Residential towers may rise south of New River

Downtown Fort Lauderdale residents could be getting hundreds of new neighbors.

A developer wants to build two 43-story residential towers totaling 879 units as part of a mixed-use project in the 500 block of South Andrews Avenue, across from Publix.

Southside CityCentre also would have a 36-story building featuring more than 300 hotel rooms.

The proposed project, which would include 200,000 square feet of offices and 52,000 square feet of retail, will be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the city’s Development Review Committee.

It’s unclear whether the residential units would be apartments or condominiums. Principals of developer Southside River LLC of Miami could not be reached Wednesday.

More than 15,000 downtown apartments and condos have been approved and built in recent years as Fort Lauderdale seeks to make the area “a live-work-play” destination.

In January, city commissioners approved 1,200 apartments as part of a redevelopment of the failing Las Olas Riverfront.

While the size of Southside CityCentre almost certainly will draw objections, Mayor Jack Seiler pointed out that developers routinely ask for more units than the city approves.

Seiler said he hasn’t yet spoken to Southside River, because the project is still in the early stages of the approval process. The city commission would have the final say.

The mayor said that area has been identified for workforce housing, and he’d be surprised if at least a portion of the development didn’t provide it.

“That’s going to be a good thing,” Seiler said. “Affordable workforce housing is desperately needed in the downtown corridor.”

Seiler said he’s also concerned about the traffic impacts of new developments. He likes the idea that many Southside CityCentre residents would walk across the street to Publix.

Jupiter-based Kygo LLC owns a nearly 2-acre parcel on Andrews Avenue and has a contract to sell it to Southside River early next year, said John Kyle, a principal of Kygo.

The land sale is not contingent on city approvals, Kyle said, adding that the developer also is under contract with another owner to buy a parcel to the north.

The submitted plans for Southside CityCentre include both properties, he said.

Kyle called Southside River’s project “ambitious” but said he doesn’t doubt it will happen.

“I expect they will perform,” he said. “They’re going through all the motions a real buyer would.”

SOUTHSIDE RIVER LLC/COURTESY Southside CityCentre, a mixed-use project, would feature 879 residential units and more than 300 hotel rooms.