Eight towers, all 30 stories high, are expected to dramatically transform Fort Lauderdale’s Galleria mall.
But don’t expect them to break ground any time soon.
The developers are still waiting on city approvals a year after submitting plans under Florida’s Live Local Act.
According to the original plans submitted to the city, the developers are aiming to turn the landmark property into a bustling shopping and lifestyle destination with a 170-room hotel, new shops and restaurants, and nearly 3,200 residential units that include workforce housing.
Renderings released recently to the South Florida Sun Sentinel show five towers dubbed Galleria East and another three that comprise Galleria West.
The renderings also show eight pickleball courts and seven tennis courts overlooking a massive lake that’s not there now.
All eight towers would be the same height: 308 feet and 6 inches to the roof line. Equipment on the roof would push the height to 339 feet, city records show.
Stephanie Toothaker, attorney for the developer, told the Sun Sentinel there’s a reason aging malls are being reimagined across the nation.
“E-commerce, changing consumer habits and the end of the traditional department store model are ringing the death knell for legacy enclosed malls,” Toothaker said. “Live, work, play will end up being nothing more than a slogan unless we allow modern retail to draw energy and activity from well-designed and well-planned residential in close proximity.
“With recent U.S. data showing 40 malls a year being shuttered, smart communities recognize they must allow for creative redevelopment of this asset class or allow the continued decline and eventual failure of what are becoming zombie malls.”
In the case of the Galleria, Toothaker said Florida’s Live Local laws have spurred ownership to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the best parts of the site, while reimagining a “brilliantly designed lifestyle center” that will benefit Fort Lauderdale residents economically, recreationally and socially.
But for now, the Galleria project remains under review along with an accompanying traffic analysis, according to a Fort Lauderdale spokeswoman.
A rendering of the proposed megaproject that would transform the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale. The current plan calls for eight buildings, all standing 30 stories high. (Architectonica/Courtesy)
Ripe for redevelopment?
The Galleria sits on busy Sunrise Boulevard just west of the Intracoastal Waterway and east of the Middle River.
A joint venture that includes GFO Investments, InSite Group, Prime Finance and Atlas Hill Real Estate purchased the 31.5-acre property for $73 million in September 2025.
The month before, redevelopment plans were submitted to City Hall under the Live Local Act, a state law that aims to boost affordable housing throughout Florida.
The Galleria developers have proposed building 3,144 residential units with a mix of apartments and condos — 1,871 to be exact.
The proposed project has prompted a public outcry from residents worried about the impact it might have on surrounding roads and neighborhoods. Early reports stated that nine towers were planned, but the true number is 8. One of the buildings is L-shaped, which might have contributed to the confusion.
The Live Local Act requires developers to set aside 40% of the residential units for workforce housing. In exchange, they get an expedited administrative approval process not subject to public hearings or commission votes.
To accommodate Live Local requirements, 1,273 apartments would be set aside for workforce housing over the course of 30 years. Under Live Local, those apartments will be priced at up to 120% of the local area median income for a minimum of 30 years.
Based on the county’s current median income of $102,500, anyone renting a Live Local project’s workforce housing apartments can be earning as much as $123,000 a year.
Those new residents would give the newly designed mall a ready supply of customers, observers say.
The nearly empty Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale is seen Friday. The new owners plan to develop the mall into a bustling lifestyle destination with eight 30-story residential towers just blocks from the beach. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Mayor Dean Trantalis says the mall could be so much more than it is now.
“The mall has great potential that has been overlooked over the last couple decades,” he said. “There’s huge swaths of empty space in the Galleria. There are some good anchors with Dillard’s and Macy’s, but it’s not a Class 1-type retail environment. I think the Galleria presents a tremendous opportunity for redevelopment not just from a residential but from a retail perspective.”
Trantalis said he has not been given any recent updates on the Galleria project. But that’s part of the new landscape under Live Local.
“From the developer’s perspective, Live Local changes the dynamic of where the commission fits into this project,” he said. “The state Legislature fashioned this process so the commission and planning board would not be part of the normal channels of approval. I’m hopeful before too long we can sit down together and see what this developer is looking to do there.”
New Live Local trend?
Developers across the country are turning languishing malls into vibrant gathering spots by building apartment towers where shuttered anchor stores once stood.
The Galleria proposal puts a Live Local twist on the trend.
Live Local has given mall owners around the state the ability to redevelop commercial space without public opposition, said Keith Poliakoff, an attorney who has represented Live Local developers but does not represent the Galleria’s developer.
Poliakoff predicts we will start seeing Live Local used to redevelop malls in South Florida and perhaps throughout the state — at least until the law expires on Oct. 1, 2033.
“The city of Fort Lauderdale could modify the zoning at the mall to allow high-rise development,” Poliakoff told the Sun Sentinel. “Live Local is allowing the developer to do this (project) without fighting the city on land use and zoning changes. This just prevents public opposition.”
FILE – Construction workers at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 4 1980. (Terry Townsend/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Foot traffic outside the Burdines store at the Galleria Mall on Jan., 15, 1990. (Robert Duyos/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Workers do construction on the exterior of the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, as seen from inside the mall, on Sept. 28, 1981. (Robert Mayer/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The company that owns Jordan Marsh, seen on Feb. 26, 1988 is about to buy the company that owns Burdines and Bloomingdales at the Galleria Mall. (Jim Virga/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Arousha Shahandeh, left, Shannon McCauley and Petra Swahn shop at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 28, 1985. (Ursula Seemann/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The interior of Galleria Mall is shown from an escalator in Fort Lauderdale on July 17, 1986. (Anne Ryan/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Sunrise Boulevard looking east near the Galleria Mall. year unknown. (Arnold Ernest/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Children participate in Camp Galleria at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on June 26, 1990. (Nicholas Von Staden/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The exterior of the Jordan Marsh store at the Galleria Mall is shown in Fort Lauderdale on May 9, 1974. (Ursula Seemann/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Shoppers at Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 28 1980. (Tim Rivers/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Last minute shoppers at Galleria Mall on Dec. 24, 1986. (Sun Sentinel staff file)
FILE – Frank McPhee, left, general manager of Fort Lauderdale Lincoln Mercury, and salesman Richard Graham stand in the dealership’s new showroom at the Galleria Mall on Sept. 25, 1984. (Tim Rivers/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Ron Cochran, left, Nick Navarro, William Markham and Earl Morrall sit in a mock jail cell at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on May 29, 1985, as part of a “Jail for Bail” program to benefit the American Cancer Society. (Bob Mack/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Galleria Mall is shown in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 30, 1983. (Robert Azmitia/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Galleria Mall is dark with all of its stores closed in Fort Lauderdale on May 17, 1985, after a blackout caused by a fire that left all of South Florida without power. (Bob Mack/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Derek Lehmann, 20, reads Larry Speakes’ book on the Reagan presidency at the B. Dalton Booksellers inside the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on May 20, 1988. Michael Deaver’s and Donald Regan’s books are also on display. (Judy Sloan Reich/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Shoppers crowd the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 22, 1984, during the Christmas holiday. (Deborah Meeks/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Beatriz Maggio, 17, of Pompano, left, checks out colognes and perfumes as possible gifts as Manon Shapiro helps her at Burdines in the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, Dec. 23, 1990. (Robert Duyos/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Lord & Taylor at the Galleria mall closed for good on Feb. 2, 2002, surprising even mall management. Mary Flaherty, of Montreal, Canada, checks out the sign on the door, which asks customers to visit their closest store. (Anastasia Walsh/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Shoppers flood the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale to return gifts and shop for extra discount deals on the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, 2014. (Jim Rassol/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – After many months the Galleria Mall has finished major construction on parts of the mall seen on Feb. 4, 2004. (Lou Toman/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Joanne Kelley of Ft. Lauderdale drags her shopping bags through the Galleria Mall as she heads to the parking lot with last minute gifts she purchased for her husband on Dec. 24, 2002. (Mike Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Andrea Pretti of Fort Lauderdale, Abby Morfi and her son Alex Morfi, 4, of Dania Beach walk through the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale with the Burdines sign glowing in the background on Sept. 14, 2004. (Gina Fontana/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Shoppers do their last minute holiday shopping at the Galleria Mall on Dec. 23, 2009. (Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Richies Hayes celebrates with his new iPad infront of the Apple Store in the Galleria Mall Saturday morning, April 3, 2010. Hayes, who is from Ireland and was leaving on a cruise Saturday morning, said he will be the first Irishman to have an iPad. (Mark Randall/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Aerial view of the Galleria Mall in Ft Lauderdale. (Carl Seibert/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Discount signs attempt to lure customers during their last-minute holiday shopping at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 21, 2009. (Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Shoppers at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale monitor television reports of a plane’s downing by a Soviet fighter on Sept. 11, 1983. (Tim Rivers/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Frankie Raffael, 10, left, and Diane Shute are greeted by Michele Todd and Richelle Doliner at a Borders Books & Music store at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on July 8, 2000, as they enter to buy a new Harry Potter book. (Mike Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – A worker walks on an iron beam as shoppers pass in front of Dillard’s at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, June 18, 2003. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – From left, head instructor Jorge Pastore, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, Christian Branke, 13, of Oakland Park, and Melanie Ortiz, 13, of Deerfield Beach participate in an A+ Martial Arts Camp demonstration at the Camp Expo in the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, March 4, 2006. The expo gave families a chance to choose from many summer camps for their children. (Justin Knapfel/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Richard Lippin, left, and his best friend Rob Smith visit the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale to take advantage of the holiday deals on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. (Randy Vazquez/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Buyers of the iPhone 4 wait in the parking garage of the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, Thursday, June 24, 2010. Many of the buyers waited overnight for a chance to buy the new gadget. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Jennifer Brown counts the back-to-school clothes she bought for her son Robert, 10, at Macy’s at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. (Leah Nash/Sun Sentinel)
Gloria Johnson, an employee at the Galleria Mall, reads the newspaper during a break in the food court in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 20, 2001. (Michael Francis McElroy/Sun Sentinel)
Shoppers stroll by a Dillard’s department store at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 24, 2002. (Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Saks Fifth Avenue store at the Galleria Mall is shown in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 31, 1980. (John Curry/Staff)
FILE – An aerial shot shows construction at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on June 27, 1981. (Lou Toman/Staff)
FILE – Jessie Pernell talks about the Bible as he waits on customers Stephen Moskow, left, and Paul David Charlson, rear, at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 16, 1988. Pernell is a former gospel musician who is now using shoe shining as his ministry to spread the word of God. (Judy Sloan Reich/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – An aerial shot shows the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on April 21, 1982. (Rich Mahan/Staff)
FILE – Construction is underway on the two-story Lord & Taylor store at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 19, 1982. The 80,000-square-foot store, which is being added atop a parking garage, will be the mall’s fifth anchor. (Deborah Meeks/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Construction is underway at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 4, 1980. (Terry Townsend/Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Construction is underway at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 4, 1980. (Walter Michot/Staff)
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FILE – Construction workers at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 4 1980. (Terry Townsend/Sun Sentinel)
Charlie Ladd, a local developer not involved in the Galleria project, has been watching the Live Local scene from the sidelines — Galleria included.
At one time, Galleria mall had five anchors, Ladd said before ticking off the names: Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Burdines, Dillard’s and Lord & Taylor.
“There’s now two anchors left — Macy’s and Dillard’s,” Ladd said. “You can walk through there and see the tremendous vacancies. Why hasn’t it emerged as a supermall? It’s not an on interstate exit. And it’s too small.”
Investors have been circling for years, Ladd said, but the Live Local joint venture is the first to come up with something likely to get approved — by staff, not city commissioners.
With little to no land left for residential towers, developers are now looking to redevelop malls, Ladd said. At the same time, the retail universe is shrinking, he added.
“As these shopping centers are no longer optimal, that’s the most available land to use for residential,” Ladd said. “That trend is just getting started. Because there’s no land. You’re going to continue to see that. And what Live Local does is provide a sledgehammer to go to the city and override local opposition.”
A rendering of the proposed megaproject that would transform the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale. The current plan calls for eight buildings, all standing 30 stories high. (Architectonica/Courtesy)
The downside?
Live Local took effect in July 2023 but is still relatively new to the development scene, Ladd said.
“Everyone is still feeling their way with Live Local,” he said. “It’s fascinating to watch.”
If you talk to Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen, he might tell you it’s maddening to watch.
“We already have four Live Local projects right around Southeast 17th Street, just blocks from the neighborhoods,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “Tallahassee is tying our hands and forcing the entirety of these projects, preempting density and height restrictions, eliminating community input and public hearings, and forcing us as a city to handle all the traffic, utilities, schools, fire and public safety with no support. And it’s completely clogging our infrastructure.”
Sorensen argues that setting aside apartments for high-earning renters flies in the face of what most people think of as affordable housing.
“The renters can be making up to $100,000 or more,” Sorensen said. “That leaves out low-income families and hourly-wage earners. That is not a workforce housing initiative.”
The Galleria does need to be redeveloped, Sorensen said.
“Something needs to be done, absolutely,” he said. “We need a robust retail component there. But Live Local is not the solution.”
People who don’t like the idea of sharing their neighborhood with Live Local project might hope and pray it never gets built.
But don’t bet on it, Sorensen said.
“I believe these projects are going to get built,” he said. “I hope they don’t. But it’s very likely they will.”
Shoppers stroll through the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale on Friday. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Live Local Act took effect on July 2, 2023, and will expire on Oct. 1, 2033.
Opponents of the measure say that gives developers a decade to build towers that will burden cities around the state with problems they don’t need.
“They have seven more years,” Sorensen said of future Live Local developments that could impact and possibly change the character of nearby neighborhoods throughout the city.
‘You can’t stand still’
Commissioner Steve Glassman sees things differently.
Glassman, the district commissioner for the neighborhood, says he can understand why developers are looking to breathe life into malls like the Galleria.
“Just walk through the mall,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “You could roll a bowling ball and not hit anyone. There’s hardly anyone there except for the Apple store. The foot traffic is quite low.”
Some stores have closed at the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale, shown on Friday. But more are on the way, say the mall’s owners. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Was Galleria ripe for redevelopment?
“Way past due,” Glassman answered. “There were projects we saw in the past that never got too far. The last plan would have had 600 or 700 units. It was nothing of the magnitude of this plan. But it was met with opposition. And then we got Live Local. I’m sure many of the people who opposed that last plan would take it now over this. That’s why sometimes you have to be a little flexible. You never know what’s coming.”
Glassman argued that change can sometimes be a good thing.
“I’m not afraid of change,” he said. “I know it’s scary to some people. I think you just have to manage that change. You can’t do nothing. You can’t stand still. You can’t not grow. That’s our challenge: How do we manage the evolution of these sites?”
Will we see more malls transformed under the Live Local Act?
Most likely, Glassman says.
“For these malls to succeed they need the density, they need the population, they need more activation,” he said. “I think yes, we will see more of that. We’re pretty much built out. Everything evolves. Nothing stays the same. Nothing stands still. That’s just not the world we live in.”
On a rainy Friday afternoon, shoppers can be seen at the nearly empty Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
In mid-August, a sales clerk at Chico’s told a Sun Sentinel reporter the store would be closing in two weeks to make way for a planned remodel of that section of the mall.
On Wednesday, shoppers strolled by the shuttered store. The Chico’s sign was gone and brown paper covered the glass storefront.
Some stores inside the mall are being relocated to make way for an upcoming renovation, according to Toothaker, attorney for the developer.
“The mall remains in full operation during all of the planned improvements, many of which are already in permitting,” she told the Sun Sentinel. “There will of course be some tenant relocations and changes as the owner continues to elevate the tenant mix as part of the development. There are significant upgrades proposed to the mall itself, including facade improvements and at significant mall entrances.”
Some large stores made their exit years ago.
The Galleria’s first notable anchor store closed in 2002 with the departure of Lord & Taylor, followed by Saks Fifth Avenue in 2009 and Neiman Marcus in 2020.
But change is on the way.
The mall, now anchored by Dillard’s and Macy’s, is expecting a Wayfair flagship store to open in late 2027.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan