The developer of the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale on Friday presented details of a project with eight residential towers. The development will be built under the state’s Live Local Act and has already been approved by the city.
Russell Galbut, founder of the Miami-based firm GFO Investments, discussed the plans at a meeting with local business representatives in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Under the plan, each of the eight towers will be 30 stories tall. They will hold more than 3,100 apartments. The plan also includes a redevelopment of the mall itself and a 170-room hotel.
Galbut said three of the towers will have luxury rental apartments, and two will be set aside for luxury condominiums for sale. He added that some residents had misunderstood the plans. They thought the entire shopping center would be replaced with residential buildings.
According to city documents, the Galleria East section is to have five towers with a total of 1,981 apartments. The Galleria West section will have three towers with 1,163 units. They will include 690 market-rate apartments and 473 workforce housing apartments. One woman at the meeting pointed out that once construction is finished, more than 6,000 people could live on the Galleria site.
The Live Local Act encourages developers to build taller and denser projects than local regulations allow. The condition is that at least 40% of the apartments meet affordability criteria. Projects approved under this process do not go through traditional public hearings and do not require approval from the city commission. Opponents therefore have little say in their fate.
The city’s Administrative Review Committee approved the project. The city, however, has required the developer to meet several conditions before a building permit is issued.
Source: Sun Sentinel
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Source: Słoneczne Radio
