city’s Marine Advisory Board, which has been left out of the discussions so far, to review the plans.
Commissioners listened to comments from more than 70 people, more in opposition than support, while dozens of others gave up andwent home before their names were called because of the late hour.
“The only thing innovative about this development is let’s see how much stuff we can stick on a sliver of land,” said Anthony Bruno, who lives in Croissant Park west of Andrews Avenue.
The pivotal comments came fromPhil Purcell, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, which owns the boat show that’s run each year out of Bahia Mar.
Some commissioners suggested the developers wouldn’t need such tall towers tomake their profit if they didn’t alsohave to build a massive five-story garage thatwould double as exhibition space for the boat show.
Tate has said the boat show space was designed according to its requests, but Purcell said the show didn’t have to have the indoor space. Purcell, whose association has been contractually obligated to support the development, said he was given permission by Tate to speak freely.
“We’ll work with it; we’ll work without it,” Purcell said of the garage.
In asking thedeveloper to take another stab at the plans, commissioners did not reach a firm decision on how high they would be willing to go.
Commissioner Dean Trantalis said he doesn’t want to see anything more than the current maximum height on the beach, 24 stories, but Mayor Jack Seiler and the other commissioners disagreed.
“I’d rather have a taller, thinner building, than to have a bulky 24-story building,” Seiler said.
Robert Lochrie, representing the developer, said the group might be able to consider a 34-story limit, but did not commit to anything lower.
“We will work on a plan and come back with a plan,” Lochrie said.
While cutting out the garagewould reduce the overall construction costs, Lochrie said that’s only one of the costs the developers are facing. Theboat showis also trying to reduce its annual rent by more than $1 million in order to commit to a 30-year agreement.
Purcell said the show paid $5.5 million last year and is seeking a rent of $4 million to$4.5 million annually.
Thecommissionwants to make sure the boat show stays at the site after its current lease ends in 2020. It is requiring Tate’s group to secure the long-term agreement with the boat show before its plans get final approval.