High-end luxury in the form of a five-story Rolex-branded jewelry store could be coming to Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard.
The store, operated by Weston Jewelers, would rise at 1117 E. Las Olas Blvd., right along the Himmarshee Canal on the northwest corner of Las Olas and Southeast 12th Avenue.
The 32,000-square-foot building would feature at least three floors of retail space with a bridal studio, champagne bar and service center. The top floor would also have room for exclusive cocktail parties to showcase the launch of a new Rolex watch.
The Rolex store with its elegant design would bring a touch of class to Las Olas, said Stephanie Toothaker, attorney for the developer.
“It’s described as a jewel box,” Toothaker said during a recent planning board meeting. “You can see why. It’s just absolutely beautifully designed.”
The project, designed by Arquitectonica, still needs a green light from the Fort Lauderdale commission.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal on May 19. A second and final vote would come on June 2.
The project is not without controversy.
In response to neighborhood concerns, the developer lowered the height of the proposed building from 90 feet to 74 feet and scrapped plans to include two restaurants on site. In shrinking the design, the building went from 40,000 square feet to 32,000.
But residents in the Colee Hammock and Beverly Heights neighborhoods still say the building is too big. They’re also not happy that no new parking is planned.
One of those residents — Jacquelyn “Jackie” Scott, president of the Colee Hammock Homeowners Association — happens to serve on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board.
“This is a 50-foot lot, which is a postage stamp that we’re trying to put an elephant on,” Scott said before voting against the project. “And we’re trying to justify it by saying, ‘Weston Jewelers is coming, oh my God.’”
In the end, the project got a nod from the planning board with a 4-3 vote.
Scott argued that the building as currently planned is not compatible with the neighborhood.
Hector DelaTorres, another planning board member, cited the other tall buildings that are either under construction nearby or already standing.
“I think it is compatible with the neighborhood,” he said before making a motion to approve.
Patrick McTigue, chair of the planning board, voted last and cast the deciding vote — but not before taking a long and tortured pause.
“Brutal one,” he said before voting, bringing his hands to his face, taking deep breaths, and rubbing his hand. “I’m just torn over this one. I see both sides. It’s going to the commission. Yes.”
Rendering of a five-story Rolex-branded store planned for 1117 E. Las Olas Blvd., right along the Himmarshee Canal in Fort Lauderdale. (Arquitectonica/Courtesy)
Here’s what has some folks fired up.
Under city code, the store is required to have 129 parking spaces.
But the developer does not plan to build any parking spaces, arguing that customers can park in nearby lots that serve a multitude of businesses along Las Olas.
Critics are also worried about the building height overwhelming the area.
The property is split between two zoning districts.
The southern parcel facing Las Olas Boulevard is zoned business and capped at 150 feet. The northern parcel is zoned residential medium density and capped at 35 feet.
The Rolex store would rise 74 feet high, more than twice the allowed height cap on the northern parcel.
To make way for a higher building, the developer is seeking a zoning change from residential to community business.
But Anthony Battista, president of the nearby Villaggio Di Las Olas Condo Association, argued the building is just way too tall.
“A building that size would destroy the character of the neighborhood,” Battista told the planning board before the vote.
Toothaker, attorney for the developer, touted the project as one that would fill a gap in the luxury shopping market that only got wider with the closing of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and a small Louis Vuitton store at the Galleria mall.
“Many people in the community talk about the total dearth of shopping options for everybody,” Toothaker told the board. “We have really had a gap in the luxury shopping space. We have an opportunity. We have an actual luxury brand at the table.”
Rendering of a five-story Rolex-branded store planned for 1117 E. Las Olas Blvd., right along the Himmarshee Canal in Fort Lauderdale. (Arquitectonica/Courtesy)
The store would offer not only Rolex, but several other exclusive brands, Toothaker said before ticking off the names: Cartier, Chanel, Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Hublot.
“And those are just the tip of the iceberg for what will be included in this incredible store,” Toothaker said.
Right now, residents shopping for luxury items get in their cars and leave Fort Lauderdale, Toothaker said.
“People get in their car and drive north to Worth Avenue or they drive south to the Miami Design District,” she added. “Or they go to Bal Harbour Shops or they go to Aventura or they go to Brickell City Center.”
The new Rolex store is just what Fort Lauderdale needs, said Jennifer Leong, a global real estate adviser who works with wealthy clients worldwide.
When it comes to the international elite, Fort Lauderdale is still an unknown compared to Miami and Palm Beach, she told the planning board. “We’re known internationally as the doughnut hole, the forgotten city,” Leong said. “They don’t talk about us. They don’t know about us.”
A Rolex-branded store on Las Olas would help put Fort Lauderdale on the map, Leong argued.
“We need this,” she said. “We need this store desperately. Or we’re going to be the doughnut hole.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan