FORT LAUDERDALE — Critics of Galleria mall’s dramatic revamp, a Live Local project calling for nine 30-story buildings, might be surprised to learn they will likely have very little say in the outcome under a new state law designed to boost affordable housing in a region known for rising costs.
Current plans call for a 170-room hotel, new shops and restaurants and more than 3,000 residences, with 1,273 that qualify as workforce housing. That came to light after the South Florida Sun Sentinel requested details from the city through a public records request.
When the Sun Sentinel broke news of the plan in early October, alarmed critics quickly expressed their fury on social media, vowing to fight the plan at City Hall. But under the controversial Live Local Act, there will be no vote of the planning board or the commission. All city approvals will be handled by administrative staff.
Under the law, developers can build to the highest currently allowed height for a commercial or residential building within a one-mile radius.
To qualify as a Live Local project, at least 40% of the residential units must be designated as workforce housing for households earning up to $115,440, which represents 120% of the current median income in Broward County. The affordability requirement must be maintained for at least 30 years.
‘Waiting to see what happens’
Suzi Burstein lives in a home east of the mall in the Sunrise Intracoastal neighborhood. As president of the local homeowners association, she represents close to 200 homes and their owners.
“We’re waiting to see what happens,” Burstein told the Sun Sentinel. “As a board, we’re not taking a position of fighting anything. We’re worried about the impacts it will bring, but there’s also a lot of opportunity this can bring. We’d like to see high-end luxury residential and shopping coming into the area.”
Burstein says she and her neighbors would love to see the Galleria turned into a posh gathering spot akin to Bal Harbour Shops, an open-air mall in an affluent Miami Beach suburb with upscale stores and restaurants.
“We’d like to see something elevated and high end to match the real estate in the area,” she said. “I think we have to wait and see what is coming. There’s a lot of hysteria. People hear affordable housing and they think it’s Section 8 housing. But it’s a very high-end product. Before we go crazy, I would like to see the plan and hear everybody out.”
Shoppers stroll through Fort Lauderdale’s Galleria mall on Sept. 23. The mall was sold to a team of developers who plan to embark on a major revamp. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
No stopping this project?
In the interest of generating an open and transparent discussion about the project, Mayor Dean Trantalis says he plans to host a town-hall style meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club.
“This is probably one of the most significant projects to come to our city,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “I think the residents would deserve to have some say on the scale and scope, because they are going to have to live with it. We’re not interested in stopping any redevelopment. But I think the scale has to be addressed.”
During the meeting, City Hall staff will explain how the Live Local Act works and give a presentation on the project itself, Trantalis said.
Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel he also plans to invite the development team.
Stephanie Toothaker, attorney for the developer, could not confirm on Friday that the team will attend, but did say they plan to hold meetings with nearby neighborhoods.
“We are very much looking forward to working together with the community as we improve upon and reimagine the future of the Galleria mall,” Toothaker said.
Just next week, she said, the development team plans to meet with the Sunrise Intracoastal Homeowners Association.
An aerial view of the Galleria mall on Oct. 6 shows the sprawling property that sits on Sunrise Boulevard just east of the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Gridlock a top concern
In the meantime, critics are fretting over the project’s potential impact, predicting major gridlock on surrounding roads, all the way east to State Road A1A at the beach, south to downtown and north to Coral Ridge and beyond.
Under current plans, the project calls for a “Galleria East” and a “Galleria West” that would be divided by Bayview Drive.
Galleria East would have five towers with 1,981 residences: 1,181 would be market rate and 800 would be workforce apartments. More than 675,000 square feet of mall space would remain. New shops, restaurants and health and fitness uses would take up an additional 127,966 square feet of space.
Galleria West would have four towers with a total of 1,163 residences: 690 would be market rate and 473 would be workforce apartments. One tower would include a 170-room hotel. More than 250,000 square feet of existing commercial space would remain. New restaurants and office space would encompass more than 14,000 square feet.
The proposal appears to be the most ambitious redevelopment proposal yet for the 31.5-acre site, a sprawling property at 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., just west of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The mall’s former owner, Keystone-Florida Property Holding Group, submitted the makeover plans to Fort Lauderdale in August.
In September, the 1980s-era mall was sold for $73 million to a group led by Russell Galbut, a developer based in Miami Beach with a track record for building large mixed-use projects in Florida and throughout the nation.
Galbut has several Live Local Act applications underway in Miami Beach, but none as massive as the Galleria project.
Vice Mayor John Herbst, the district commissioner who represents the neighborhood, could not be reached for comment.
Herbst recently emailed a handy fact sheet to residents about the Live Local Act, explaining how it limits the city’s ability to modify or deny projects that qualify under the relatively new law.
The city has limited authority to modify or deny projects under the Act, but can review for compliance to ensure the project meets all statutory requirements, including workforce housing percentage and affordability rules, Herbst’s email said.
The city cannot deny a qualifying project based on height, density or general zoning restrictions, Herbst wrote. In addition, the city cannot impose additional design, use or discretionary conditions that would prevent the project from moving forward, Herbst wrote.
A final word of warning from Herbst: “Projects can only be rejected if they fail to meet legal, technical or procedural standards.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at bryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan