Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
One Stop Shop may be razed
FORT LAUDERDALE – The vacant One Stop Shop in downtown Fort Lauderdale could be demolished after more than a decade sitting empty. The property off Andrews Avenue, between Northwest Second and Fourth streets, is an eyesore and wasted opportunity, some commissioners and members of the public said Tuesday.
Commissioners said they’d like the building, the city’s former development permitting office, torn down. Even if nothing but grass is planted, they said, it would be a great improvement.
The property’s future is unknown. It’s been discussed as a potential site for a new federal courthouse or a new citycounty government complex.
In recent years, the city allowed the old office campus to be emblazoned with murals and artwork. The building is too old to be renovated, city officials said previously.
For the time being, “it could be the ultimate green space,” Commissioner Robert McKinzie said.
Still, McKinzie urged his colleagues not to act in haste. He said the city should wait until a proposed parks bond issue is decided by voters in March.
“We need to do something,” Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “It’s a disgrace.”
The neighborhood wants the building torn down, resident Dylan Lagi said. He said the property could be used for a farmer’s market, part of an art walk, or some other active use.
City Manager Lee Feldman said he could find the $150,000 in the budget to tear it down. But, he said, “you have to make improvements” afterward. There is no lighting. And sod would be needed.
A rare Dragon’s Blood Tree that was on the property died and has been removed, Feldman said.
Commissioners asked him to determine the cost and report back to them.
For years, homeless people met daily at “the tree” on the property, and were connected with shelter for the night. Ray Cox, a homeless advocate and frequent city critic, said the city shouldn’t forget them.
“Keep the homeless uppermost in your thoughts,” he said, “because they’re God’s children, too.”
Developer Jim Ellis said the community has pushed the city for 15 years to do something with the property.
“For 15 years it has been probably used by the homeless the most, and it could have been used by this community,” Ellis said.
Downtown developer and Fort Lauderdale native Alan Hooper said the building is an eyesore that hurts property values. He said the city should install sprinklers and plant grass, rather than leave it standing as a “decrepit haunted house.”