Bahia Mar spreads its wings

Mid-rises and open space get mixed reviews

FORT LAUDERDALE — A beach development wrapped in controversy for more than two years is finally nearing the finish line in Fort Lauderdale.

The new plan for the city-owned Bahia Mar marina-hotel features shorter buildings, more open space, clear views of the water, a boutique grocery store and a public promenade around the picturesque site.

Rather than two 39-story towers, as originally proposed, or two 29-story towers, as later revised, the development spreads out into eight major mid-rises and some shorter buildings. The proposal includes 651 rental apartments, 173,280 square feet of office/retail/restaurant space and 256 hotel rooms, in addition to the marina and dock space. The existing DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, just renovated, will be demolished and replaced.

But reaction to the project is still mixed. The Bahia Mar plans have served as a flashpoint for concerns about the city’s heavy growth, with residents fearful they’ll lose what attracts them to Fort Lauderdale.

Roads will be clogged with traffic, and evacuation and emergency response times could be slower, some said at a four-hour city planning and zoning board hearing Wednesday where the project was approved.

“You people really are rotten, what you’ve done to our city,” longtime beach activist Art Seitz told the planning and zoning board before being ordered to leave. “Damn you.”

“Fort Lauderdale is full!” one resident wrote about the project on Facebook.

Kobi Karp, the architect, said he designed the development to allow clear views to the water. Three of the buildings are elevated over

four-story open spaces, for example. The middle of the peninsular acreage is open, as well.

The parking is underground, a move developer Jimmy Tate said cost more than $100 million.

Tate has a long-term lease of the site.

Only board members Steve Glassman, Leo Hansen and Catherine Maus voted against his project.

“I still want the Bahia Mar to be an iconic asset,” Tate said Thursday afternoon. “I want it to be the community’s home.”

Tate said he listened to the community and spent $4 million returning to the drawing board again and again.

A rezoning is no longer needed. City staff says it meets the development code.

“We’re not asking for any variances. We’re not asking for any favors,” Tate said. “There is no canyon. There is no mountain range of buildings. What you have are strategically placed buildings within a village.”

Mary Fertig, a community leader the city intends to name Citizen of the Year, said the redevelopment of Bahia Mar was the spark that led to the creation of Lauderdale Tomorrow, a citizens group that gathered signatures in hopes of forcing a building moratorium.

Fertig said the city’s water-sewer infrastructure can’t handle the wave of dense development it’s welcoming.

“That previous project did something for this community that was long overdue,” Fertig said at the hearing, “and that was start a conversation about what we’re going to have to do to remain a livable and sustainable community.”

Tate said the public will benefit from the site’s redevelopment. Residents and tourists can visit the restaurants and grocery store there, or walk the promenade and view the Intracoastal.

And the city will glean property taxes, impact fees and a share of the revenues, he said.

“At the end of the day,” Tate said, “all ships rise in a rising tide.”

Supporters said the status quo — a tired hotel and heavily paved property — offers little access to the public and needs improvement.

“Why can’t residents have ... green space to enjoy?” asked Abby Laughlin, a beach resident. “Why can’t we have a beautiful modern space to walk and ride our bikes and look at views and buy some groceries?”

The new plan cleared the planning and zoning board with a 6-3 approval late Wednesday evening.

Tate said he expects a City Commission hearing on the redevelopment Dec. 5.