A controversial luxury high-rise with a cantilevered design sailed through approval by a city planning board Wednesday night despite spirited pleas from residents who objected to the height.<\/p>\n
The Amalfi condo tower is expected to break ground in late 2026, rising 240 feet high on Fort Lauderdale\u2019s barrier island at 2317 N. Ocean Blvd.<\/a> When the 39-unit tower opens in 2028, it will stand the equivalent of 24 stories.<\/p>\n Stephanie Toothaker, attorney for the developer, argued the tower will fit in just fine with the neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not next to a single-family neighborhood,\u201d she told the planning board before the vote. \u201cThis is not a stand-alone building in the middle of a barren wasteland of single-family homes. It\u2019s in context with all of the buildings around it.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearby buildings include the beachfront Auberge Beach Residences<\/a>, with one tower at 180 feet high and a second at 240 feet, and The Palms, with 32-story twin towers that stand more than 300 feet high.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Amalfi is by all accounts a small project from a density standpoint,\u201d Toothaker told the board. \u201cIt\u2019s only 39 units. That\u2019s extremely small when you look at all the other buildings it sits around.\u201d<\/p>\n The current zoning allows developers to build to a maximum of 120 feet by right. But developers have the right to request a conditional use permit that allows them to double the height to 240 feet, Toothaker noted.<\/p>\n The tower\u2019s cantilevered design will help preserve the views of the nine-story Everglades Club Condo and other nearby towers, Toothaker said.<\/p>\n An earlier design called for a boxier building. The new design<\/a> allows for more light and air, said Kobi Karp, the project\u2019s architect.<\/p>\n \u201cIt allowed us to create villas in the sky, one stacked on top of the other,\u201d Karp told the board. \u201cIt created a really nice luxury project. Our shadow line is as skinny as can be.\u201d<\/p>\n After the development team\u2019s presentation, activists from Fort Lauderdale and even Hollywood spoke against the project, saying it would overwhelm the neighborhood and pave the way for even more tall towers.<\/p>\n A handful of supporters also spoke, including the president of the nine-story Everglades Club Condominium, which sits directly to the west of the 0.84-acre site. The condo board negotiated a deal to ensure that any damage that occurs during construction will be covered by the developer.<\/p>\n Esther Schumann, president of the Everglades condo board, referred to the design as a work of art.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the building is beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cWe hope the building gets built. It\u2019s really avant-garde.\u201d<\/p>\n John Spear, who lives near the site, argued the tower is too tall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a good-looking building,\u201d he said. \u201cJust make it lower. It\u2019s too tall for the residents. It\u2019s going to shade the neighbors. I don\u2019t care how good looking it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Ann Ralston, an activist from Hollywood, warned the board about building on the barrier island<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMy concern from Jacksonville all the way down to Golden Beach is these are barrier islands,\u201d she said. \u201cYou keep building on them, they\u2019re going to sink eventually. Nothing was mentioned about the environment, sea level rise and flooding.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, the city\u2019s Planning and Zoning Board approved the project 7-2.<\/p>\n Hector DelaTorres, one of the nine planning board members, made the motion to approve the project.<\/p>\n