Under the law, developers can build to the highest currently allowed height for a commercial or residential building within a one-mile radius.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Waiting to see what happens\u2019<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re waiting to see what happens,\u201d Burstein told the Sun Sentinel. \u201cAs a board, we\u2019re not taking a position of fighting anything. We\u2019re worried about the impacts it will bring, but there\u2019s also a lot of opportunity this can bring. We\u2019d like to see high-end luxury residential and shopping coming into the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to see something elevated and high end to match the real estate in the area,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we have to wait and see what is coming. There\u2019s a lot of hysteria. People hear affordable housing and they think it\u2019s Section 8 housing. But it\u2019s a very high-end product. Before we go crazy, I would like to see the plan and hear everybody out.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Shoppers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tfl-l-galleria-mall-ftl-016.jpg\")
Shoppers stroll through Fort Lauderdale\u2019s 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)
\nNo stopping this project?<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably one of the most significant projects to come to our city,\u201d he told the Sun Sentinel. \u201cI 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\u2019re not interested in stopping any redevelopment. But I think the scale has to be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the meeting, City Hall staff will explain how the Live Local Act works and give a presentation on the project itself, Trantalis said.<\/p>\n
Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel he also plans to invite the development team.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very much looking forward to working together with the community as we improve upon and reimagine the future of the Galleria mall,\u201d Toothaker said.<\/p>\n
Just next week, she said, the development team plans to meet with the Sunrise Intracoastal Homeowners Association.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760958907_898_tfl-l-galleria-mall-aerial-01.jpg\")
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)
\nGridlock a top concern<\/p>\n
In the meantime, critics are fretting over the project\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Under current plans, the project calls for a \u201cGalleria East\u201d and a \u201cGalleria West\u201d that would be divided by Bayview Drive.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The proposal appears to be the most ambitious redevelopment proposal<\/a> yet for the 31.5-acre site, a sprawling property at 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., just west of the Intracoastal Waterway.<\/p>\n The mall\u2019s former owner, Keystone-Florida Property Holding Group, submitted the makeover plans to Fort Lauderdale in August.<\/p>\n