September 12, 2022

Dear Fort Lauderdale resident:

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On June 21, 2022, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioners directed city staff to obtain public input about a developer’s request to increase the height limitation for the Planned Development District (PDD) zoning ordinance. The existing ordinance states that building height for a proposed PDD may be increased by an additional amount equivalent to one hundred and twenty-five (125) percent of the existing height identified in the underlying zoning district, but in no case shall height exceed three hundred (300) feet, except in downtown Fort Lauderdale where the height limit is already 500 feet.

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Tavistock Group, the company rebuilding Pier 66, is requesting that the PDD ordinance be changed to allow an increase in building height to 500 feet. The company proposes building three residential towers of 480 feet each on the Pier 66 property; one just north and two just south of SE 17th Street on the barrier island. The south side parcel is adjacent to the low-rise Harbour Inlet residential neighborhood.

Changing the ordinance would allow buildings up to 500 feet throughout the city on parcels that qualify as a PDD. That means buildings as the tallest in downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Hard Rock guitar hotel.

The city commission wants to know how residents feel about changing the PDD ordinance because doing so could apply to many sites throughout the city, including on the barrier island, and has implications for residential and commercial property owners city-wide:

• Shadows cast by tall buildings on surrounding properties and waterways.

• Neighborhood compatibility, important criteria for development in the city.

• A significant change in the skyscape throughout the city (limiting site lines/vistas, creating a city-type environment amid residential areas).

Staff will be making a presentation explaining the ordinance change request and how it could affect the city to the Council of Civic Associations on October 11, 2022. The public is welcome to attend. In the meantime, please share your thoughts with your Home Owners Association, neighbors, city staff at Eparker@fortlauderdale.gov, and city commissioners:

dtrantalis@fortlauderdale.gov,bsorensen@fortlauderdale.gov,hmoraitis@fortlauderdale.gov,sglassman@fortlauderdale.gov,rmckinzie@fortlauderdale.gov