| Several great projects are nearing the end of construction. Other projects are in their beginning stages and offer the prospect of expanding our community appeal. Let’s start with what is about to open. L.A. Lee YMCA and Mizell Community Center The grand opening of the new L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center is slated for May 20. The new four-story building has been built where the old Mizell center stood for decades and where Provident Hospital was earlier located. The city helped launch the project five years ago by giving the Y a long-term lease at a $1 a year and pledging about half the cost of construction from community redevelopment funds. The facility will provide a new level of service to the surrounding residents with a focus on youth development, business growth, community outreach and athletic activities. There will be an outdoor swimming pool, a gym with a basketball court and wellness center, a child-care center with after-school programming and a black box theater for performances. Also included on site are shared work spaces to serve as a business incubator, rooms for social activities and neighborhood meetings and classrooms for instruction and training. |
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| Aquatic Center Across town, on the beach, the city will begin the phased opening of the renovated aquatic center by the end of the summer. Since construction began, the old pools have been demolished and new ones built to current international standards for swimming and diving competitions. We’ve also constructed an extreme diving platform, which at 27 meters high is the only one of its kind in the western hemisphere. There will be new grandstand seating, restrooms and concessions. We also continue to work with the International Swimming Hall of Fame on separate plans to rebuild the museum facilities and welcome center. Just a month ago, the new pools were filled with water – 2.6 million gallons in total. If the final stages of inspection go well in the coming weeks, we anticipate opening the pools this summer. |
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| War Memorial Auditorium In addition to the Y and the aquatic center, our reimagining of War Memorial is reaching fruition as well. Under a public-private partnership with the city, the Florida Panthers hockey team has been converting the 70-year-old building into a state-of-the-art concert and performance space. The Panthers also are building a training facility on-site for the team along with two ice rinks. While they would use one rink at times for practice, both would be available to the public for amateur hockey and skating. It will be great to have another amenity like public ice rinks for people to enjoy, and we can anticipate a return of War Memorial to a place where many good memories are created. Many families celebrated graduations, attended concerts or went to events like collector car auctions and orchid shows. Now, with the help of LiveNation, War Memorial will again be fulfilling this niche – but rather than taxpayers footing the bill for the auditorium’s operations, the Panthers will do so. This should save the city as much as a million dollars a year. We expect the ice rinks to be ready this fall, with War Memorial reopening likely by the end of the year. |
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| Downtown ArtsPark Earlier this spring, the City Commission signed a comprehensive agreement to bring an arts park to the old One Stop Shop site on Andrews Avenue in Flagler Village. This deal cemented the city’s longstanding promise to dedicate the site for park space. More than two-thirds of the site will be park with the remainder featuring the cultural center and a European-style marketplace. It will be a true treasure for the entire city to enjoy and boosts the city’s image as a world-class, cosmopolitan destination. Our private partners will invest $100 million of their own capital reimagining the site and will be responsible for its operations. The city, on the other hand, will pay nothing and will receive $1.5 million a year in rent. |
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| Las Olas Marina Meanwhile, this month, the commission also broke ground on a project to expand the Las Olas Marina so it can accommodate more boats as well as larger superyachts than ever before. This will create a signature destination, offering spectacular views of the Intracoastal Waterway and enhancing the city’s position as the Yachting Capital of the World. It’s been almost a decade since this plan was first conceived and came to fruition with the help of our partners in the state and federal governments. State officials worked with us on sub-merged land lease issues, while the U.S. Department of the Interior awarded a $1.1 million boating infrastructure grant. When completed in two years, the dockage at the marina will double in size by the excavation of the old city parking lot. There will be a three-story marine services building that will feature a casual restaurant as well as amenities for those staying at the marine, including ship supply store, gym and pool. A second upscale restaurant will be built on the property, and a pedestrian promenade will make the area inviting to walkers, joggers and bicyclists. |
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| Pickleball park Fort Lauderdale has barely been able to keep up with the ever-increasing popularity of pickleball as a recreational sport. We converted the old roller hockey rink at Holiday Park for courts and added courts in other parks, but we have yet to satisfy the pent-up demand. The city recently received an unsolicited proposal to build a state-of-the-art pickleball facility in an underutilized section of Snyder Park on its southwest side. The commission has signaled its intention to negotiate a partnership deal and is now in a brief waiting period to see if other parties are interested in making a similar proposal. This will bring 40 more courts to the community, which can also serve as a venue for competition play. |
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| South Florida movie studio Another recent proposal represents a major economic development boon for the city that will address the future of the old Wingate incinerator site. We recently received a proposal from a business group to turn the long vacant parcel into a movie studio. Their plans are to build a full-service production studio complete with sound stages, movie sets, a backlot for location filming and a mill where film and production sets can be built. There also would be a full-time accredited film school restaurants and entertainment space. With their presence, South Florida would be set to be a significant player in the business of creating content for TV, film and streaming services. The group plans to invest about $150 million in rejuvenating the site. Wingate is a former Superfund site. The city cleaned up the parcel two decades ago only to see no interest in its redevelopment since. The business consortium not only includes film executives but also an expert in brownfield redevelopment who understands what is needed to make the site workable. |
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| What an exciting time to live in Fort Lauderdale! |
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