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President’s Message continued

are some excerpts from Susannah Bryan’s February Karen Polivka, vice president of Coral Ridge Country Club
22 Sun-Sentinel article, “Fort Lauderdale says yes to Estates, also warned that the project will only add to the
19-story condo tower across from Shooters”: gridlock.

A 19-story luxury condo tower will rise on the west side of the “We have multiple projects going on,” she said before ticking
Intracoastal across from Shooters under a plan that recently off a list. “You’ve got the new apartments at Federal and
won approval from Fort Lauderdale’s Planning and Zoning Oakland. Just north of that is a new project at 30th Court and
Board in a narrow 4-3 vote. Federal. And where CVS is on the north side of this project

Claridge Homes, a Canadian-based developer, already had (there are plans) for a 150-foot multifamily space as well.
approval to build a different project on the 2-acre property, We’ve got Bokampers (talking) about rebuilding.”
once home to a mammoth office building on the southwest The Flowing Waters condo project will bring more traffic than
side of Oakland Park Boulevard and the Intracoastal. the office building did, with 471 new daily car trips overall,
The original project called for three towers, each 150 feet in Schein said.
height, with a total of 103 rental apartments and a 4,000- Board member John Barranco praised the tower’s design,
square-foot restaurant. The new project, named Flowing but said he sympathized with the folks fretting over traffic.
Waters, calls for a single 162-foot tower with 129 condo units “The project is a very nice building,” he said. “It checks all
and 310 parking spaces. the boxes. And it still pains me to call this compatible with

“Since that (first) project was approved, the rental market the neighborhood. It really pains me because I drive that
on the lending side has become a little bit more difficult for street every morning. With the addition of the other new
financing,” Andrew Schein, attorney for the developer, told developments along that corridor, (traffic is) going to be a
the planning board. “So the developer decided to come back nightmare. It’s already a nightmare. But I think it’s a bigger
with a condo concept instead of rentals. We figured scaling it problem than just this project. I just don’t think we can blame
back would be the right thing to do since we are going all of our problems on one project.” Board member Jay
slightly higher.” Shechtman asked Hernandez whether the neighbors had
considered the look of the new project as it compared to the
The project calls for a waterfront restaurant and 13 boat slips. old. “Did you guys discuss at all that the existing approval is
At least two of the boat slips will be reserved for the another stucco box of rentals that’s basically all over the city
restaurant. and this is high-end luxury glass?” he said. “Do you think
“There’s going to be a fabulous restaurant there,” Schein said. another stucco box is more compatible with the
“It will be a unique area within the city.” neighborhood?”
A parking garage to the west of the condo tower would Hernandez said he’d rather see three shorter buildings even if
sport a wave-like facade of light and dark grey tones. The they’re not as pretty.
developer also plans to build a 1,400-square-foot pedestrian “I’m not going to stand here and trade off more traffic for
plaza near the Oakland Park bridge. the aesthetics of the property,” he said. “We don’t want
Schein said most people who’ve seen the plans prefer the new more traffic, OK? Our neighbors are up in arms about this.”
project over the old one, which he described as massive. The project does not require commission approval. But the
commission has the option of calling up the project for a vote.
Critics who spoke up at the meeting disagreed.
Typically, the district commissioner is the one who calls up the
Tim Hernandez, president of the Coral Ridge Country Club project. In this case, that would be Commissioner John Herbst.
Estates Community Association, said he and his neighbors A majority of the commission would have to agree to the call
would rather see the original three-tower project built partly up. If that happens, a commission vote would need to take
because they think it will bring less traffic.
place before April 13.
“They’re adding expensive condominium units (under the new Both the CRCCE and the Coral Ridge Association Boards
plan),” he said. “These people are not going to be taking met after this meeting and approved letters to Commissioner
(the bus). They’re going to be getting on Oakland Park and Herbst asking him to “call up” the item for a full City
they’re going to be clogging up the road further. Mr. Schein Commission hearing. If the project is not called up, it will
says everybody loves this project. We’re here to tell you, not stand as approved with the increased height and density.
everybody loves this project.”

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