\u201cThis is a story of a city where water is not just our backdrop, it\u2019s our energy, our brand and our competitive edge,\u201d Stephanie Toothaker, a Fort Lauderdale land-use attorney, DDA vice chair and chief conference moderator told an audience of several hundred people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers speak for themselves. Downtown Fort Lauderdale drives a $43 billion economy \u2014 the county\u2019s undisputed powerhouse,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cMore than $12 billion in waterfront development is redefining our skyline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the projects showcased: the recently completed Phase I section of the Pier Sixty-Six Resort (the conference host), and the planned Bahia Mar remake by the beach supported by an ultra-luxury St. Regis Hotel.<\/p>\n
Projects not a stone\u2019s throw from the water but farther inland: the FAT Village mixed-use office and arts district project in the city\u2019s Flagler Village section.<\/p>\n
Not mentioned was the now-vacant Searstown lot at the corner of U.S. 1 and Sunrise Boulevard, where the Denver-based developer Aimco has designs for a complex of residential towers and hotel and retail operations.<\/p>\n
Asked if the vast projects might bring competitive pressures against the downtown, Jenni Morejon, the DDA president and CEO, said she viewed them more as complements than rivals.<\/p>\n
Although Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have drawn bigger names and larger numbers of firms relocating from the Northeast and elsewhere, Fort Lauderdale has leveraged its beachfront location and 165 miles of waterways to attract a meaningful share of businesses in finance<\/a>, technology, life sciences, aviation and the city\u2019s longtime staple, the maritime industry.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s really the economic goal here or what has helped distinguish Fort Lauderdale is the density of workers able to walk to their jobs, spend money in local businesses and local restaurants, and the beach, which is the X factor,\u201d John Boyd, president of the relocation consultancy The Boyd Company in Boca Raton, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. \u201cEvery city in the country is trying to define itself as a live-work-play-destination. What distinguishes Fort Lauderdale is the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n The arrivals of new residents are not only permanent, but seasonal, a fact not lost on Chris Gandolfo, senior vice president of Tavistock Development Company.<\/p>\n A veteran of major Miami developments such as the Brickell City Centre, Gandolfo spent the better part of the last decade reshaping the iconic Pier Sixty-Six site<\/a> on the east bank of the Intracoastal Waterway into an enclave community of condos, an expanded hotel, offices, retail and a 164-slip marina that is annually turned over to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show to host superyachts.<\/p>\n \u201cThis property is one of the original iconic properties,\u201d Gandolfo told the Sun Sentinel. It was money from an Oklahoma oil man that started the evolution, and a Phillips Petroleum CEO who saw the hospitality possibilities beyond the business of fueling boats.<\/p>\n \u201cThis property now is more of a lifestyle than just a typical condominium and resort,\u201d Gandolfo said of the resort, which now boasts a hotel anchored by its landmark 230-foot tower building, 40,000 square feet of ballroom space, condos, office and retail space, restaurants and a 164-slip marina.<\/p>\n He sees a trend for other community styled developments in town \u2014 provided developers are given the flexibility to identify and respond to local market tastes and demand.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why you see these pockets of development now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n There will be a second phase, Gadolfo told the audience at the ULI conference.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had early discussions with some commissioners that more is coming,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are planning a Pier Sixty-Six that will go to the west and to the south where the super yacht village is. Then we\u2019ll bring it like we did in the past. Everybody will have input into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bahia Mar<\/p>\n The five-star resort and four luxury condo towers will rise on city-owned Bahia Mar, home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. A sales campaign has been launched just ahead of the Oct. 29-Nov. 2 event.\u00a0Unit prices have an extended range from $3 million to $25 million.<\/p>\n Jimmy Tate, whose company owns a 100-year lease with the city on Bahia Mar, is teaming to build the project with the Miami-based Related Group \u2014 which itself has migrated north to construct multiple high-rise condo and apartment projects in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach.<\/p>\n The St. Regis-branded hotel and two condo towers, part of the first phase, are expected to break ground in the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always knew there was a cavas to be painted and a story to be told,\u201d he said at the ULI conference.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen a remarkable amount of qualified buyers<\/a> come through the doors,\u201d he said. \u201cI think our sales are phenomenal and we are looking forward to this year\u2019s boat show.\u201d<\/p>\n During the approval phase, the proposal took its own pounding from local objectors who fear traffic gridlock, obstructed views, more population density and a leasing deal that they believe fell short of what the city deserves.<\/p>\n But Tate told the audience his group has \u201ca sense of responsibility because the property is owned by the city.\u201d<\/p>\n He said trust funds from sales proceeds will be devoted to programs for the homeless, workforce housing and STEM education for students.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody asked us for that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe volunteered that.\u201d<\/p>\n FAT\u00a0 Village<\/p>\n Tucked between Andrews Avenue and the Florida East Coast Railway tracks below Sistrunk Boulevard, the $500 million \u201cFAT Village (Food, Art and Technology) is on the rise in the form of a timber-supported office building and other structures designed to house residences, retail and places for artists to do their work.<\/p>\n More than 600 apartments are allocated between two towers, one with 24 floors standing 270 feet high and the other with 13 floors standing 161 feet high.<\/p>\n A third 83-foot tower will have office space for young professionals among six floors. A fourth tower with 257 apartments and 25 floors would be the tallest tower at 305 feet.<\/p>\n As part of a second phase, the last tower could become a hotel or a second office tower, depending on market needs.<\/p>\n The apartment towers are expected to open by mid-2026, and the office tower, shops and restaurants toward the end of next year.<\/p>\n Restaurateur Tim Petrillo, co-founder of Urban Street Development and\u00a0one of the project developers, said density is the key to keeping business flowing in any downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cDensity is very powerful because it allows people like restaurateurs like myself to take risks we\u2019d never take,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a Lebanese concept going in on Las Olas Boulevard that would have never happened 10 or 15 years ago,\u201d Petrillo said. \u201cThe fact that we have a very diverse community of people means we can take risks like that.\u201d<\/p>\n The broad-brush proposal for a collection of towers at the Galleria Mall took a number of people by surprise.<\/p>\n But Russell Galbut, the longtime developer from Miami Beach, told the ULI panel that a collection of residences that would contain a mix of income-earners from the medical, education and public-safety fields are keys to building a 24-hour community that provides people with the amenities they need.<\/p>\n He expects the project will unfold under the auspices of the state\u2019s Live Local Act, which offers expedited approvals for those that make room for affordable housing.<\/p>\n \u201cAffordability is something that is escaping South Florida,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really builds a community.\u201d<\/p>\n Galbut, 72, grew up in Miami Beach and recalled the days when his neighborhood was largely a community of police, firefighters and teachers. \u201cI grew up with lots of friends who all knew each other\u2019s names,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"Pier](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TFL-L-Developers-assessment-04-100825.jpg\")
The iconic 17-story Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale is shown as the newly redeveloped resort community gears up for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and would-be buyers of its new luxury condominiums. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nPier Sixty-Six<\/p>\n![\"Developer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TFL-L-bahia-mar-ftl-update-1-111324.jpg\")
After some hard community battles, developer Jimmy Tate and his firm won over the city and a variety of critics to support a $2 billion remake of the Bahia Mar enclave between the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel file)<\/p>\n![\"Developer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TFL-L-FAT-village-update-4-070825.jpg\")
Developer Tim Petrillo (owner of YOLO, Boatyard and Casablanca Cafe) is shown at the FAT Village project in the Flagler Village neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale in July. The 5.5-acre site is bordered by Sistrunk Boulevard, Northwest Fifth Street, the Brightline train tracks, and Andrews Avenue. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel file)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TFL-L-GALLERIA-RENDERING-03.jpg\")
A rendering shows the proposed multi-tower redevelopment of the Galleria Mall area on East Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. (Architectonica\/Courtesy)
\nGalleria Mall<\/p>\n