Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the city commission meeting this May 19, 2026.

We thank you all for being here.

I see we have a full house, so there must be something interesting on the agenda tonight.

We'll find out what that is.

So for those of you who are here for the first time, welcome and we thank you for participating.

Um so just to let you know the sequence of events.

We start out with our pledge of allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

There's some agenda announcements, and then we have presentations.

The presentations are normally to honor or recognize individuals, events, or or organizations that are notable during this particular time or this particular month.

So do we so may I invite Shauna Roberts, Zuri Williams, and Zoe Williams to the podium?

Where are where are they?

Oh, here, come on.

And may I ask you all to please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

And to the plea, what she said, when they say Anaga, and the visible, and then it's who are all.

So we have a little back for each of you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is anyone wait, wait, don't go away.

Is any member of your family here today?

Yes.

Why don't you come over here?

We're gonna take a picture of all with everybody.

Let's do it in front.

Come on, come on.

We'll do it in front.

Very good.

Okay, right.

So Shauna is from Mirror Lake Elementary, Zuri is from Walker Elementary, and Zoe's from Walker Elementary.

So I want to thank you, thank your family for being here today, and we appreciate your participating in the pleasures this after this evening.

Um so if we could just uh join the commission and the rest of the community here for a moment of silence.

Thank you so much.

So at the beginning of a meeting, we uh recognize individuals who are retiring who've been part of the city for at least 20 years.

And tonight we have three such individuals, and I'd like to announce their names.

We have Alan Lucouset, who has been uh public records clerk for 20 years.

Congratulations, Alan.

Uh we have Lana, okay, here we go.

Rangoonen, Rangunnen, who has been a court liaison specialist.

She's been with us for 23 years, and we have wow, Bob Dunkel, finally.

Thirty-eight years, Bob.

Wow.

Bob Dunkel has been uh, well, helped mentor me when I was first a commissioner almost 20 years ago.

So thank you all for your uh commitment and your service to our city.

We thank you again and again.

So now I would ask the city clerk to please call the role of the commission.

Commissioner Herbs Commissioner Glossman.

Here, Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Here, Vice Mayor Sorensen.

Here, Mayor Trentals.

Here.

We have a full attendance.

Um we have three agenda announcements.

Um, these three items are going to be removed from the agenda for further for consideration at another meeting.

CR three is going to be removed.

Let me write this down.

Uh M five is going to be removed, and R five is going to be removed.

We have two walk-ons.

Resolution appointing Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen is the primary representative, and Pamel Beasley Pittman as the alternate as the alternate to the solid waste disposal and recycling materials processing authority of Broward County Governing Board.

And we have a walk, another walk-on ordinance regarding the charter of vision changes relating to the police chief and the fire rescue chief.

We have an item revision CM3, the exhibit to CM3.

It was revised with a minor change to the confidentiality section.

So with regard to the agenda and the minutes, someone please like to move to approve the uh the minutes and the agenda as amended.

Moved.

Second.

Mayor, are we able to pull right now or do you want us to pull later?

No, we're not ready yet.

Okay, then I second that.

Okay, thank you.

Um to move the second, please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yeah.

Vice Mayor Sorensen?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes.

So the agenda is amended, and the minutes from the previous meeting have now been approved.

Now comes the point where we uh we now have our presentations.

There are four presentations tonight.

And the first one I'd like to invite Commissioner Beasley Pittman to present a proclamation regarding Dillard High School Lady Panthers Day here in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

And I'd like to invite the uh school principal, Mr.

Broomfield, head coach George Adams, Gabriella King, Tonya Adams, Tanya Miller, Brian Norris, Whitney Fields, and Genovia Johnson.

If you could please join the commissioner up at the podium.

Are you all here tonight?

Any of you here tonight?

Come on up.

Come on.

Lady Panthers.

So, Commissioner, what good news do you have tonight?

Oh, I have a lot of good news.

I'm not the best at a hype man, but I can um really um just chair.

We're really excited for the accomplishment of these students, these young scholars, they have been doing some amazing things at Dillard.

I'm gonna read the proclamation and it's gonna explain everything, but they are a winning basketball team, and they have made some amazing, amazing impact in the state as well.

Okay, so if you will allow me at this time from the office of the mayor, the city of Fort Lauderdale, proclamation and recognition of Dillard High School Lady Panthers requested by Commissioner Pam Beasley Pittman.

Whereas Dillard High School has a proud tradition of academic and athletic excellence, fostering students' achievement through leadership, discipline, and sportsmanship.

Whereas the Dillard High School Lady Panthers girls basketball team completed an outstanding 2026 season with a 19-7 record and a second round playoff appearance, demonstrating resilience, teamwork, and competition, competitive excellence under the leadership of head coach George Adams.

And whereas throughout the seasons, the Lady Panthers represented Dillard High School and the City of Fort Lauderdale with pride, determination, and unity, both on and off of the courts.

And whereas Gabrielle King, an exceptional student athlete, and leader, earning selected, earning selections to the 2026 BCAA All-Star team, and the FACA state all-star team while ranking third in the nation and second in the state and assists per games, surpassing 12 1,200 career points.

You hear that?

1,200 career points, 300 assists, 300 seals, and an excelling academically with a 4.5 weighted GPA and a 3.6 kilometers GPA.

Yes.

A class rank of 10th out of 341 students and a industrial certification and custom promoted promo design.

Whereas the accomplishments of the Lady Panthers reflect the dedication and hard work of the entire team, as well as the support of principal, excuse me, Alfred L.

Broomfield, the second, head coach George Adams, assistant coaches, families, and the Dillard High School community.

And whereas the City of Fort Lauderdale is proud to recognize Dillard High School Lady Panthers Girls basketball team for their outstanding achievements and for serving as an inspiration to young athletes throughout the community.

Now therefore, we as the city commission commissioners of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hereby proclaim May 19, 2026 as Diller High School Lady Panthers Day in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

And this is dated, yes, dated the 19th day of May by our Mayor Dean Trantellus.

Let's get him another hand.

Come on, who's gonna speak?

Okay, all right, alright.

You better go?

Okay.

Okay, this is for you, and we I'll hold it and you make a statement.

Oh uh city commissioners, thank you all.

Uh I'm not much of a talker, uh, but we appreciate you all for this honor, and we'd like to say, give a special thanks to our leader, Gabrielle King, uh, who shows such leadership on and off the court, and we couldn't have done this without her.

Okay, so once again, thank you all.

I appreciate Gabrielle.

Gabrielle?

Yes.

Yes, thank you to the commissioners for this honor, and thank you to my coaches and my family, and that's it.

Thank you.

All right, we're gonna take a photo over here.

As it was say that this is a team effort, so we wanted to recognize everyone as well.

So we do have certificates for each um one of the uh the team members.

Um what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna ask you when I give you the certificate, if you make your way that way so we can take the um photos.

Okay, it says the city of Fort Lauderdale congratulates Amia Amaya, Amaya Montgomery, Dillard High School Girls Voshity Basketball Team, 2025-2026 Lady Panthers for participating in the class 7A state championship, and that's stated today, May 19th, 2026.

All right, thank you.

Is that Tonya Adams?

Tonya Adams.

Here you are.

She's not present.

Coach, you can hold that for her.

Genobia Johnson.

Is that Tania Miller?

Brianna Norris?

Brian Nois.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I was listening I was trying to say okay, we spelled names uniquely, all females, I'm sorry.

Gabrielle King, thank you.

Talia Dulcie?

Okay.

Azazia Evans Blake.

Paris George.

There you are, Parish.

Janae Gilbert.

Thank you.

Samaya Greg.

Amaya Hampton?

Hamilton.

And then we have head coach George Adams.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, great, thank you.

Congratulations, team.

Now I'd like to invite uh Commissioner Glassman to present a proclamation uh regarding Jewish American Heritage Month here in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

And I'd like to invite uh Sandy Allah who's the chief operating and program officer of the Goodman Jewish Family Services.

So please join him at the podium.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I do notice with us tonight, I'd also like him to come to the podium is our very own Rabbi Chaim Slavaticki from the Las Oulas Chabad.

Thank you.

Join us also, Rabbi.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good evening, everyone.

This is a proclamation from the office of the mayor, City of Fort Lauderdale, in recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, requested by Commissioner Steve Glassman.

Whereas in two thousand six, President George W.

Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month, following a bipartisan resolution of Congress and decades of presidential proclamations, recognizing the history, heritage, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans to the United States.

And whereas this month-long observance provides an opportunity to reflect on the rich legacy and enduring impact of Jewish Americans whose contributions since the 17th century have shaped the nation's progress in civil rights, social justice, business, education, and public service.

And whereas the American Jewish community's origins trace back to 1654, when a group of 23 individuals of Jewish faith fleeing persecution from the Portuguese Inquisition in Brazil sought refuge in New Amsterdam, now New York.

From this initial group, the American Jewish community has grown to approximately 7.5 million, representing about 2.4% of the total United States population.

And whereas Jewish residents have played a vital role in shaping the cultural, civic, and economic life of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, helping to define the values of compassion, community, and human dignity that unite us.

And whereas through core Jewish beliefs, such as the creation of man in the image of God, the infinite value of every human life, the need for a weekly Sabbath, and the importance of education in the lives of children.

The Jewish community has helped to define America's character and values.

And whereas Fort Lauderdale hosts a vibrant Jewish community supported by key institutions such as the Jewish Federation of Broward County, the many Chabads providing education, religious services, and social organizations like the Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County, which offers critical assistance such as counseling, food support, emergency financial aid, senior care, and serving thousands each year with programs rooted in Jewish values and a commitment to social justice.

And whereas for 45 years, every president of the United States has declared a period of time for celebrating the Jewish community's history, heritage, culture, and contributions to the United States, and since 2006, the month of May, has been presidentially declared to be Jewish American Heritage Month, pursuant to a bipartisan resolution of Congress.

Now, therefore, we, as city commissioners of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to hereby proclaim May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Month in the city of Fort Lauderdale and dated this, the 19th day of May 2026, and signed by our honorable mayor, Dean J.

Trentalism, good evening.

Thank you so much for the proclamation.

We're honored at Goodman Jewish Family Services to receive this tonight and for this day.

We have been in the community since 1962.

We provide wraparound services to the Jewish community as well as the broader community, and we really support services rooted and grounded in Jewish values.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Commissioner.

And I would like to invite Commissioner John Herbst to present a proclamation regarding National Peace Officers' Memorial Day here in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

I'd like to invite uh our own police chief and members of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to please join him at the podium.

All right.

So from the Office of the Mayor, City of Fort Lauderdale, this is a proclamation in recognition of National Peace Office Memorial Day.

Whereas National Peace Officers Memorial Day is a solemn observance established to honor law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty while protecting the communities they served.

And whereas the City of Fort Lauderdale recognizes the courage, dedication, and selfless service demonstrated each day by the men and women of law enforcement who place themselves in harm's way to safeguard the lives, rights, and freedom of others, and whereas National Peace Officers Memorial Day provides an opportunity for our community to pay tribute to these fallen officers, honor their legacy, and remember the families, colleagues, and loved ones who carry their memory forward.

And whereas the City of Fort Lauderdale remembers thirteen brave members of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department who gave their lives while safeguarding our community, and whose bravery and commitment will forever remain a part of this city's history.

And whereas the City of Fort Lauderdale honors the legacy, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication of the following fallen officers.

R.

Dwight Johnston, Donald E.

Kirby, Jr., D.

Walter, and I'm going to get this wrong.

Charles E.

Bruce, Frank A.

Mastrangello, Norman L.

Eddy Jr., David L.

Brower, Brian H.

Penny, Jose A.

Diaz, Jennifer B.

Sepo.

And whereas the City of Fort Lauderdale joins the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the entire law enforcement community in ensuring that fallen heroes are never forgotten.

And that their sacrifice continues to inspire future generations of public servants.

Now, therefore, we, as city commissioners of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 15th, 2026 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale, dated this 19th day of May 2026, Mayor Dean J.

Trantalis.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Commissioner, Vice Mayor, Mayor, Commission.

May is always a very emotional month for those of us in law enforcement.

Each time I hear our heroes' names read, it's very emotional.

We've celebrated their lives and will continue to honor them forever, both locally, at the county level, at the state level, and a few days ago at the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

The brave men and women you see standing behind me and serving outside on our streets tonight are the true heroes, and will give their lives in the line of duty, just as our heroes that we're discussed tonight have.

So from my heart to all of them, I always pray for their safety, and I cannot thank them enough for what they do each and every day when they show up to protect this community and this great city.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, folks, and thank you for your service.

So for our last presentation, I now have the honor to present a proclamation for National Beach Safety Week here in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

And I'd like to invite the fire rescue ocean rescue chief Alex Bagwell and other members of the um of our firefighter team if they could join me at the podium.

So from the Office of the Mayor, the City of Fort Lauderdale, this proclamation is made in recognition of the National Beach Safety Week 2026.

Whereas Fort Lauderdale beaches are among the city's most treasured natural resources, attracting millions of residents and visitors each year who gather to enjoy the beauty, recreation, and economic vitality of our coastal community.

The City of Fort Lauderdale recognizes that while the ocean provides countless opportunities for recreation and enjoyment, it also presents inherent risks, including rip currents, heat pressure and exposure, and other aquatic hazards that require education, awareness, and responsible safety practices.

The National Beach Safety Week serves as an important reminder of the critical role public education, prevention, and professional lifeguard services play in protecting lives and promoting safe enjoyment of our beaches and waterways.

The dedicated men and women of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Ocean Rescue Division work tirelessly to safeguard beachgoers through proactive monitoring, emergency response, public outreach, and actions that help prevent dangerous situations before they occur.

From May 2025 through April 2026, Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue personnel conducted sixty-four thousand four hundred and forty-three preventive actions, performed four hundred and forty-one rescues, and directly contributed to saving two hundred and eighteen lives.

Wow.

Reflecting their extraordinary vigilance and professionalism and commitment to public safety.

Finally, by promoting beach safety awareness and recognizing the life safety work of the ocean rescue personnel, the City of Fort Lauderdale reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that our beaches are safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for all.

Now, therefore, we as the city commissioners of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, do hereby proclaim May 18th through 25, 2026 as National Beach Safety Week in the City of Fort Lauderdale and urge all residents and visitors to enjoy our beaches responsible.

Dated this 19th day of May, sound by myself, Mayor Dean Trantelles, congratulations.

Thank you so much.

You're in charge of the division, yes.

Good evening, everyone.

So we are going back into the Aquatic Center.

Um we are also celebrating our 100-year anniversary for keeping live safe on Lives Safe on Fort Lauderdale Beach, and we are hosting Lifeguard Nationals August 4th through 7th on our beach on our beautiful beach.

So this week is about um educating the public and keeping our beaches safe.

I also want to thank my team for doing their best job on our beach, um, keeping the five million visitors that we see every year safe.

Great, thank you.

FDMA.

Okay, that was nice.

And um thank you for your patience.

We appreciate it.

And now we'll get on with the rest of the meeting.

At this point, we now go to what's called the consent agenda.

The consent agenda is uh is a list of the items that we will vote on tonight all at once, unless an agenda item is pulled specifically to be discussed and voted on separately.

And I would invite, hold on a second.

Let me see if anybody has signed up.

Um, no one is signed up to speak on any oh wait, someone has signed up to speak on one consent agenda item, but let me ask uh Commissioner Herbs, do you have any agenda items you wish to pull?

Commissioner Beasley Pittman, none.

Excuse me, Commissioner Glassman.

CM3.

CM3?

Yes, thank you.

Okay, and uh Vice Mayor, none.

None.

So um uh Troy Liggett, Troy, are you still here?

There you are.

You want to come and speak on CP uh CP six.

This is a motion approving agreement for requests for qualifications regarding a capital improvement master plan for the Central City Community Redevelopment Agency.

Yes.

Good evening.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayorman, members of the commission.

Uh to make sure I'm here on the right one.

This is for the approval of the contract um for the streetscape project, correct?

Right.

Okay.

I'm here uh as president of the Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association.

My name's Troy Lickett.

I'm here to oppose this.

I'm sorry I couldn't attend your meeting this afternoon.

I had to work.

Um this is a uh proposal that hasn't been considered by the crab.

Um I want to quickly give you some history of where it came from.

Over two years ago, I was a member of the CRAB and I was president of the board at that time.

Um we went through a whole fight with the CRA on whether or not they could even do streetscape projects.

And we finally convinced them to read their plan.

Um they agreed that we wanted to do it.

The whole board saw a couple million dollars sitting there doing nothing, and we wanted to do something with streetscapes.

So we went through a whole exercise of having neighborhood association meetings, doing a survey, doing a list of projects.

You will see in the minutes that you were on the agenda for today's meeting.

There's a whole list of projects that the neighborhood wants to do.

Um we only have a few million dollars, and we know that there are tens of millions of dollars we want to work on.

Um when it came.

So what's your objection to this specific specific project?

My uh objective to this is twofold.

First, when the board approved it, as in the minutes there today, we wanted two things.

We said number one, they're not gonna start over, are they?

We've done all this work, we have a list of projects, it's just prioritizing them.

Number two, we don't want this to take months.

This was in April of 2024.

I'm like, this isn't gonna be in 2025.

Uh when you do this, right?

Oh no.

A year at most, and we'll have these prioritized.

Here we are, two years later.

We've been waiting for this contract.

I opened up the contract today.

I called the chair of the crab, Kimber White.

He's like, have you seen that what is being proposed?

He's like, no, never seen it.

I opened it up.

Number one, it is starting from scratch.

If you look at it, it has a current timeline of a year, which means it's going to be at least two.

They're starting over, they're looking at everything, they're doing surveys, they're doing this, they're doing that.

We have a list, may I recommend this?

Yes.

Um Brad, should we defer this item so that there's some community input here?

Um there seems to be some confusion with the neighborhood association as to what CP6 is.

Or at least, so that we can make sure that the Central City uh redevelopment advisory board has heard this and discussed this.

Have they not?

Chris, what do you think this is Chris Cooper and Vanessa Martin, CRA?

Uh yeah, mayor commissioners, Chris Cooper, Deputy City Manager.

I don't have the history on how this um played out with the advisory board.

These typically do go through the advisory board for review.

I'm happy to uh evaluate that and come back if the commission would like to defer that tonight for us to do that work.

I mean it seems to be a lot going on here.

There's rankings and there's I mean, it wasn't like it just happened last night.

There was, and the procurement has taken a little bit of time to get to this point.

So I do understand um Mr.

Liggett's frustration.

I think with the time that's passed.

You know, we were hoping to have that back to you a lot sooner as well.

Um so if again, if the commission wants to take another two weeks for us to go back and do some homework and bring back some information, you know, we can do that work.

Okay, so what's I'll go ahead.

No, I just thank you, Mayor.

Chris, I also want to just make sure because it says in the CAN that um outreach efforts will include engagement with, and then it lists obviously the neighborhoods, you know, Lake Ridge, Little Dale Manors, Pointsada High, South Middle River and Middle River Terrace.

So I'm a little confused by the engagement will like has there been no engagement up till now.

So the engagement that's planned as part of this effort is the engagement to craft those priorities and that ranking and that plan to move forward with the capital improvement projects for the central city CRA.

So the engagement that's referenced in the CAM is the work to be done to create that plan to bring back.

Okay, thank you.

So do we know did the advisory board vote on on this item to hire this organization as the vendor that will do the planning?

I don't have that answer tonight.

Okay, so we so we need to just get those answers.

Yeah, thank you.

All right, so we're gonna pull the item.

I I I just moved to defer.

How much time do we need, Chris?

How much time do we need we if we defer this?

How much time does Mr.

Lickett need?

Yeah, that's what that's really so a lot of that will depend on um the sequence of events that got us here.

If it's something that I'm able to um look into and work with Mr.

Liggett to talk that through, it could be as quickly as the next meeting.

Okay, that'll be good.

And then we'll also obviously hear from the CRA board as well, right?

Yeah, right.

Okay, get all that information.

I do just want to confirm that the CRA advisory board did support moving forward with the plan as presented.

And when did they vote on that?

I do not have the date of that meeting, but uh according to the CAM they have supported it.

Okay, let's just let's bring it up at the next meeting.

And Troy, hopefully you can get in touch with uh thank you.

The next meeting of the CRAB is on June 10th, so maybe the meeting after that if they considered, I think that's important.

Um, yes, we did approve that the CRAB did approve it to move forward in April of 2024.

Um I don't believe there's ever been.

I've gone to the CRAP meetings and they haven't seen this proposal since then.

The wheels of government move slowly, yes.

They did.

So if it has to be June 16th, that's okay, right?

I mean, we're not in a time crunch, are we?

No.

That's fine.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, uh, except for uh CP six and CM3.

Do I hear a motion to approve all the rest of the consent agenda items?

Do I hear a second?

But move is seconded, please call the roll.

Commissioner Herb.

Commissioner Glossman, yes, Mr.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman, yes, Vice Mayor Sorensen.

Yes, Mayor Trentles.

Yes, and all the consent agenda items are now approved.

So if you came here for them, there your item has now been approved.

You're welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting.

Um CM3, motion approving execution of a contract with the research foundation with CUNY.

Yes, yes, thank you, Mayor.

Um great program, but this came up at my district uh pre-agenda meeting last evening.

So I just wanted to ask, I don't know which staff person would be the best person to ask.

Maybe city manager, you or you can assign that.

But do we have any deliverables?

This is not the first year of this program that we're involved with, to basically uh curb group violence.

It's a group violence intervention program.

Um any deliverables, anything that we can read?

How did it go?

Uh just before we make that it's nice to know what have they done up to this point.

Uh have we hit our, you know, our our points that we needed to hit.

Uh have we seen any data that shows that it was successful?

Thank you for that question, Commissioner Glassman.

We are in the process of a pilot phase at this time for the program based on a state appropriation that we received last year.

And I would like to call Chief Schultz and Captain Will August forward.

Uh, I know that they have been working on this item.

Good evening again, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commission.

Uh, yes, this is a pilot program.

It's not even a year completed yet, Commissioner.

Uh, we received appropriations from the state of Florida to kick it off.

Uh, this this particular expenditure is related to bringing in a program from New York that has piloted this around the nation and to show us and illustrate how we can best suit this for future use down here.

Uh what we've done thus far.

Uh we've done community events thus far, we've done individual outreach, and we've worked with uh groups to bring in volunteers who will be trained via this appropriation expenditure request from John Jay College, which is part of the University of New York system.

Thank you.

So we did not have to file any kind of report as of yet or uh submit any kind of data or anything.

It's just in that pilot stage.

Correct.

And then now once we approve this, then we really get into the meat of the program.

Correct.

That is correct.

Thank you.

That's very helpful.

We we accepted the funding in November of last year, so we're really just gearing up now, and we hope to see some uh deliverables coming forward.

Yes, so do I.

Thank you.

It's a great program.

I look forward to seeing what the data shows at the end.

Thank you.

And mayor, if I could also just expound on this a bit.

I'm really excited about the collaboration and the work.

Um we've been um working with we, the city um commission three has been working with our police department and really making some strides.

And um, again, it is a pilot program with an opportunity to make some great changes, addressing the uh group violence and bringing intervention, changing the path that we've been seeing.

So, um, to everyone, let's uh work together and look forward to some change.

Um, this is very promising, and it's a it's a game changer for our city overall.

Okay, great.

Uh would someone like to um move the item?

Happy to move it, thank you.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Move and seconded, please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst?

Yes, Commissioner Glossman?

Yes, Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes, Vice Mayor Sorensen, yes, Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and CM3 is now approved.

Moving on to M1.

It's a motion approving an agreement for invitation to bids.

Uh Sebastian Seville's seawall replacement.

Um, someone would like to move the item.

So moved.

We moved.

Do I hear second?

Second?

We'll move and seconded.

Any questions?

Yeah, mayor I had a question on this.

Yes, sir.

Um, as we're passing the final reading of our living seawall ordinance, have we explored a living seawall for this uh seawall?

So I see Brad Kane is coming forward.

Thank you.

Yep.

Uh good evening, Brad Kane, public works director.

Uh Vice Minister Sorensen, staff is still evaluating that.

So we're going to be able to see if we can meet the parameters to do that for a living seawall.

But it's still under evaluation by staff, and hopefully we'll have an answer.

I hope in the next 30 to 60 days on it.

Okay.

Uh, if at all possible, any time we're replacing a seawall, that it's it's a living seawall.

So, um, okay, understood.

Great.

So you'll give us an update then.

Is that what happens?

Yes.

Okay.

Hold on a second.

You see for the Sebastian Seville?

Yeah.

But we discussed that that's a tough spot because of the water taxi step.

I thought we decided that this could not be a living seawall because of the traffic of the water taxis, probably very destructive in that area.

Yes, we took that feedback into account, Commissioner, and we're still doing some final due diligence on that.

Our preliminary findings are that it might be a challenge for that, but we haven't concluded just yet.

Okay, I'm okay.

That's not exactly what I was told yesterday, but okay, I'll go with it for now.

Thanks.

Okay, thanks.

Um, so it's been uh moved and seconded.

Please call the role.

Commissioner Herbst, Commissioner Glossman, yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman, yes, Vice Mayor Sorensen, yes, Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and M1's now approved.

M2, motion approving an increase in the contract cost capacity for the invitation to bid the annual sewer repairs and replacement agreements with southern underground industries and David Mancini.

Um, someone like to move the item so moved.

Do I hear a second?

Second, it moved and seconded.

Any questions?

Please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst?

Yes.

Commissioner Glossman.

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Swordson?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and M2 is now approved.

M three motion approving the first amendment to incorporate uh voluntary price reduction to unit prices and cost capacity increase to the agreement relating to the annual asphalt mill and resurfacing agreement.

Um, someone like to move the item, moved.

Do I hear a second?

Second, moved and seconded.

Does anyone have any questions?

No one's signed up to speak.

Please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst.

Yes.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Swordson?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes.

And M3 is now approved.

M4.

Motion approving the first amendment to incorporate voluntary price reduction to unit prices and cost increase to the agreement related to the invitation for bid to the annual concrete and paver stones team contracting inc.

Do I hear a motion to approve?

Moved.

Second.

The move and seconded.

Any questions?

No one's signed up to speak.

Please call the role.

Commissioner Herbst.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Mr.

Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Sorensen?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes.

M4 is now approved.

And five.

That was removed.

I'm sorry.

That's removed from the agenda.

It's been full.

I didn't hear what you said.

Uh removed from the agenda.

Yes, right.

I was getting there.

Okay.

Excuse me.

Uh R1, appointment of board and committee members.

Mr.

Clerk, would you please read the names into the record?

Thank you, Mayor.

For the uh June 2nd resolution, performing arts center authority, John Millage, nominated by Mayor Trentales.

And for tonight's resolution, Charter Revision Board, Mary Peliquin, nominated by Mayor Trentals, Community Appearance Board, Joseph Askerberg, nominated by Commissioner Glossman.

Education Advisory Board, Janet Builitari, nominated by Commissioner Glossman.

Dr.

LaCretia Cooper, nominated by Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Marine Advisor Board, John Lynch, nominated by Commissioner Herbst.

Park Recreation and Beaches Board, James Ward, nominated by Commissioner Herbst.

Sustainability Advisory Board, Fabiana Ahumata, nominated by Mayor Trentales.

Deborah Williams, nominated by Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

And we did receive one additional nomination after publishing for education advisor board, Dadley Philips, nominated by Vice Mayor Sorensen.

And that's it.

Okay.

Does anyone have any modifications or additions to the list?

There being none.

Would someone like to introduce the resolution?

Introduced.

The resolution has been introduced.

Please call the roll.

And that's that's amended with the additional name.

As amended.

As amended.

Thank you.

A resolution of the city commission of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, appointing or nominating if applicable boarding committee members that set forth in the exhibit attached here to and made a part here of Commissioner Herbst.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Sorensen?

Yes.

Yes, and R1 is now approved.

Now R2 relates to a conference meeting agenda item that we had from this afternoon that we suspended.

So we'll discuss that right now along with this item regarding the sidewalk master plan.

All right.

Um, this uh city managers of staff have a presentation.

Yes, Milosh Masterovich will provide the presentation.

Good evening, Milo Schmidt Reach Transportation and Department Director.

So we are here to present on the sidewalk monster plan.

As part of the presentation.

Uh we will go over uh an update, uh review of the plan.

Uh we will provide uh recommendation for some of the tier one uh neighborhoods to be advanced in terms of public outreach, feasibility, design, and construction.

You're not gonna go through the 58 pages of the sidewalk master plan, right?

No, we won't okay.

No, we won't.

So last time we presented uh it was uh back in January with 2025 based on a feedback that we received from the city commission at that point.

Um in the meanwhile, we uh did the uh finalized the plan um resolution that is on the agenda tonight.

That seeks to um accept the sidewalk master plan that was developed uh and if adopted again, it would enable us to engage community and selected neighborhoods.

Um, determine feasibility of the sidewalks, uh proceed with the design and construction effort.

So at this point, I will turn it over to Karen Warful.

She's our uh division planning manager, and she'll be presenting more details.

Well, Karen.

Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, commissioner, city manager.

I'm excited to be here today, kind of wrap up our sidewalk master plan journey.

Um I wanted to, I'll I'll be really quick, I promise everyone.

Um, but we've been on a journey to get to a place where we can move forward with our sidewalk.

So the main intent of this plan is a little bit different than we've done some of our other visioning and concepts.

This is really a data-driven implementation strategy where where do we start?

Um, and it fits in with that strategic connection of We Are Connected that our division has been working on since we were created.

So we did some public engagement throughout the process.

We did a few touch points, making sure people were aware of what we were working on, understanding how people use the sidewalks, how they feel about them, understanding how our residents want us to prioritize and some of the key locations for that.

This is an example of some of the survey questions that we asked in the beginning, and I think we might have talked about this last time we were here, but there were 18 questions about how people felt about sidewalks, what would make them use it more, and um what how they feel about the existing conditions.

So we used all that, we had a good representation from across the city from different neighborhoods, about uh over 800 respondents to that.

We also did our second touch point about halfway through our process to talk about prioritization, and we did a variety of different methods.

These are just a couple with we reached out to the council of civic associations, we attended neighbor support night, and we heard consistent um responses from folks about bless you.

Thank you focusing on neighborhoods and residential areas and around schools were the top priorities, so we used that.

Um, but then we also had to create that foundation to make that prioritization even work.

If we didn't have a good foundation of where sidewalks are and aren't, you know, the rest would be kind of garbage.

So if you look at the left side is all of the data we thought LIDAR was gonna solve all our problems, it did not.

Um, we used that with some existing GIS data that our colleagues in public works had, layered them all on top of each other, and you'll see the picture on the left and the right is the same area, but the lines are very different.

And if you look at the red and green, so all of that QAQC along with another layer of aerial QAQC got us to a place that we're happy with our baseline data.

So then what did that mean for us?

You it showed 579 miles of existing sidewalks and 436 miles of gaps.

That is a lot of gaps to fill, and how do we approach that?

So we use the prioritization that our residents gave us and best practices to focus most on where people are walking, likelihood of walking, which is that 60% purple, looking at schools and trails and land uses next to each other, like people told us you know they're walking to the store or the restaurant.

We also then the second was roadway character, looking at locations where our residents had already asked for sidewalks through our QAlert or C CLX fix now.

Places where we're seeing crashes, and then those neighborhood collectors where there's a lot of vehicles and you really want them pedestrians to be separated from those cars, and we also looked at equity and um transit routes to round it off, and the results.

Um, so we broke it down into six different categories, breaking it up into segments to make it a little bit more manageable with the highest tiers.

The group one and two red and orange are the ones we're we're proposing to work on now.

And then different phases as we work through those and you go along.

This is an example.

This is the South Middle River neighborhood.

They are the neighborhood with the highest level of priority needs.

So I pulled that one out to show an example.

If you're familiar where the schools are, you can see the red and the orange surrounding the school showing that prioritization, and you as you go out.

This shows sidewalks on both sides of the street.

But after, as Miloch mentioned, last year when we were here, commission gave us direction to start on one side of the street first to get that basic network going first.

So again, South Middle River, showing the yellow lines are where the priorities would be, just one side of the street.

That was just a desktop level review, looking at what's going on, where existing sidewalks are, minimal crossings, things like that, to give us a baseline.

One of the important points for me of this presentation is this is just a baseline to start the conversation.

These are not exact where things are gonna go.

These aren't finalized.

The next step is going to be going to our neighborhoods.

But across the city, this is how it looks.

You see there's phase one, tier one gaps across the entire city that we'll be working on, and um relatively distributed equally across all of the districts, but because of the locations of schools and parks, it um differentiates with some of those districts.

So our next step is going to be today.

We're here to present and hopefully get endorsement of the plan as well as our implementation strategy.

As I said, the next phase would be going out to each of those neighborhoods to understand what their priorities are, what um what locations they prefer for each of those, very focused on the engagement for this next phase, and then we'll create that regular pipeline with the funding that we have after we have our work program, um, working with our capital projects division to do feasibility design construction and just keep running those through the pipeline.

So this is just a quick example of some of the materials we'll use when we go to the neighborhoods about how they sit in the whole city, those maps are included, what percentage of their network is complete or not, and um the different categories of ranking, and then funding.

It really comes down to that funding, and I wanted to show an example of how we're already working towards it again, South Middle River, and layering different funding opportunities.

So the red in this map is surtax funding.

We received a grant.

So those red streets are ones that are already programmed, they're gonna be in design soon.

The Rev grant is a grant through our MPO that they do semi-annually.

We were successful in receiving a grant for again South Middle River, the green sidewalks are a part of that program.

There's other things as well, but the green is just the sidewalks, and then the remaining gap could be things that are listed here of either city CIP, special obligation bond or other grants like safe routes to school, where we can layer multiple things to accomplish these sidewalks.

And we already have over 20 million of appropriated funds that we can use towards this goal, and we will keep um looking for other opportunities as we move forward.

So, so Karen, how much does how much does this funding cover in terms of fulfilling the goals?

Like you have this map here of South Middle River.

We have about what 20, 24 million, 22 million.

Um, how much how much does it take to make sidewalks?

Um, I don't know if I have public works folks to back me up on the actual.

I just create the dreams, Mayor.

So, Mr.

Mayor, to answer your question, a lot would depend on the scope of work, we believe that provided the titles are feasible and there is not much work related to drainage and landscape uh about five to six hundred thousand a mile.

Five or six of the thousand a mile.

That's right, but again, depending on the scope of work.

I get that because drainage, you have all you get all that, okay.

Okay.

But I think we'll be able to make a good dent.

That's my planning level cost.

Well, we're gonna make a good dent on what we have.

Okay, so good.

Um, but that's still a lot.

You know, we have 30 some on neighborhoods that have priority sidewalks.

So um staff is proposing an approach where we we start with just seven neighborhoods per district, um, first to be able to go out and do all that outreach and get consensus on where to start.

So the approach was starting with the top four highest need in east each district, the highest quantity, as well as the bottom three with the lowest.

So maybe there's a few hundred feet to finish all the priority sidewalks.

So let's start with those two so that they're not sitting there for a long period of time just because they have a small amount.

And then once we go through this first tier one, and then going to the next seven and keeping that uh momentum going through those neighborhoods, um, and we intend to track progress.

Um, our partners in the IT um department helped us set up this portal using the data that was used for the plan.

So this is up and running now, Fort Lauderdale.gov/slash sidewalk master plan.

You can see the plan, the neighborhood sheets that I showed, as well as uh active portal that you can go in.

You can search this is by Riverside Park.

Um you can search by neighborhood, you can search by district, and just a asterisk on that.

They do uh segments across there might be across neighborhoods or across districts, so numbers might be a little shifted than what's in the plan.

Um, but these show the same segments there.

And we intend to sorry, we intend to track implementation as well.

So as we accomplish these, if we're doing um southwest ninth or southwest 15th on this map, then we'll change them to a different color that they're done so that residents can watch us make accomplishments through that.

Karen, thank you.

Can you go back one slide, please?

Okay, thank you.

Um, does the district for Harbordale?

Does that include Tier 1, the 15th Street pedestrian walkway?

Um I'm not positive, I don't have it in front of me.

It does, me.

I've got my back, yeah.

Excellent.

Great, thank you.

Any other questions or comments?

Great work, thank you.

Okay, so uh the the uh R2 is a resolution accepting the sidewalk master plan.

Someone like to introduce the answer.

It's been introduced.

Any other questions or comments?

Anyone else wish to speak on this item?

Oh, wait a minute.

Is Olga Zamora here?

Okay, she signed up for this afternoon.

Okay, um there being none, please call the roll.

A resolution city commission of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida accepting the sidewalk master plan in the city of Fort Lauderdale and providing for several rescission of conflicting resolution provisions and an effective date.

Commissioner Herbst, yes, Commissioner Glossman, yes, Mr.

Beasley Pittman.

Yes, Vice Mayor Sorensen, yes, Mayor Trentos.

Yes, and R2 is now approved.

Thank you.

And that concludes our conference meeting as well.

R3 resolution approving a maintenance memor memorandum of agreement for state road uh 811 uh with the Florida Department of Transportation for Lighting Improvements on the right of way on Northeast Fourth Avenue.

Um someone like to introduce the resolution.

Introduced.

Anyone have any questions?

Nope, seven years in the making.

We're gonna get it done now.

Well, be patient, my friend.

I'm very patient.

Okay, okay.

Um, uh so R3 has been introduced.

Yes, please call the role.

A resolution city commission of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, appointing a district for maintenance memorandum agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for Lighting Improvements within the right-of-way of State Road 811 Northeast Fourth Avenue, providing for an effective date.

Commissioner Herbst, Commissioner Glossman, yes, Commissioner Beasley Putman.

Yes, Vice Mayor Sorensen, yes, Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and R3 is now approved.

R4 is a resolution approving an application for a dock permit for usage of public property by Robert Gallagher.

Um, someone would like to introduce the resolution.

Introduced.

Okay.

Uh two people sign up to speak, but for questions only.

Um, anyone have any comments?

There being none, uh please call the roll.

That's for approval, correct?

Introduced for approval.

Thank you.

A resolution of the city commission of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pursuant to section 8-1144, the code of ordinances of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, granting a dock permit for installation use, maintenance, and repair by Robert L.

Gallagher Jr., a married man of one proposed 40-foot plus or minus long by eight foot plus or minus wide marginal wood dock with access of said marginal deck extending a maximum distance of eight feet plus or minus from the property line on public property abutting the waterway adjacent to 1101 Cordova Road, as such property is more particularly described below, authorizing the proper public officials to counter sign the declaration of covenants running with the land respecting a city issue dock department authorizing recordation of this resolution, subject to certain terms and conditions, repealing any and all parts of resolutions in conflict here with providing for an effective date.

Commissioner Herbst, Commissioner Glassman?

Yes, Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Swanson?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and R 4 is now approved.

Just want to point out that uh on the chair of the Marine Advisory Board, Steve Witton.

See, are you here?

I don't know if he's still here.

Um this is his last meeting and uh with before the commission.

Just want to thank him for his years of work on the uh on the marine advisory board and uh congratulations and we thank you for your years of uh volunteerism.

Um R five is Mayor, he's is he here?

Yeah, he was there.

Steve, we just I just I said wonderful things about you, no matter what they tell you.

Yeah, it was a very short speech.

We thank you for your years of service on the marine advisory board.

I know this is your last commission meeting as chair, so want to thank you for your volunteerism and for your commitment to the city.

I greatly appreciate it.

It's it's been an honor as I've shared with so many of the folks here.

Um I retired of 76 years old, and um as much as I enjoy having a reason to get up, it's primarily because these are my friends.

I mean, when you work with people every day, um you either develop a friendship or hatred toward each other, and you know it it's a love-hate relationship, but I'm gonna miss you all.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Steve.

And thank you.

Thank you for the Steve, thank you for the whoppers.

Thank you.

Actually, tell the truth.

Bob Dunkel retired, and so you're following him out the door.

Yeah, I don't believe Bob Dunkel's retiring.

I think he's retired four times already, so okay.

Um R five has been removed from the agenda, so we move on to R6 having fun yet, folks.

Um R6 is resolution declaring notice of intent to convey city-owned property uh in the northwest uh progressive flagro heights community redevelopment area to the Fort Lauderdale community redevelopment agency and setting a public hearing for July 2nd.

Um someone like to introduce the resolution.

Introduce introduced, no one's signed up to speak with um, no one has signed up to speak.

Yes, so um please call the roll.

A resolution in the city commission of the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, providing notice of intent to convey one city owned property located at 1306 Northwest Sixth Street in the Northwest Progressive Flagler Heights Community Redevelopment Agency to the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency for public purposes pursuant to section 8.02 of the city charter subject to terms and conditions, providing notice of a public hearing before the city commission at 6 p.m.

on July 2nd, 2026, for curr consideration of the terms and conditions to authorize execution of the conveyance instruments by the proper city officials and providing for an effective date.

Commissioner Herbst, Commissioner Glossman, yes, Commissioner Beasley Pittman, yes, Vice Mayor Swanson, yes, Mayor Trentalus.

Yes, and R6 is now approved.

R 7.

This is a resolution approving the First Amendment to the interlocal agreement between the City of Fort Lauderdale and the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency to add the capital improvements master plan project for the Central City Community Redevelopment Area.

Someone likes to introduce the resolution.

I think we have to defer this to go with what we deferred with the master plan to begin with.

I thought we're gonna do that.

Okay.

So we'll defer this.

Uh do we need to defer it to a specific date?

I think we'll bring it back at the same time as the other item.

Okay, so we'll just take it off the agenda.

Um eight.

This is a quasi judicial resolution approving the vacation of a five-foot-wide by 50 foot-long storm drain easement.

Um, so this is a quasi judicial uh resolutions.

So anyone wishing to speak must be sworn in, and the commission will announce any site visits, communications, or extrovert opinions received, and make them a part of the record.

We have one person who signed up to speak.

I believe that's just for questions only.

Um do you have any disclosures, Commissioner Herbst?

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

None.

I have uh one with uh Stephanie Toothacre and a site visit.

Um Commissioner Glassman.

Yes, I have those same exact disclosures for RA.

Thank you, Mayor.

And Vice Mayor.

Yes, applicant on site visits.

Okay.

Ums Toothake, you have nothing to talk about.

Where are you?

Nothing with regard to this item, right?

Okay.

So um do I hear a motion to close public hearing?

Moved, second.

The move is seconded.

Please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Swanson?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes, and public hearing on P.

Excuse me, on R8 is now closed.

Would someone like to introduce the resolution?

Introduced.

Resolution has been introduced.

Please call the roll.

A resolution of City Commission of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, vacating all that certain five foot wide storm drainage easement in portions of lot one and blocks and lots one and 16, block 21, Beverly Heights, according to the plot thereof, as recorded in plot book one, page 30 of the public records of Brower County, Florida, located north of East Las Olas Boulevard, east of Southeast 10th Terrace, west of Southeast 12th Avenue and south of Southeast Second Court.

All sidlands being in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Brower County, Florida.

Commissioner Herbst?

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Swanson?

Yes.

Mary Trentals.

Yes, and R8 is now approved.

Okay, now we move to PH1.

I believe this is the reason why a lot of people are here tonight, so we're getting on to business.

This is a public hearing of quasi judicial ordinance, approving a rezoning located at 221 Southeast 12th Avenue from uh residential multifamily low rise medium density district to the community district uh community business district with an allocation of 0.14 acres of commercial flex and approval of an associated site plan level four development permit for waterway use and landscape yard reduction.

Anyone wishing to speak must be sworn in.

The commission will announce any site visits, communications, or extrovert opinions received and make them a part of the record.

Commissioner Herbs, you have any disclosures.

Yes, I spoke with the applicant.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman, thank you.

Um yes, applicant.

Uh and I have met with uh the applicant as well as uh Stephanie Toothacre as well as a site visit.

Uh Commissioner Glassman.

Yes, I have those exact same disclosures.

Thank you.

Okay, and Vice Mayor.

Yes, applicant site visit and many, many neighbors, okay.

Um, about 70 or 80 people have signed up to speak tonight.

So um, and I want you know, I've obviously everyone has an opportunity to be heard.

Um we're gonna ask the applicant uh give them the opportunity to make a presentation before we begin the public hearing, and uh and then I would ask everyone to try to limit their their uh brief their remarks to two minutes.

Um, and if you do hear your point of view already having been said, you know, you do have the uh opportunity to to pass on it as well.

Uh so um Ms.

Toothacre, did you want to make your presentation?

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners.

We appreciate you allowing us to be here this evening on behalf of Weston Jewelers.

Before I begin my presentation, I would just like to give the microphone to Mr.

Dykes to give a few comments.

Great.

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioners, and members of the community.

My name is Ed Dykes, and my family and I are the owners of Western Jewelers.

For over 25 years, we have proudly served South Florida, built lasting relationships here, and operated our business with integrity, passion, and long-term commitment.

We're not we're not a large outside corporation coming into Fort Laurerdale.

We're a local family business that has grown over decades through trust, dedication, and genuine care for our clients and community.

What we are proposing on Los Oles is more than just another building, it is a meaningful investment in Fort Lauderdale's future, one that will create jobs, support surrounding businesses, and contribute to the thoughtful growth many residents want to see.

We chose the east side of Las Olas intentionally because we believe the future of the entire boulevard, just not just one end of it.

Las Oulas is becoming a more walkable destination, and we believe investment should be should support that vision as well.

We have listened carefully throughout this process.

We have worked with city staff, planners, architects, and neighboring residents, and made thoughtful adjustments because we generally care about doing this the right way.

The scale of this project is in line with the surrounding area and consistent with the direction of development already taking place.

Our goal has always been to create something beautiful and complementary to the future of Los Solas.

We have also taken meaningful steps to be responsible neighbors, particularly when it comes to parking and traffic concerns.

Most importantly, this project will bring new visitors to East Las Olas who will also support nearby restaurants, shops, and local businesses.

This project represents our belief in the city in the city.

We are investing here because we believe Fort Lauderdale's best days are still ahead.

Thank you for your time, your consideration, and the opportunity to be part of the Fort Lauderdale future.

Okay, good.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

How much time do you need to make your presentation?

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I'm gonna ask for 30 minutes and endeavor not to use it.

You probably won't need 30 minutes, but go ahead.

I'd like to also just um in addition to the Dykes family.

Um Ed's wife is here, his family is here, his son is here.

Also Architectonica, who is our our architect, um uh Flynn Engineering Blake Kit Blake Kidwell is here.

Uh Suzanne Danielson, our parking consultant, is also here, and we're all here to answer any questions at the end of the day.

Absolutely.

Anybody who speaks uh on your behalf will be part of that 30 minutes.

Okay.

Thank you.

They're not they're not speaking, they're just here to answer questions.

Well, I think they should be so um obviously the Dykes family, you heard from Mr.

Dykes.

They are he is too modest to tell you that they're one of the the top one percent jewelers in the country.

So that's really significant when we talk about Las Olas.

If you um if you watch the planning and zoning board meeting, or if you if you heard, you know, we talked a lot about luxury and the opportunity to bring luxury to Las Olas as a as a woman resident, lifetime resident of Fort Lauderdale.

I I've said this before, you you've you've heard me say it if you know me.

There is nowhere for us to go.

There is nowhere for us to shop.

We go to Miami, we go to Palm Beach to do our shopping.

And this is a real, a real and very exciting opportunity to bring a luxury product to Fort Lauderdale.

And um, and these are just some of the brands that are committed to not only the Dykes family and Weston Jewelers, but to this store specifically.

So those are those are yeah, it's a that's a in the luxury world, that's a that's a very exciting thing to be able to bring here.

So there have been a lot of changes to this project.

I keep hearing, you know, that that the family and that the developer uh has been unwilling to make changes, but I think that's a little bit of a misnomer, and I'm gonna take you through some of the changes that we did make, and as Ed said, we really spent a lot of time with the neighborhood listening to concerns, and we made a lot of changes.

So, um so I think we're really down to three issues, and I'm just gonna take them one by one, and those are the height, the zoning, and the parking.

I know you all are familiar with the site, everyone's familiar with the site.

It is on Las Olas, and it is on the Himmer She River.

Um, it is a.267 acre lot, and there is uh right now commercial on a portion of it, and then there's um there's some old uh residential units on the back half.

But I really want to talk about height, and I want to talk about context because I think this is really important.

I I've I've seen signs, I know there are people standing outside and they keep saying, take the height down, drop the height.

But this is a five-story product.

This is a five-story building, and I think it's really important to look at what is this building in the middle of.

And I I took the time to do this presentation and to lay this all out because I think you really have to look at the height of this building being five stories in the context of what's around it.

So directly across the street is the Himmersey Landing Building, which is also a five-story building that's eighty-two feet in height.

The Northern Trust Building, also on the other side of um of uh Las Olas is three stories.

The um there is a residential building behind us that is four stories in in height, and importantly, immediately on the other side of the canal is Villagio, uh, which is a mixed-use product, and that is also five stories in height.

And finally, not the least of which is um the hotel that's coming to Las Oulas.

I think everyone's really excited about it.

But you can see in the context of this slide, it is literally a stone's throwaway, and that was just approved by this city commission and our planning and zoning board at 12 stories or 150 feet.

So what does that look like?

So how tall, how tall is your five stories?

I'm gonna get to that because it's it's a journey.

I mean, I'm just trying to cut to the chase.

I will try to go through this.

There are certain things that everybody wants to know.

Yes, I know height, parking, okay.

Yes, and I'm I and I and I I broke the I broke the presentation down to those three topics.

But I do I do want to talk about, you know, that this proposal is at least a portion of it is in a district that is B1, and B1 permits heights up to 150 feet.

So the entire strip that you see in front of you in red, that is all zoned for 150 feet.

So 150 feet is what we specifically designated as a planning community to this street as appropriate for the lot.

There are other um, there are other uh, you know, um zonings around us, but I also think it's important to look at the rack EMU, which permits heights up to 30 stories, and the RAC CC just within within walking distance of this site.

This is just this just shows you.

I I wanted to map it out.

I wanted to map out how close the hotel is again.

The hotel also requested a rezoning on the northern half of the lot, the exact same rezoning that's before you this evening, and that project goes up to 150 feet all the way across.

That was approved.

That go back to second court.

Yes, it does.

So from Los Solas to second court, that's correct.

That's already been rezoned.

Identical, yes, already rezoned and already approved.

Okay.

Yes.

And it's 400 feet away.

This is a really important slide, and I'm just gonna pause here for a minute.

This is what is permitted on this site.

The the vision on the left, which is beautiful.

We took the same building, we we modeled it out to show you what a hundred and fifty feet by right would look like.

And we also because what I think what what what Architectonica and the Dykes family did is said that kind of looks ridiculous, it looks out of place.

Wouldn't it just make more sense to take that height down to about half and spread it across the entire site?

Because what you can see there is that is that the building that is in the background, which is the one that's being proposed this evening, we are now at 74.

I mean, that's there's the height right there, what's proposed.

74 feet of habitable and 81 feet and 11 inches up to the mechanical.

It this is a picture that actually was used by the newspaper, and you can see Villagio in the foreground.

It's also a five-story building.

And again, what's on the left, that's the 150 feet by right.

So yours is 74 feet then?

It's 74 feet.

That's correct.

That's correct.

It's eighty-one, it's 81 including 81 feet 11 inches when you add the mechanical equipment.

Yes, because we enclosed the mechanical equipment so it looked nice, so it would be beautiful.

So, um, but we we made many changes, and I want to talk about where we started.

So when we first started this um this project, when we first submitted it to DRC, a lot of people showed up from uh from Beverly Heights in Cooley Hammock, and this you can see here in this diagram what we're showing you is that original site plan.

Number one, the habitable height was 90 feet, and to the mechanical was 108 feet, and the project also included two restaurants.

And we heard from the neighborhood, we just don't think that restaurant goes here.

Now, I will say that Planta Queen is immediately to our east, and the restaurant that's in the base of Villagio is immediately to our west.

But that being said, the Dykes family with great effort to work with the neighborhood, said we hear you loud and clear, we are gonna go ahead and remove those restaurants.

And as a result of that, we were able to make a height reduction.

So we removed the two restaurants from the site plan, and we reduced the height from 90 feet to 74 feet habitable, which was a 16-foot height reduction.

And then on the mechanical equipment, we went from 108 feet to 88 feet in the mechanical, which was a 20-foot parking reduction.

So that's a very significant parking reduction.

And more recently, we were able to take yet another look at the height and say, okay, what can we do?

How can we squeeze some more height out?

So they took some floor heights out where they were able to do it.

And they also removed the elevator that went to the roof, and they were able to bring the mechanical even further down.

So the building height is now 81 feet 11 inches, which is shorter than the Hammershee landing building, which is directly across the street.

So it is it is not the tallest building in this uh in this vicinity.

So overall, that's a height reduction from where we started of 16 feet habitable but 26 feet 11 inches.

So that's that's essentially two and a half floors that came off the building from where we started to where we sit today.

This is the Las Olas Mobility Plan, and I think this is a really important slide because this was just recently adopted, and we've also heard that this just isn't the right location, that there are no shops at this end of Las Olas.

But in fact, this site is actually specifically designated by the Los Hollis Boulevard Mobility Plan to be in the shops district.

And in fact, there's quite a few, as you know, there's a quite a few restaurants and stores that are actually to the east of this project.

The land use designation is one of the applications that's before you this evening.

We do need to request that the commission allocate commercial flex to the portion of the land use that is shown in uh light brown.

And with regard to the rezoning, we are asking for a rezoning, as I said, exactly what the hotel asked for.

We are asking for a rezoning to CB again of that north half, and we did do a very deep dive analysis on what is appropriate for a rezoning, and from the staff report, it the staff report agrees with our analysis and says that the proposed rezoning is consistent with the character and development of the East Las Olas corridor.

So we've also heard that there have never been any rezonings, and I think this is also a really important um point to make.

These are all the rezonings that have happened in this area, not the least of which very recently, obviously, we already talked about the hotel, but the the Villagio building was actually a rezoning.

It was rezoned to mixed use to permit that restaurant mixed use residential and garage.

So that that our immediate neighbor went through that same rezoning.

And if you look a little further into other areas in the Cooley Hamming Beverly Heights neighborhood, there have been other rezonings appropriate.

No, you know, no big discussion about it, but there was a rezoning to PDD.

There are some rezonings to C B, rezonings to XP, just a lot of different rezonings in this area.

So we we took we took the the slide and wanted to show you that this is not a standalone case of a of a rezoning.

We've also heard that this is that that this particular site is adjacent on all sides to residential, and that in fact is not accurate either.

And I think that was important to point out.

So if you look around us, obviously we talked about the Hemershead Landing building, we're now shorter than Hammershee Landing, and you see Villagio, which is a mixed use.

Behind the property, of course, is Las Oles podiatry.

But I think most importantly, and what I really want to focus on here is if you look immediately to the east of the back half of the north half of this property, that is an office.

That is not residential, that's an office.

And on the back half is office, and on the front half is mixed-use restaurant retail and more office, surrounded on all sides essentially by similar uses.

Let me talk about parking because parking has been a really important topic, and we spent a lot of time on this.

We have we have a hundred off-site parking spaces.

We are required by code to have a hundred and twenty-nine parking spaces.

I've said before, and I'll say it again in what world are there 129 people in the jewelry store all at the same time.

But that being said, you have to live by the code.

And the code says 129 spaces, and then when you apply a shared use analysis, you get to 119 spaces.

So Mr.

Dykes and the development team really worked to find parking.

We actually do have one additional parking for a small number of spaces, so I didn't list it here.

But after the planning and zoning board, we actually I called the pastor of the church and who I who I know, and I said, you know, you've got these huge lots here, and they're available to the public.

They're managed by something called air garage.

Do you have any additional um do you have parking that you could, you know, that we we could arrange for?

So we had a large number of meetings with the church, and the church was, I don't I'm cautious to speak on behalf of the church, but we entered into a parking lot license agreement for 40 parking spaces.

Mr.

Dykes is paying for those spaces now as a donation to the church, even though those spaces will not be used until the project, if approved, opens in 2027.

But the church was very happy for that.

Obviously, you know, you know, anytime you make a donation to a church or synagogue, that's a wonderful thing.

So that was something that was a that the the church saw as a real benefit, and we've been in constant communication with them, and they've they've been really just wonderful to work with.

Um we also have an executed LOI for 40 parking spaces with Demco parking.

Demco parking is uh is an entity that owns private lots all over the city.

So that really operates more as you know as remote parking.

So that would be great for like our employees because one of the commitments we made is that employees will never use public parking, will never park on the street or never uh use public parking.

So we have an additional 40 parking spaces, and then and I do have also an LOI with Moss Construction, who is the majority owner of the building across the street, and I want to share this because this is important.

This came up a couple times in discussions.

So when we appeared at Planning and Zoning Board, we had an LOI with Moss for 34 spaces in the Moss building.

After Planning and Zoning Board, we went to go meet with them to finalize that LOI and to enter into a more formal document, and we we had to rework that document, and and one of the partners said, you know, we really would prefer you to go look at the church and see if you can make an agreement with the church.

That's how we got to the church.

It was after planning and zoning board that we went to go meet with the church, and that's how we entered into an agreement with the church.

But subsequently, after planning and zoning, we also entered into the Demco parking agreement, and then Moss also gave us a signed LOI for back in the Hammershee building, but for 20 spaces instead of 34.

So that's how we got to the 100 parking spaces, and those are all signed.

Question on that.

Um Stephanie, are they what's the length of term of those contracts for LOIs?

They're all different.

Um the one that's not listed is for 25 years, and then the three the three other ones are for five years with renewing options.

Okay, and what are there non-revocable or non-canceled or any other legal stipulations?

They're all they're all different, um, each depending on the entity.

They had different, you know, obligations themselves.

So they all, you know, moss was the one that I thought was the most important, and they said, We'll work with you.

Moss is actually building the building, so they said we'll we'll work with you as long as you need, but we we don't enter into documents longer than five years.

They all told us that.

They all said this is five all of our all of our agreements are five years with renewing options.

Okay, thank you.

I'd like to also.

Wait, wait, wait.

Let's go back.

Yeah.

So when Planta was approved, there's their site was approved, they were required to have 94 spaces.

Correct.

And we reduced it to five.

I don't know if we reduce, I think planning and zoning reduces.

Correct.

Okay.

So they agreed to a 95% reduction.

And I'm I'm listing all of these all have these are just parking reductions.

Yes.

The Whitfield, Earls.

I mean, these are significant reductions.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

And thank you for making the point because when we started researching the parking reduction, I'm gonna say I'm happy that the planning and zoning board granted these, it's appropriate.

It's Las Olas.

You don't drive to Las Oles.

I mean, first of all, if you're gonna go out to dinner and have a drink, you're not driving, I hope.

So most people, I was just there with my best friend on Saturday night, and we both took Ubers and went to catch and cut, and then we walked up and down the street, as t people tend to do because Las Olas is meant to be a pedestrian experience.

Yes, there are public lots around, and yes, some people drive, but the majority of people that drive that drive really, I mean, you're saying they don't just go to one destination.

You don't go to one destination.

If you if you if you're gonna go, you know, if you've got an appointment at Weston Jewelers to buy something, you're probably gonna go to dinner, or you're gonna go down to Kilwend's and get an ice cream, or you're gonna add something else and the parking is public.

Now we we are not uh for our parking reduction, we had to show that there was available public parking, but you can see we have a hundred, we actually have a hundred and six parking spaces.

We have a hundred and six parking spaces, but the reality is these uses all work together, which is why your city and our private consultants all work together to find shared use because it's not a one-stop destination, and quite frankly, the codes haven't caught up to the fact that people use Uber and Lyft.

A lot of these codes were written before those before ride share even existed.

So I'm not I'm not complaining about these parking reductions.

I think they were appropriate.

I think they needed to be granted, and I think every single one of these uses really adds something to Las Oles as a as a resident here.

I think most people that live around there, you know, I I we're so sensitive to the parking.

I I wanna say that I if I lived behind Las Olas, which I don't, but if I did, I would be angry too if somebody that didn't have a parking pass, you know, parked in front of my yard.

They have an absolute right to be upset about that.

That's an enforcement issue.

That's not, hey, we need to impose on a jewelry store a hundred and twenty-nine parking space requirement.

And I I think that's why this is such an important discussion to have about how do we make this work better to in to protect the residents that live around Los Oles, but also acknowledge that we want to encourage uses retail and restaurant on our most important shopping street that when people get off cruise ships, everyone sends them to Las Oles.

That's where they're going, and those people are not driving cars.

Nine times out of ten, if you're going to Las Oles, you are taking an an Uber or a Lyft, nine times out of ten.

So if you could just could you just go back there?

So this might be a correct question for Chris, but the ULDR requirement for parking, I believe is parking on site.

Is that right?

It has to be within seven hundred feet of a safe pedestrian path.

So for instance, if there is public parking on one end of Los Oles, you you cannot rely on that for your use.

You it has to be just within your quick little vicinity.

Within you said 700 feet.

Yeah.

Of a safe pedestrian path.

Okay.

So do the LOIs and other contract that you have, is that within 700 feet?

No, those don't have to be within 700 feet.

Right, but that's that's the point I'm making is the parking agreements don't meet the ULDR requirement.

Correct.

Right.

They do not so because your ULDR requirement requires, and this is something that I've been discussing for many many years as we do parking reductions, for me to have a uh a ULDR off site parking agreement, I have to record an adop a document in perpetuity against somebody else's property.

No owner will ever consent to that.

But to the extent but to the extent the distance is within 700 feet.

No, we can have off site parking wherever.

No, but I'm saying you the proposals that you're making tonight, those parking sites are within 700 feet.

They are, but they're not required to be.

I know, but I'm just I think that was what the question is.

Yes, yes.

I'm sorry if I misunderstood.

They're very close.

That's a good point.

But yeah, okay.

And what I wanted to get at was even having agreements for parking for the hundred and six spots doesn't negate the need for a ULDR parking reduction if they want I suit.

Right.

So then the next question is, do you know if any of these parking reductions, these businesses that have the parking reductions form similar contracts, LOIs for parking?

Um, not that I'm aware of.

Yeah, not I'm not aware of either.

But I I don't I can't speak, they're not my clients, so I I I can't speak to it.

Right.

So even though having a hundred and six through the contracts gets close to the ULDR requirement, the full reduction would still be required.

Correct.

That's exactly right.

Exactly.

Yes.

Thanks.

And the only way to get around that is if someone was willing to let you record an agreement, a off-site parking agreement in perpetuity, which will never that will never happen.

Okay, thanks.

So this just I all this is just a little bit of a deep dive about where these parking reductions are and these have all been approved in the last several years.

Sorry, can you just go back?

I just want to um go back one more.

That's the new that's the new restaurant.

Correct.

So a hundred percent.

So this was planning and zoning.

Yeah, approved.

So 108 ULDR spaces required.

So that's okay.

All right.

Thanks.

If you go to the next one.

I didn't I didn't realize we were having these dramatic reductions.

Parking reductions.

You should read the planning and zoning minutes.

Late night reading.

Check it out.

Check it out.

I love that.

I love that minutes.

Great.

Glad you keep keep eating it up.

Okay.

Thanks.

So you're saying these are precedents that have been set by planning and I'm not making a case of precedent.

I I personally think that that there should be an acknowledge, there should be a protection of the residents that live around Las Olys number one.

But beyond that, there should be an acknowledgement that these parking reductions are a bit ridiculous because we we either want Las Olas to be our shopping destination and a retail and restaurant street that's lively that people want to go to, and then we stop making people show that a jewelry store needs a hundred and twenty-nine parking spaces all at one time.

It just it's it's it's not a reasonable request.

But this is unfortunately the situation we find ourselves in.

So when you know when when some people are opposed to a project, they they latch on to that because they you know, because by code it looks like you're asking for something that's unique, but the reality is they every every use asked for this, and every use was granted it, and it should have been.

Stephanie or Ed, how many people roughly visit Weston Jewelers in a twenty-four hour period?

Um so out in Weston, we have about 35 people visit our store a day in it entire day, an entire day.

Thank you.

So Stephanie, can I ask a question?

So you said something about the folks in Cooley Hammock and if people are parking in front of their house and blocking their driveways that it's an enforcement problem.

So, you know, I've been here quite a while, and I remember when we started the residential parking program to relieve the burden on the folks in Cooley Hammock.

So what are you suggesting that they do?

Call a tow truck, uh call the cops to come and ticket cars.

Because we don't tow them away.

Police aren't gonna show up and tow a car away from blocking somebody's driveway.

So what what do you propose that the folks in Cooley Hammock do when their driveways being blocked by folks that randomly park around the street?

And and by the way, it has usually been employees of of the business establishments that have been doing that because they're generally not making enough money to afford to park in a garage.

So the folks that park in the neighborhood or are usually folks that work in these businesses.

I know there's a um a a residential parking permit program.

I actually, and I know the city has a contract with uh I think it's Westway towing.

I actually do think those cars should be towed.

If you're parked in front of somebody's residential product and you don't have the residential uh parking on it, then I I would think that the then the the neighbor, the resident, should be able to call the city, maybe a hotline and say there's a car that doesn't belong here in front of my house and then the city can have have it towed.

I I that's what I would want.

So so let me just ask, and I don't know who is this city manager, is this chief of police?

So is that what we do when somebody is illegally parked?

So like I used to live on 15th Avenue, and people would park in front of my house and block my driveway.

I don't I never had a phone number that I could call up and have a tow truck company haul somebody away.

So what are we what do we do in that case?

So commissioner, so um our residents can always call uh our customer service number option for is for parking and transportation mobility and parking, including parking enforcement, there is a likelihood special that can respond and immediately send enforcement there.

In terms of the practice for towing, um the best response related to that concern would be police department, they can tow on the spot.

We've really done a tow immediately, unless there are multiple violations, but we can encourage those who park there, leave um notices and whatnot to make sure that the correct behavior.

So if so if they call if they call somebody comes a PES comes out and writes a ticket, does the PES call for a tow truck?

They can create uh uh uh request with police department for the vehicle to be towed.

The PES will let me just make sure I understand you the PES will then complete a request for PD to call a tow truck.

That's our standard practice if somebody is parking in place.

That is correct, that's my understanding, yes.

And Chief, is that your understanding of how this works?

Because I've never seen that happen, so this is all new to me.

Um after the chief responds, uh I have a comment to that.

Sure.

Commissioner, so if it's private property, is one thing.

If it's completely, say, on a uh driveway or private property, we would still respond, of course, for the potential disturbance, but the homeowner or the resident would be responsible for calling the tow truck.

That's what I thought.

I thought it's completely private property.

Right.

We don't we don't tow away from private property.

Right.

Now if they're blocking a roadway or partially blocking or totally different.

Right, okay.

That's my understanding.

So I just wanted to be clear, because I I I have heard of all of disputes involving people parking on private property, and we do not remove anybody parked on private property, and somebody who owns that can't have a tow truck tow somebody away if they don't have an agreement, right?

That's correct.

Yeah, with the tow truck, it's like an apartment complex you're talking about.

Or uh, just in front of my house.

Somebody parks in my driveway, blocks me, and I'm pretty much stuck until they come along and come back, right?

No, well no, you can if you're blocking the driveway publicly and you can't leave your house.

Right.

Then you can call a tow truck.

I can call a tow truck company and they'll send a tow truck out.

Yes.

But the city can't yeah, the city can't do that.

But who pays for it who pays for the tow truck then?

It would be the homeowner.

Right.

Got it.

Okay.

All right.

Um, just um knowing what I'm experiencing in district three, um, because what I'm hoping um we can if we're gonna move forward in this direction with the complete 100% parking reduction, with the um overflow that goes into the neighborhoods, because what we're experiencing in Dictionary, um a complex went up, um, we reduced the parking and now they're parking along the swells in the neighborhoods, blocking churches, and we're really having a challenge to get this corrected.

Right.

So, with this, my question for, um, because I we represent the city, not only my district.

Of course, what are also could be offered to assure these neighbors that when you have this situation that as a good neighbor, good um business owner in the area that's coming in, is there something that you may be able to offer to relieve that problem with um the overflow parking on my swell in my driveway?

Absolutely, Commissioner, that's a great question.

I did haven't had a chance to ask Ed this, but I'm certain you would say yes, that we we could um we could have a contract with a towing company that if it's someone associated with the with the um because one of the commitments that we have is that we'll always make somebody available 24-7 through construction and at all times if and when this gets approved and built.

So one thing we could do is have a contract commit to a a contract with a towing company that that Weston jewelers would be responsible for paying if if it's somebody you know that that is going to West End Jewelers, in addition to the off-site parking that we already have.

We I think are we I absolutely agree with that, yes.

But but how would we know if there's somebody from Western Jewel?

There's somebody parked on my swale?

How are we gonna know if they're in Western jewelers or if they're somewhere else until after the fact?

I mean, that's the I mean that seems somewhat somewhat challenging to figure out.

Exactly.

That's what we're driving about.

It's very easy.

So if they're in the mayor's Bentley, they're in Western Jewelers.

If it're in my RAM 1500 pickup, they're not there.

Got it.

All right.

Very simple.

I think we can probably work something out with the neighbors and make that make that information available.

And if they if they see them walking towards the jewelry store, I'm certain, certain that Ed would stand by that.

So if I can I can jump in here.

So I work very closely with Coolie Hammond, Commissioner Herbs to develop the residential parking program in Coolie Hammock.

And we've actually modified it over the years.

And it I won't go into all the details, but there's certain requirements about residential parking.

There's certain hour limitations.

I'm very proud of it.

And so it's been working well.

This would present, you know, some possibly more parking, but all of those, all of those cars that park in Cooley Hammock have to abide by the residential parking program.

And they will.

So I think this this could be only helpful, but we've got a very good foundation at least to move from.

So um obviously Planta Queen also was granted that reduction.

Luigi's I'd like to dive into site plan, and I'm getting close to the end, I promise.

One of the things that we've also heard a great deal about is that um that we're asking for a modification.

There is a on the on the setback.

There is a requirement in the city code that says if you're adjacent to a waterway, you have to have 20 foot landscape buffer.

I I'll just say that just doesn't make sense for this this property, but I think it's also really important to look at what's actually happening on the site because the building is not on the water.

There's the property line.

If you look, the property line is not straight across.

It it it cuts in and then goes straight across.

And so we we have to, by code, we have to ask for a a zero foot modification, but it's actually not zero feet.

There is like one point where the building at the back jets out and that's zero feet, but the rest of it there's actually six feet, and and that's only where you see the black line to the building that's six feet, and then there's an additional nine point seven feet to the edge of dock.

So it's actually a very, very wide area, and that um and I'm gonna show you some images that show you what that actually looks like uh rendered.

We've also already committed to a living seawall.

We heard a lot about that.

I'm offering that as a voluntary condition.

We've already spoken to Kind Designs.

Um Tyler Chappelle is here.

We've already been having those discussions, so that's a that's a voluntary condition.

I think I think um Ed and his family are very happy to do that.

A little bit of what's happening inside the store.

There have been discussions as well about you know that um I think there was a little bit of a misunderstanding that there were stores within the store, they're they're layouts of vendor of um brands within the store, but they are not vendors.

Everyone that works in this building is an employee or family member of Weston Jewelers.

There are no other vendors outside vendors coming in.

You can see that we're showing you on the ground floor that Rolex is an identified space.

You've got Cartier as an identified space, Omega is an identified space.

There are brands that are committed to coming here, but the employees that sell that product are employees of Weston Jewelers.

There are no outside uh people at all involved, and ground uh ground level is all individual brands, and you can see they're identified by different boxes, and the um the designers that work with those brands have been involved and have designed those individual spaces so they're you know they're they're commensurate with what you know Cartier would like to see is different than what Rolex would like to see.

So that's all been included.

On the second level, this kind of jewelry shopping is and watch shopping is experiential in nature, so I think there was also a misunderstanding that there was a bridal studio in the space.

There's not a bridal studio, there's a bridal area where if you are a an engaged couple, or about to be engaged couple rather, and you want to go look at rings, you sit down, maybe have a glass of champagne, and the people that work in this store bring you a selection of rings to look at.

So you can see that's that's a very important space that's on the back half, and then we have other additional brands on the front half.

Here, I we've talked a little bit about uh Rolex.

If you have a new Rolex, or I've learned so much about watches, I feel I feel like I could work at the store now.

So if you own a pre-owned Rolex or a or a new Rolex, and you want to have that watch serviced, you lose your warranty if you don't have that serviced by someone that is certified by Rolex.

That's very rare from what I understand.

It used to be that if you take your watch in, it has to be sent away to Switzerland to be repaired, and you get it back a year later.

So, what you see here, and this is such a low intensity use, but it is a really important component of the building.

That is your Rolex repair, so that actually will be happening in Fort Lauderdale, and that's very significant in the watch world.

And then, of course, on the front half, uh more uh dedicated brand area space.

The family office.

The family office is a very important component as well.

This is an office space only for the Dykes family, and you know we have a lot of family offices in Fort Lauderdale.

That's a very common use.

It's an extremely low impact use.

That's that's one two people that run a family office.

The Moss family office is actually directly across the street, which is probably why they had so much available parking because you don't, it's not an everyday go-to-the-office type of use.

So the family office is on level four, and on level five, we have additional brand space as well as you know, an employee uh employee lounge area.

And I just want to show you some images of what that looks like.

This is something that we didn't have ready.

I do want to point out again that we are essentially the same height as the Villaggio, which is right next door, and just some the obviously the building is beautifully designed.

We've been working on the interiors and the entrances, so this is um this front corner here is meant to be a fountain with obviously the beautiful Rolex symbol.

I had mentioned that we would I would show you how far back the building is from the waterway, so you can see here this is rendered and um and to scale, so you can see it's not it's not sitting right on the on the water, and here that is from a different image from a different um perspective, rather.

And you start to see some of the exteriors of the building and what's happening in the building.

I'm just gonna take you through really quickly here.

I don't need to keep paging this.

Um, so these are some of the interiors of what is happening on the on the ground floor, ground floor.

You can see it's it's beautifully designed.

Um, the specifications are required by the brands.

See, so just some pretty images.

That's the second floor, that's the bridal area.

Really, I mean, just a no expense spared on design.

I just want to take you through these quickly.

So now we're on the third floor, third floor, public participation.

We've had a lot.

Um I've also heard that we weren't willing to meet with folks, and I I just wanted I don't need to read this all to you, but post the DRC meeting, we we made a presentation to to Beverly Heights.

We did some virtual public participation meetings, we had planning and zoning board.

Then we met with Cooley Hammock and Beverly Heights.

I'm sorry, Cooley Hammock in a small meeting, and then we met with Cooley Hammock and Beverly Heights again at a very large meeting that was held at the church, and then we met with Beverly Heights again, and here we are this evening at the city commission.

Some are the conditions of approval, um, all the conditions that we offered at Planning and Zoning Board.

For instance, our employees will never be permitted to use public parking.

They will always be accommodated in private lots that the spots are being paid for by Weston Jewelers.

Installation of a living seawall we also did and I I want to submit it for the record we did do a commitment letter to uh to Beverly Heights and those I don't need to read them all because I'm going to submit it for the record and I want to ensure that those become if this site plan or to is to be approved I want to make sure that those word for word become conditions that we are agreeing to but essentially the office use is only for the Dykes family for employee parking I already addressed a voluntary sorry can you go back one please thanks.

Okay.

Actually can I back you up to that so go back to that if you would one second Stephanie so any future property owner will need to seek applicable site plan approval so talk about that for a second please yeah it's it's actually I repeated it in a more specific way here.

Okay.

And this was what we negotiated with Beverly Heights there very appropriately Beverly Heights um and I'm sure Cooley Hemick as well but this uh this came from meetings with Beverly Heights they asked Mr.

Dykes to commit that this is the only use that will happen in this building because as you know from the presentation when we originally submitted we had two restaurants and I think there was a fear maybe that we would try to put restaurants back in so we are committing that that will never happen that the site plan that is here this is the only use that and we and as part of the site plan ordinance we would include that restriction that it is the family office that we're not going to try to add some other you know office use in it's the family office the jewelry and watch store with the with uses that are a customary to be included with jewelry and watch store which sometimes includes things like home goods but that um that it would be specific to this exact site plan anything else would have to start over from the beginning which would include community engagement site plan hearings and all that.

So that doesn't mean that that somebody else couldn't come along if if if the dykes decide at some point to sell the building then a future building owner could come back in and come to a future city commission and ask for any of those uses they would have to start the process over right but but it it's not precluded in perpetuity just come back and asking the commission again correct kind of like we're doing tonight correct correct okay yes precluded by by the Dykes family and this use but not but it's someone of course yeah there's no way to restrict that.

Sorry just go back there so city attorney is this language sufficient or reasonable and appropriate.

Vice Mayor I would need some time to analyze that um I can barely see it right here.

This has to be appropriate what are you if I might suggest this has to come for a second reading so perhaps we could work on language in between first and second reading that the city attorney can confirm is is what the intent is I'll do that vice mayor and so you're you're wondering whether this is enforceable right so there's if you're tracking the restaurants and the use of the private uh office space and that limitations put around those.

Absolutely have to be considered because there has to be a means to enforce it.

Right okay understood so you would work on this going forward.

And we'll make sure that it's included in any final uh plan.

Okay.

So one thing Stephanie I would ask please as a favor is if you're gonna introduce language like this that my city attorney needs to review please try and get it to her so that she can give us an answer timely.

I I yes I respect that commissioner I'm sorry we were working on it with Beverly Heights and to literally the last minute but yes yes I duly noted I don't like to not be able to ask my city attorney for her you know uh learned opinion and she's struggling trying to read the screen.

I understand.

Well we do have a second reading so that's good.

Um one thing that uh came up is just concern about what'd you say, Mary?

Can you kind of wrap things up to like the next few minutes?

Well, you know what?

Let me just say these are word for word out of our letter with Beverly Heights um construction activity, you know, timeline of improvements, um membership.

I we we commit ourselves to all of these.

This is literally a word document from the Beverly Heights commitment letter.

I'm gonna submit it for the record to um to David to be included in the ordinance, and we will ensure we we commit to every word in this, and I will work with the city attorney in between first and second reading on the first condition.

This is the letter, it's part of the presentation, and I also brought a hard copy.

And um, and then I just wanted to share with you we do have a lot of support and just some significant ones.

Restaurant people, Grand Forno, the Floridian, Lisa Duke, I'm not gonna read everyone, but we a lot of these, I didn't not include every letter of support, but there were a lot of them.

Um, and uh, and some of them are in the backup, some of them were sent to you directly, but there are a good number of them.

And last but not least, mayor, um, I am I there are a lot of people here uh in support of the Dykes family and of Weston Jewelers, and I'm just gonna ask you if you are here to support uh West and Jewelers, I'm gonna ask you to please stand up.

Okay, all right, that's fine.

She didn't say clap, she said stand up.

All right, so um uh what's that?

Yeah, so let me just say this.

I've got about four hours of speakers here, and we're not gonna hear four hours.

Come on.

So um uh let's let's uh first of all, have you concluded your remarks?

I am I'm I'm done, yes.

Thank you so much.

So um, you know, let's start going through this.

Uh I prefer to hear um, you know, I'd like to hear uh from everybody, obviously.

I'll give everyone two minutes.

Um but if you've heard your point of view expressed and you don't think you need to to uh stand up, just you can pass on it.

But uh we have a big agenda tonight on other items.

Um by the way, who's here against it?

You can stand up.

Okay.

Well, this is not how we we make decisions, by the way, as to who comes and who doesn't come to a meeting.

I mean, obviously, you know, there are gonna be people for and people against, but and so we'll hear the points of view.

But I will say this that the most the emails that I've been getting and the comments that have been submitted to me and I'm sure the rest of the commission have focused on a lot in large part about parking.

And um, and I believe that staff report showed that it was zero parking and a hundred percent reduction request, and now we know tonight that there could be that uh that is not the situation, that uh there are over a hundred parking spaces that are gonna be made available to the store.

So if that's your consideration, if that's why you would might be against it, just keep in mind that that that matter has now been resolved, and so um that's shouldn't be an issue in your minds.

All right, so Mayor, one suggestion if it's uh amenable is possibly starting with the immediate surrounding neighbors.

Well, I've got Rick Cass, who's got who's the first person here.

He's the president, I believe.

Um, well Leslie is I mean Kristen is so Kristen Oh is Kristen also.

Kristen's here.

Uh she's Kristen.

Uh Kristen, Rick, and and Leslie are part of it.

Kristen DeMorrow.

Why don't you come on up the floor?

She's LaFleur.

Um, well, maybe.

Oh, sorry.

Maybe that's her maiden name tomorrow.

No, no, no, I I have the wrong one.

Okay, no problem.

This one lives in Miami Road.

And then Kristen and and Rick, why don't you come up here and why don't you give us Mayor?

And then Coley Hammock might maybe next if she will in.

Thanks.

Oh, Leslie's here too.

Okay, yeah.

LaDonna and Anthony are with Coley Hammock, and maybe on this.

And can you uh can you express your remarks a cappella so we can no?

No, singing is not my forte.

Um good evening.

I'm my name is Kristen Lafleur.

I'm president of the Beverly Heights Association.

Let me start with I am not against development on Las Olas.

A high-end jewelry store is a welcome addition to the current retail landscape.

A lively and vibrant Las Olas benefits us all.

However, it should not come at the expense of residential property owners.

Beverly Heights is a small residential neighborhood, almost completely surrounded by commercial zones.

And for many folks, Beverly Heights is their only in primary residence.

We are constantly squeezed by non-residential development.

We do, however, have a history of working with developers to mitigate negative impacts to our neighborhood.

In fact, we even have we are so committed that we have a growth management committee and it task force in our neighborhood.

So we really kind of walked the walk and talked the talk there.

In fact, we met with a team from Weston Jewelers in November, where they shared that they had removed the proposed restaurants from the top floor of the building over neighborhood concerns about noise and parking.

From the beginning, I have stated that my main concerns were the change in zoning from residential to commercial, the precedent this would set for other projects in and around our neighborhood, and the lack of parking.

Something I communicated to all of you.

Very recently, my team and I spoke with the leadership of Weston Jewelers to identify steps to address the concerns regarding zoning changes, preservation of residential neighborhoods, and the parking, the various solutions that have been outlined here tonight.

It is my hope that these steps will help mitigate many of the concerns of our neighbors and pave the way for a stronger Beverly Heights.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

You want to add to that, Leslie?

Huh?

You want to add to that?

Um, I do want to add to it.

I've been very involved as secretary of the Beverly Heights uh association, and I'm also president of the Himershi Hammock Associate Homeowners Association.

Um, we have a lot of growth in Beverly Heights, even though we're a very small neighborhood right off of Las Olas.

So it was very important uh for a couple of reasons.

But I want to say, firstly, um when I first heard about this project, um, who wouldn't want a store of this quality and this character going in our neighborhood?

What's sitting on that property now is actually disgusting.

It really needs needs to be redone.

And I'm not saying you just have to accept the first thing coming in, but when there's improvement going on, and it's not only gonna raise the vibe for Las Solas Boulevard, it's going to take our property values who are are in that area a little bit higher too.

But with the same thing, we did have some very serious concerns.

And I see tonight, and I received the response letter from when we met with um uh the Dykes family and um their attorney, they pretty much answered everything.

I haven't had a chance to really digest everything, but one of the most important things for Beverly Heights concerns a precedent when you have a zoning change.

And um, all of you on the dais know I have talked ad nauseum for two years about zoning changes and the importance for our little neighborhood in the future.

But I think, and they didn't really keep the slide up there too long, but we're going to hopefully meet with the city attorney for language that will keep um uh RC 15 designation um covered for us when that happens in the future.

So thank you for your consideration on this.

Great, thank you.

Do you want to add to that?

I do.

Mayor and Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity tonight.

Uh I'm Rick Katz and I am a basic major projects developer.

I do things uh for infrastructure and capital improvements.

Uh I am supposedly retired.

Um when I moved into the area somehow it leaked out of what my past was, and when we realized that the neighborhood was beset with at least five major projects that were coming into being, uh four on the periphery and one that actually permeates into the area.

Uh the neighborhood asked me to form a growth management and sustainability committee and to look at everything very carefully.

Uh, the way I approach these things is I treat a pro bono assignment just like I would uh treat uh whether you hired me or a business hired me or a neighborhood.

Um I did an ascertainment, went around, walked the neighborhood top to bottom, and asked people questions and tried to find out what issues were most serious uh in concern to them about these projects and then honing in very specifically on the Dykes project that we were talking about tonight.

And uh it was interesting.

We convened the meeting uh in November 12th uh last year, and uh be and had already started to chat about what we were concerned about, such as the restaurants.

We really didn't want those restaurants.

We didn't want the back of house, the northern wall of the building to look like a factory because it faces our residential neighborhood.

We didn't want exhaust fans as appear elsewhere.

We didn't want trash.

And before the dikes came to our meeting, they already went to work on those things.

That was what surprised me.

I'm not here as their spokesman.

I'm not on their payroll.

Uh I just want to acknowledge that when we raise issues to people, they turn around and do something about it.

We we like that.

That makes sense to us.

And I'm here to report to you today that not only have they taken care of the issue of the restaurants and the back wall of the building and other things, but you'll see in your packet memorialized a list of things that they've committed to for us.

Uh and I believe that when they work this out with the city attorney, those things will be accomplished.

Um the uh the service doctor won't be one per se.

Uh the arrival area won't be like a typical arrival area because they have so few people coming per day.

I will probably never walk in the building except that they have offered to provide a meeting space for the homeowners associations uh on our twice once every other month.

Please conclude your remarks.

And so I I want to report to you that the essence of what we've accomplished is uh stated in that letter that we received today at four o'clock, and we urge you to take that seriously into consideration when you evaluate whether this project should proceed or not.

So are you in favor of it or I have to tell you everything we've asked, they've said they're doing, and they've put it in writing.

Uh our friends to the to the east of us may have a set of issues that have not yet been distilled in here.

Uh, but I'm sure that's just just for you from your perspective is from from our from our area and neighborhood.

I think it's safe to say that we are supportive uh thus far.

Okay, okay.

I'm gonna call names by threes so you can be prepared to step up when uh when it's time for you to come.

Sorry, could the Coley Hammock folks?

Yeah, I who's here from Coley Hammock.

So yeah, raise your hand if you're from Coley Hammock.

Great.

It's like I'm yeah, ladonna, and okay.

Thanks, Mayor.

Mr.

Mayor and Council members, thank you for hearing our concerns and city staff.

So I'm very happy that Beverly Heights has been working with everyone and and has come to some some resolutions that they feel are working.

I have to say though, Coley Hammock hasn't had that same opportunity.

And I know everything's moving quickly, and I know they're gonna come to us next, and we're gonna go through many of the same issues.

The this building sits in Coley Hammock.

It sits on the edge of Beverly Heights, but it sits in Coley Hammock.

So our concerns really have to be addressed.

And Ben, I'm gonna correct you with one little thing.

Our parking isn't working.

It may work for parts of the neighborhood, but I'm on 13th Avenue and um second street, and we have allowed it so people aren't parking illegally, they're allowed to park there two hours.

Beverly Heights has restricted parking to only residents and invited guests.

Coley hammock allows visitor parking.

So we have constant stream of visitors, people who could park in the lot a block away, park on my street because it's free.

They don't have to pay the parking fee.

So, yes, I think that could be an easy fix.

We just need the same parking restrictions Beverly Heights has, where it's a resident pass and it's not allowing visitor parking because that's the problem.

I don't think it affects all of Coley Hammock.

I think it affects only those streets that are just a block or two away from the bringing out, on that's something absolutely we can explore.

The we've always allowed two hours, but that's by design from the Coley Hammock leadership that I work on exactly.

That's what we've recently become aware of that we as staff, we are the ones who are supposed to request what we want.

So it's been a I think a lack of communication, and so we're working now with our president of our homeowners association to t and we're canvassing the neighborhood.

And I haven't met any person who says we want to continue to have guest, you know, the two hours of parking.

You want to eliminate the two hours.

Right.

So we can absolutely look at that.

That would really help our issue.

Um that's the first thing.

Definitely.

Thanks.

And you've heard all these things before, so I'm not gonna go into all of them concerns just like Beverly Heights with construction staging.

Um you can see by the beautiful renderings, all of this wonderful development, it is in line with what's to the west of it.

But if you looked at her rendering, everything beyond is a little one-story mom and pop shops, which we love.

I love development.

I'd love to have more restaurants and shops on Las Olas, but until we get parking, the east end of Las Olas can't develop.

We've got those flat lots, but clearly it's not enough parking because they're parking in our neighborhood.

If we had a parking garage there at the church property where people could really park there, it would pull that parking out of our neighborhood and into public parking.

And then I say develop all these wonderful places.

I think that building is beautiful.

I'm not opposed to the building.

I just want it done right.

I'm I'm very happy the city attorney is going to be looking at these clauses that are being developed because my concern is they're not enforceable.

How can you spot zone and say, okay, well, we're only gonna do that here, and we're not gonna set a precedent to do it everywhere else.

That just doesn't make sense to me.

How are you gonna say, oh, we're only gonna use this this way now?

But in the future, you know, I I just want to be sure those things are really have teeth and are really enforceable.

So bottom line is we're not against development.

We're not against the the watch store, we're not against the Dykes family.

They're lovely people, the renderings are beautiful.

Parking, parking and zoning, those are the the big issues.

So if you can clear those barriers and give us some assurances and fix our parking issues, then my opposition would drop away.

But those are issues for me still.

Thanks, Ladonna.

Okay.

So I may I just ask a question because you brought up a point and I'm I'm just really curious.

We saw a slide, and by the way, thank you for being here and thank you for your input, and it's really important.

We saw a slide that went through all of the different meetings that the development team had with you, your neighborhood with I found out about this project on about April 6th for whatever reason.

I didn't have any notice of it earlier than that.

I think there might have been certain people in the after like a month ago.

Well before right before planning and zoning and not after planning and zoning.

After planning and zoning.

Okay, that doesn't make any sense to me.

But for whatever reason, for whatever I think there might have been certain representatives in Coley Hammock who might have been meeting with people, but I think I can safely say it didn't include the broader community.

And that's why you're seeing so many people turning out now because they just got blindsided.

No, and I understand.

I it's just hard for me to believe that you didn't know about this until after the planning and zoning.

Maybe other people did.

Maybe maybe I missed it somehow, but I missed it.

Okay, because isn't the president of your neighborhood association sitting on the planning and zoning board?

Yes.

Okay, so that's a mystery to me.

It's a mystery.

Um besides that mystery, I also am very much wondering.

I saw the slide.

There were two nights in a row.

First your neighborhood at a church, and then the next night with Beverly Heights.

So what is the issue why Beverly Heights was able to use those meetings constructively and then come here tonight and say they've done everything we've asked.

Eliminate the restaurants, find the parking, do this and do that.

And yet what's the difference between the two neighborhoods that they have been able to constructively meet, deal with all the issues, and sign off and say today, we support this, and yet your neighborhood seems like not there.

I can't answer that, but I wouldn't put that all on our leadership.

I think that it could be that happen stance, Beverly Heights was there.

They pursued it more aggressively, or perhaps the attorneys reached out to Beverly Heights.

Maybe they just were work were operating one at a time with us and just haven't gotten to us yet.

I can't exp I can't answer that.

It's just curious to me, that's all.

I hope you understand uh why it seems curious.

Thank you though.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh hey, Tony.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioners.

I share your curiosity, Commissioner Glassman.

Um, but I I'm here really to just make I think a point of clarification, if not for myself or others.

We're not talking just merely about a development review, we're talking about a zoning change.

And a zoning change runs with the land and not with the tenant, and not even with the owner.

It sets a precarious precedent.

It's only natural that the residents of our neighborhood feel threatened by it.

The applicant purchased the land with full knowledge of the existing zoning and are asking to rezone a residential partial to commercial use with additional exceptions to the requirements, such as parking and setback reductions to zero to suit their development goals.

Given that the original plat for Coley Hammock dates back a hundred and ten years, there are many properties in our neighborhood with constraints, and they are bound by those constraints.

Your planning and zoning board failed in its duty, in my opinion, to grant a change in zoning or any exceptions.

In this case, would open the floodgates wide to other property owners to litigate for similar concessions.

You're asking our neighborhood to give up residential zoning in a time when housing has reached a crisis stage in our region, and Collie Hammock enjoys a diversity of housing options based on its traditional zoning and residential mix.

We have a well-documented shortage of parking in the area.

The parking system that we have isn't working.

I live on second and I've constant problems.

I call the police, and the police look up the owner's name and call them and say, Could you move your car?

I mean, i it's crazy.

You're asking us to accept a reduction to zero parking along with the promise of parking arrangements without producing evidence of non-cancelable, non-revocable agreements designed for 20 years or even 50 years.

Even if such arrangements were made, is it practical to assume by any stretch of the imagination that our parking deficit would simply disappear, or that customers are willing to walk between seven and ten minutes to and from their car using the designated crosswalks?

Please conclude your remarks.

Thank you.

In summary, parking and zero setback are not acceptable.

The zoning change sets a precedent and weakens the legal authority of the city plan.

And residents here support what I'm saying.

Please stand.

And I know that a lot of you are in the back room, but residents of Colley Hammock.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you so much.

Sorry, just needed to correct a misstatement.

I said that I didn't know about until after the planning zoning and planning commission, but it was actually just right before the planning.

I got a notice there was going to be a planning and zoning meeting.

So it was just like a week before.

And Mayor, if I could just make a comment there.

Um Lenan, so I just checked with our parking guru Miloch, and so we can do we can eliminate the two-hour visitor, only resident.

The suggestion I'd have is you I think that I think Beverly Heights does this is like if the resident has a visitor visiting them.

Right, you want the card or whatever.

I think that's what you all do.

I'm looking Leslie, yes, Kristen.

Okay.

So we can do that.

You don't feel free to engage the rest of the neighborhood in Canvas, but you don't need to unless you want to, so you can just have the HOA leadership.

Yeah, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

You have to speak at the podium.

Thanks, Mayor.

I can guarantee there'll be no one that'll oppose that.

And I would also say that we don't necessarily need the avenues changed because a lot of people park there for businesses, and we're not opposed to that.

It would just be the east-west streets that would really help us.

Okay, and I think Milo, if we can really get into the nuance of that and have streets, no visitor and and avenues of possibilities that I think we'll work with uh with the neighbors to make sure that we meet their needs as well.

There's a process in an ordinance of the delineates, the processes we have to follow them, we'll just work together and figure out what's feasible.

Okay, perfect.

So Ladonna, just feel free to the HOA.

Your leadership.

Let us know, we'll work on it.

Yeah, absolutely.

And we will enforce it on our percent.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks, Mayor.

No, I think my name is Steve Noodleberg.

I live on Second, so I live in Cooley Hammock.

My wife's been there for sixteen years.

I've been a businessman in this town for 35 years, owned and sold a bunch of businesses.

It's surprising to me that you have an entrepreneur that wants to come in and spend his own money to build this street, which that the east side of the street is a dump.

Somebody referred to it before.

The quality of stores, the quality of people is very different than the west side.

So you go across from Cheesecake Factory, and there's a building that was approved that seems to be forty stories high, squeezed in on a corner that you can't barely drive through.

So I'm all about change.

I'm fortunate in one of my careers I got to work with Pat Riley.

Pat Riley taught me one thing, and he says it in his book.

You cannot change is inevitable, so you have to learn to embrace it.

So I understand there's gonna be opposition, but you got a family of people who are willing to spend their own money, their own time to listen and do anything anybody wants to make it right, yet there's still opposition.

You said you want people to come up and give an opposition, but not about parking.

Stephanie did an amazing job of saying it's resolved.

It's resolved, right?

I can tell you from living there, there's a bigger problem with people getting flat tires because of the curb on 15th and 2nd.

Literally, it's unbelievable.

It is unbelievable how many people get stuck in front of my driveway.

So when the other commissioner said people park in front of a driveway, I've never seen that happen.

Ever.

I see it for flat tires all the time, yet the city hasn't changed that.

It sounds like a business opportunity.

It seems like somebody could go in with the 160 million dollars that you guys are talking about.

So these are great people.

I've been supporting them for years.

All of the people that want to invest, all these restaurants that got approved, need people who want to come to shop.

So I hope you consider all of these people that know and love these people, because they are fantastic.

Okay, and we'll make an amazing impact for this year.

Okay.

So so that's a yes.

That's so that's a yes.

Okay.

And you work with our city auditor Pat Riley.

Amazing.

Yeah, that's amazing.

Congratulations.

Excellent.

I like uh Christine, Christine tomorrow.

Christine, are you here?

Is Christine come on up?

Andrea, um, who lives in Davy.

You're but you're on what you work for Western Jewelers.

Okay.

What's your last name?

Cierra, okay.

Uh, you'll follow her.

And then uh J.K.

McCrae.

Good evening.

Good evening.

I oppose the project as it is right now.

I keep a business on Los Solos at 13 14, and I can never find parking.

I know the parking's been talking about.

Well, you have a bus you have a business on Las Otas?

I have a yes, I have a business on Los Oles.

Okay.

Because you live in Miami Road, right?

Yes, that is correct.

Okay.

Um, I just have one question actually.

What is the percentage of buildings that are over thirty-five feet on Los Solas that are commercial?

And then what is the percentage under 35 feet and are residential?

I I don't we don't know the answer to that.

We don't have those two.

I think we should.

Well, it's it's a statistic that can we can probably find out for you, but we don't know right at this moment.

Well, it's just that Stephanie was bringing up the fact that there's all these buildings that are 82 feet and 79 feet and over 35 feet.

But when I looked at it, I only saw five buildings.

Well, we we're glad we would be happy if there were a lower percentage, because we don't want them all to be tall.

So the fact that there is my point.

No, no, but the point is having mixed uh uh commercial development is the optimum uh feature that we would like to see on Los Solos and and not all the same.

That's what I think we're trying to get at here tonight.

Understood.

Although this is a little bit, I would say, east of where all the restaurants are, and I know reduced parking there, there's a parking garage.

In this area, there are no parking garages, and I struggle to even pick up my mail at the address because there is no parking.

And as far as contracts go in towing, I can tell you this because I had to sign a contract in order to have cars removed with the towing company.

If you do not sign a contract with the towing company, they will not come and tow a car.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Andrea, followed by J.K.

McCray.

Good evening, mayor.

Good evening, commissioners.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Andrea Ciora.

I am a CPA.

I am a principal with Baker Tilly, formerly Burko with Paula Brandt.

I used to live in Weston, and I met uh at Dyke's family by shopping.

Just what he's proposing here walking the Western Town Center and walking in the store and meeting the Dykes family.

We eventually became he was he's really amazing.

His family is great, and he eventually became a client of the firm.

He has been an amazing client for many years.

And as you know, in tax and accounting, we meet all kinds of people.

And I can tell you that the Dykes family is one of the most honorable clients that we have, and it's really a pleasure to represent them.

I've also worked on Las Olas Boulevard for 20 years, practicing in this area, and it would be great to have this location close to work for all of us that work in downtown Fort Lauderdale to be able to go and shop there and stay at the restaurant stay after work and make it a destination.

So for multiple facets, I really endorse the project for Las Olas.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Uh JK McCrae, followed by Allison Myers, followed by Doug Cohen.

Okay.

Hi, I'm JK McCrae.

Uh I was marketing marketing manager of TriRail and the director of marketing for pu for cultural fairs.

I've lived in the east of Las Olas for over 45 years.

None of us ever Ubered to Las Olas.

As a res even the residents don't Uber to Las Olas.

Part of Las Olas is we like to walk, we like to walk it.

So you know that that might be an odd problem.

But I have a to be a little off on the other side.

My building received a community award, and the plaque is on the building, all right.

Um, for uh appearance and recognition of outstanding achievement for urban environmental design, so did the role of townhouses across from across from our street.

Doesn't that mean enhancing the community?

Um we've talked about the businesses on Las Olas, but just at the north end of this building, there's a whole community of people, and we're a historical community.

People love to drive around and look at the buildings in that area.

We have trees, we have nice houses, we have something a little different.

I'm not against the business.

I think it's a great idea, but the fact that it's so big and also goes over into our residential community, changes the feeling of the community.

Don't we want to promote um people to live here and work here and love to be where they live?

I love these buildings, but I think this is going a little bit too far.

Um what is um the in recognition of outstanding achievement for urban environmental design mean?

I mean, it's a nice building, but does it fit in with the community?

Maybe the north end of it, but please don't expand it and change the feel of our whole little neighborhood.

People like the little houses, okay.

Thank you so much, ma'am.

Alison Myers.

Is Alison here?

She's not here.

Uh Doug Cohen.

Doug, you still here?

Doug.

Followed by Jeff Ostro.

Mr.

Cohen.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Commission and City Manager.

My name is Doug Cohen.

I'm a resident of Victoria Park.

Uh, my wife and I live nearby, and we regularly walk to Los Solas as part of our daily life.

We choose to live in this neighborhood because we value Fort Lauderdale's vibrancy, its walkability, and its continued evolution into a world class destination.

I'm here tonight in strong support of this project.

As both the nearby resident and someone deeply involved in the South Florida business community, I believe thoughtful, responsible development is essential to Fort Lauderdale's sustainable growth.

This Las Olas assembled type project delivers exactly that.

The project represents a significant business opportunity that will strengthen the city's fiscal health for decades to come.

Los Olas Boulevard is one of Fort Lauderdale's signature corridors.

A project of this caliber will attract high-end retail, luxury shoppers, and the growing yachting and tourism clientele who view Fort Lauderdale as a premier destination.

These activities directly bolter the city's tax base, support surrounding businesses, and elevate our city's reputation as an economic powerhouse.

We should protect our neighborhoods.

Thanks for your time.

Zero parking requirement.

Never been a problem.

It did not happen.

And to hear, you know, no disrespect, Commissioner.

On the end, I don't know.gov that it's gained.

For God's sake, no, it hasn't.

Art Falceto, who is investing millions of dollars into the caviar club on the don't tell me that we are a world-class international business center.

We're relocating businesses if you're not gonna let this gentleman and his family more money than anybody locally that lives here.

Maybe the Moss family.

We've got to approve this.

If you don't, there's self-interest going on here, and I'm telling you, for someone that actually approved this, and you need to do tonight.

Oppenheim.

Uh uh Sam.

You're not.

Okay.

Followed by uh Dr.

Gerald Glad.

Um Heath Escalio.

Everyone, good evening, Commissioner.

I'm 24.

We're in La Polos.

To plant my roof.

Speaking from enthusiasm.

Where the city sits, it's to our North Boca and West Palm.

And right here in the middle, report on the planet.

Downtown.

We have infrastructure to prove it.

I every single day.

The professionals, the high network, West Palm Beach.

Hotel LL spending, leaving Broward County on a weekly basis, because we have not yet given that for the next generation.

And they bring others, and that is how it's signal that this building out.

Fort Lauderdale generated over a hundred million.

Dr.

Glass, followed by Heath Escalio.

Here on behalf of uh Ed Dyke and his family.

Um I've been for 25 years on Living Weston.

The unique thing is I love going to Los Souls.

And um I take an Uber, okay.

I take my family.

We Uber because we like to walk there.

Fifteen years ago, my son goes, old now.

I'm sitting here going, that's the greatest thing ever happened.

I Uber.

Okay.

Part of the problem.

There isn't.

He's taken Uber there.

You get a chance to walk and joy, you don't have to run to some pay thing.

But more importantly, I've watched one thing about the Dyke family.

When I walk into their store, I see that's a lot about a family.

That says a lot about unity, neighborhood, who they are.

You know, for me, it was a pleasure to come up in a minute.

A neighborhood is what they are.

And putting an anchor store like that, you want a flagship tenant?

That's a flagship tenant.

That tells the rest of the people to come to a community.

Not only are we serious, this family is spending their own money.

They're not they're creating more than jobs.

They're creating opportunity for people to Los Souls on a daily basis.

I think we should be rewarding the Dykes family.

People like this, I'm going to go followed by Jim Brady.

Very good.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Commissioners.

My name is Heath Ascalio.

My family and I have been residents of Weston, Florida for over 30 years.

For the past 25 years, I know and we've supported Western jewelers as one of their loyal clients.

That loyalty was earned by their incredible business ethic and their consistent commitment to our community through charitable and philanthropic contributions.

Western jewelers is one of those rare places whereby I always walk out with a smile, as my purchase have been for happy occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, or gifts for friends and colleagues.

Professionally, I'm an attorney and owner of Kelly Cronenberg, a national business law firm.

I serve as their principal partner, their chief performance officer and head of business development.

I have no financial interest in this project, nor do I represent any of the parties involved.

But many years ago, Ed Dykes and his family shared with me their dream of building a flagship home for Western jewelers.

With complete confidence, I introduced Michael Harrison with Equistone Development, as Equistone has successfully completed multimillion dollar commercial projects for me, including both of my firm headquarters in Broward County.

As head of business development acquisitions for my firm, I regularly bring clients and prospective talent to the Las Oulas area.

We frequent YOLO and El Camino for lunch, and we enjoy dinners at Lopsa Bar in Flemings, and we host our out-of-town guests at the Riverside Hotel.

Fort Lauderdale and Los Alas must continue to change and mature.

Our business community needs a sophisticated, fully upgraded destination that continues to attract high net worth individuals and businesses.

That's exactly what this project delivers.

I look forward to continuing my long-time support for Western jewelers in their beautiful new home, and I respectfully encourage your support for this development.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mark Falcetto, followed by Jim Brady, followed by Gary Wasserman.

Alright, Mark Falsetto.

I'm the uh founder and CEO of uh falsehoods.

You bring caviar with you?

I brought everything with me tonight.

I got champagne tonight because I think it's gonna happen.

Uh my name's Mark Falsetta, I'm opening uh we owns own and operate uh eight different restaurants here in Fort Lauderdale.

Um I've had the operating serve most of you guys here in the room.

Uh not I wear two hats.

I not only live on Las Olas and I think the project's amazing, but I'm also opening two new restaurants on Los Alas, one in October called the Caviar Club, which is an upscale luxury steakhouse, and we have a casual restaurant opening in December called Pizza Queen.

But in my business, we have a joke.

The joke is the bridge on 95.

Our customers come from Miami and they drive over Fort Lauderdale because the dining destinations were not elevated enough.

So we made a pact about five years ago to cater to the ever evolving community and try to keep Fort Lauderdale up to the other cities.

The commission here has done an amazing job with the PPP deals of doing and um the uh convention center, the Heizinga Park, all these exciting things.

And the uh the food scene is catching up, but there's one missing piece, it's the retail component.

I don't have any skin this game.

I just met Ed and his family uh last week.

Um I love the project.

I think it's the missing piece, the missing component that Fort Nall needs.

And this is what's gonna put us on the map.

This is the component that people see, other retails are gonna follow.

It takes entrepreneurs like Ed, myself, and other individuals to keep pushing the limits on the private space.

So full support from us, and uh, we're so happy to be neighbors on both sides, and I also have zero parking reductions on both my restaurants on Los Always.

Mr.

Brady, followed by Mr.

Wasseman, followed by Glenn Parker.

Thank you, Mayor.

My name is Jim Brady, and I've been a resident here for 70 some years.

Uh it's a pleasure to hear some of your comments tonight, and thank you very much.

None of my comments are meant to be pejorative.

They go to enforceability.

Have the city attorney and the city manager list the representations that have been made to you tonight and other times, and then have them describe for you what you need to have to enforce those representations.

How are you going to control 37 employees?

Why not 50?

What if things change?

And I hope they don't, by the way.

What if things change and Rolex decides we don't need to be here or can't be here?

Then what happens to that which is already built?

It's a question of enforceability of what I called when I wrote you on May 1 and 2, the glitz factors.

If a promise is made, there needs to be some mechanism to assure that that promise is kept.

And in this case, I've heard several promises, which without a deed restriction, can't be enforced by the city, in my opinion.

That's I think I was 43 years, nine months as city attorney for one city.

So go to enforceability, rely on your city attorney to help you in that regard, and then perhaps everyone will come to a level of happiness in this situation.

Thank you, Mayor.

You're welcome.

Are you Gary?

No, no, you just turned it off.

Turn it back on now.

Okay.

I'm Gary Wasserman.

I'm here to advocate for uh the Dykes family.

I've known him for more than 35 years.

Um I'm also a resident of Fort Lauderdale, live in Los Alas Beach Club.

Uh, as a resident here that walks by the uh eastern side of Las Olas all the time.

It's frustrating to see some of these let's call them dilapidated structures that need to be significantly updated.

A project of this magnitude brings uh much needed development to the eastern side of Las Solas, which for me is not really the eastern side, it's really the middle side of Las Olas since I live on the beach.

But it brings jobs, it brings money, it brings um added values to our homes.

Um we need continued growth in this community and thoughtful growth.

Um other thing I'd like to say about the Dykes family.

I've known them for a long time, like I said, they're very, very philanthropic people.

Uh they've done a lot in the community in Weston, and I'm certain they're gonna do the same thing within this community as well.

So I'm fully supportive of this project and their their uh views of what they're doing with this building is fantastic, and it's gonna be a big asset to the community.

Alright, well, thank you so much.

Is Glenn Parker here?

He's not.

Uh, Daniel McDermott, followed by Alan Geffen, followed by Pamela Greaves.

Mr.

McDermott.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor, Commissioners.

Um, I have a unique perspective.

I actually live on 12th Avenue.

I live 300 feet from this proposed project that's going in, and I couldn't be more enthusiastic about the possibility of this coming to our neighborhood.

Um, as you've heard from so many people, the east end of Los Alles needs a dramatic improvement.

We have somebody that's willing to pour capital in that's willing to improve the east end of Los and be a good neighbor.

We want good neighbors.

We are confident that the uh Dykes family are gonna be good neighbors, and I believe that this is a stepping stone to the evolution of what we're gonna see on the east end of Los Hola.

So I strongly, strongly urge the commission toffen, followed by Pam Greaves, followed by uh Ryan Morris.

Commissioners mayor Trentellis, let me not repeat what you've already heard, although I do want to repeat something that you said.

You asked one of the speakers, are you with the jewelry store?

I'm the city of Fort Lauderdale.

I'm a Western resident.

I've been working in the city of Fort Lauderdale since 2012.

I purchased an office building in 2016.

I want the city of Fort Lauderdale to be my home.

The city must approve this project.

Frankly, you would be respectfully foolish not to approve this project.

The Dykes family were pioneers for doing what they are proposing to do.

This commission can be pioneers by watching the development continue to grow and look back and say, we started that.

You all have the power to start that tonight, and I respectfully urge you to do so.

I strongly support this project.

The city should support this project.

It will be wonderful for the city and for folks like me who work and play here.

Great, thank you so much.

Is Pamela Greaves here?

No.

Uh Ryan Morris.

Ryan, followed by Christine Axel.

Good evening, everyone.

Um my name's Ryan Morris.

Um, I own a small CPA firm.

I work on uh Los Solas in the 1700 East Las Olas building, which is right here.

My parents also live in Cole Hammock, and I spent some time, a lot of time there.

Um I just want to say that I work with small businesses, and most of my clients are the ones that provide jobs, they pay people's payroll, I mean wages, um, and having this enhancement in uh in Fort Lauderdale, it just makes so much sense.

They pay taxes, they support local charities, the dykes, they create opportunity.

They're the reason that the neighborhoods thrive and why communities like ours will continue to grow and evolve.

Um let me be clear.

Like, no one's asking for more congestion or unnecessary overdevelopment.

We all keep like everyone in that area cares deeply about the character and the livability of Fort Lauderdale, but what we do want is thoughtful, high-quality development.

We want clean experiential shopping, not just shopping where you go and you buy something.

Experiential dining and living is that is what you know my generation wants.

And if we fall behind to Miami and Palm Beach, we're not gonna have that here.

So what we want is businesses that create the energy, the walkability, and a sense of place that are the kinds of destinations that enhance the neighborhood instead of detracting from it.

It's important to remember where we came from.

At one point, Los Hollis was just a dirt road.

Um, no vibrant beachfront, no world-class restaurants.

Well, as you can see, they're coming.

People invest in the vision for the city, and because of that vision, look how far Fort Lauderdale has come.

And now we're at another important moment.

If we continue to reject every new idea, every modern concept, every next generation of experiential retail and dining, we risk falling behind.

South Florida is growing rapidly.

There are strong tailwinds behind that growth economically, culturally, and globally.

And if we don't lean into developments like the Dykes are proposing, which is smart forward-thinking projects, Fort Lauderdale risk losing the position as a premier destination in South Florida.

People today are looking for experiences.

Like I was saying, a well-designed jewelry store isn't just retail.

Growth is gonna happen.

The question is whether we want to lean into it or we want to reject it.

And let me just say this: with the self-driving cars and stuff like that, the Waymo's that are here, no one's gonna be parking their car anymore.

You're gonna get dropped off by your self-driving car.

It's gonna go park a mile away, and then you're gonna come right there.

So, this parking thing, it's a near-term problem, but long-term Waymo, car insurance companies, they're gonna get crushed.

All these companies, all these concepts of parking are so behind.

You guys got to think for it.

Like if Elon Musk was here, he'd be laughing at this.

Parking is the last thing we should be thinking about.

All right, thank you so much.

Is Christine here?

No.

Uh Kenny uh Herskowitz.

Followed by uh Jeff Olofson, followed by Sandra Grimm.

All right.

Am I on?

Yes.

Uh good evening, commissioners.

My name's Kenny Herskowitz.

I've uh I'm here in strong support for Eddie and Tracy Dykes.

I've known them for over 35 years, and I don't think uh you'll find a more generous stand-up family uh here and ditto pretty much for everything that everybody else has said tonight.

Um I only have one comment.

You know, 20 over 20 years ago, I actually had the privilege to sit on the city's economic development advisory board.

And as you know, that board focuses on industries that align with strategic goals of both the city and the broader region, and besides the industries that we looked at in marine, aviation, and financial services, we also looked at small and local businesses, whether it was retail, dining, or cultural businesses that allowed fostering of vibrant neighborhoods and supported the local workforce.

This is exactly the type of business that I believe should be supported and encouraged, a family-owned local operation with strong long-term ties to our community.

This is the kind of business that we should be rolling out the red carpet for, one that will create quality jobs, generate economic activity, attract visitors, and strengthen the fabric of our neighborhoods.

I urge you to support this application tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are you Mr.

Olafson?

Uh, yeah.

I'm Jeff Olafson.

Nice to meet you.

Good evening, everybody.

First of all, I've known Ed Dykes for over 30 years.

I've been to Israel with him twice.

I know his family really well, and uh they are some of my best friends.

This showroom as designed is a home run for our entire community.

It would be a shame not to move forward.

We have a great opportunity to host a unique family business with experience, stability, and upscale clientele that Lasolas is striving to have.

The architecture is world class, and it will add purpose to a location that has basically been invisible for decades.

So I fully support this project.

Thank you.

Is Sandra here?

Sandra Ahmed, uh, don't ask me to pronounce your last name.

Sheridan.

Okay, you're your handwriting was an easy to read.

Uh followed by Alison Wong.

So it was the handwriting and not the pronunciation I got.

It was the handwriting.

I just want to make sure I understand.

Okay.

I'm a retired physician, so if you're how did you pronounce it?

Uh, Shareba.

And the only excuse I'll give for my handwriting is I'm a retired physician.

So that tends to have some excuse for it.

But as I said, my name is Ahmed Share, but I'm a retired physician.

I live in Beverly Heights.

About a five-minute walk from the side I walk by them.

My wife and I walk a Los Alas almost every every day.

And, you know, I don't know the Dykes family.

I think I met, well, I I met at Dykes or saw him for the first time a week ago at uh the meeting that they had uh in the church uh nearby uh because I was interested in a project.

I'd read about it in the newspaper, but I wanted to find out more uh about the project, and I enthusiastically support the project.

This is you know a local family uh company that's been in business for 25 years.

Uh it uh sounds you know, the the family's obviously very upstanding people.

Uh they're not fly by night, they seem to be concerned about the community for the long term.

Uh they've bent over backwards in terms of parking, scaling back the restaurants, a lot of the accommodations that they've made.

Um, you know, Las Olas is evolving.

Um we have competition not simply from Miami and Palm Beach.

We have Fat Village, Dania Point, or a lot of other areas.

I walk by Las Alas, and every time I see a storefront that's empty, sometimes it's an evolving thing, and another one coming in, but sometimes those storefronts sit empty for a while.

I think we should be encouraging new businesses, new investment, uh, more opportunity, particularly on the east uh part of uh Las Olas.

Um they're going to upgrade the site with with sidewalks, the living seawall.

They're clearly um providing a lot of thought and and care into this project because it means a lot to them, not simply from a financial standpoint, but I think they're they feel like their reputation's on the line, and this is something that they're doing for themselves as well as the community.

Um they hired one of the best architecture firms in the company, even someone who's a non-architect knows nothing about architecture.

I've heard of the firm.

I mean, you can't read a newspaper without hearing uh about them with a lot of their projects, you know, locally and all over the world.

I understand the the traffic congestion, you know, but I agree with the whole thing with Waymo.

I'm sorry, I'm out of time, but but I do think those concerns were addressed.

And the other thing is their business hours are not generally going to be when it's peak time in Las Olas, which is usually like nighttime, you know, and some weekends, of course, but their office hours are more generally during during day to daytime hours.

So I think that's the is Alison here, uh Billy Runsey, uh Larry Moskowitz.

Alison's not here.

Okay, are you Mr.

Are you Billy?

Okay, and Larry Moskowitz, followed by Jack.

I'm not you're good?

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, everybody, and thank you, Commissioner for giving me an opportunity to speak.

I live on uh 10th Terrace, so we're not opposed.

I want to first say thank you to Stephanie and the Dykes family for the collaboration with the local community with some of the concerns that are there.

My concern is really gonna be asking to the commission and less to them about construction projects.

Um I've had the pleasure of meeting you, Mayor, previously to talk about the Whitfield.

It's a perfect example of a project that started four years ago, and a city street's been closed for four years with no action, no communication, no update.

So my biggest concern is when we see construction projects, we hear during the meetings that we met with the Dykes and Stephanie, we hear no street closures.

That's impossible.

There's no way to do a construction project with no street closures, but the oversight is the concern that we have with the city council of managing the project for the canal.

They said to build a new seawall that they would not interfere with the canal.

We pass the canal every day.

I can't imagine building a seawall with any type of equipment and not shutting down the Himershee Canal.

So those are the concerns that we would share today that we would ask the council to consider what is the council going to do to make sure that the timelines are met, and if not, take action so it does not affect the community people.

Okay, um, Stephanie, what's the timeline that's expected for construction here?

And Mayor, while she's coming up.

Sorry, what was his name?

Jeff?

Is it Jeff?

The gentleman that just spoke?

Yeah.

His name was Billy Rose.

Billy, so um great points.

So the alleyway next to the Whitfield that's been closed, it's broken it up.

It's gonna be open up in a matter of weeks.

So that's that's getting going.

Yeah.

So yeah, absolutely.

We're just working on the kind of traffic flow and design, but but that's gonna be uh going very quickly.

So I apologize for that closure for how long it's been.

So we're gonna, yeah, you're welcome.

No, thank you.

What's the timeline for the construction?

Mayor, both Jay Weaver with Moss and Tyler Chappelle by Chappelle are both here, so I'm gonna let the experts speak.

All right.

Just give us a quick answer if you could.

Sorry.

I'm on the I'm on to speak tonight, so I'll just talk quickly as Moss.

Um the timeline is we the goal is to be done by December 2027.

December 2027.

Right.

Okay.

Yeah.

What's your last name?

Weaver.

Jay Weaver.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Okay.

Quick.

Well, I as soon as hopefully this is approved, and then we would start as soon as possible with uh, you know, going through the city process with permits.

And as to answer, shame us while you're at it.

Yeah.

So just I if I can just speak now, um, a couple things.

The C and in again, my name is Jay Weaver.

I'm I represent Moss Construction.

I'm under a director of Moss Construction.

We will be totally transparent with the residents.

We'll have whole weekly meetings if we need to with the HOA so that they understand schedule.

They understand road shutdowns.

We will not there, it is impossible to build the seawall from the water.

The seawall will be built from the shore.

So there'll be no disruption there.

Of course, at times there'll probably be street road closures, but it will be single road closures with flag men, um, and we'll handle that to the best of our ability.

Okay, great.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Moskowitz.

Thank you, Mayor, Commissioners.

Um I am a resident of Fiesta Way, uh, a stone throw from the east side of Las Solas.

I've also been a professional here for 36 years.

Uh I know Ed and Tracy uh for over 25 years.

Um, I met them back uh in 2001 when Ed and I took a risk on the town center in Weston when there was a pile of dirt, and our Vida came to us and said, as entrepreneurs, would you do us a favor and vitalize our town center?

And as entrepreneurs, we did so.

And we took a risk then, and Ed and I vitalized uh that community.

Um I still get texts 15 years later asking me to come back and rejuvenate my nightclub.

Uh and uh I learned from that day on uh what type of character and uh what type of people ethics uh the two of them have.

And as a resident of Las Olas, I can tell you that the east side of Las Olas uh needs to be rejuvenated.

Uh it is a no brainer uh that entrepreneurs would come in here with millions of dollars, their own personal money, and take a risk on Las Olas.

Uh the community is desperate to bring that to life.

And I commend the commission and the commissioners for understanding what's going on in Fort Lauderdale and understanding the competition that's happening in Miami and in Palm Beach.

And this fits right into the vision of what's happened already with the changes that have gone on in Las Olas and the pushback that you've already gotten.

And this needs to happen, and uh I strongly support uh this project.

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

Jack, how do you pronounce your last name?

Jack and Telly.

Good evening, guys.

I um I'm a car dealer in Fort Lauderdale, or actually in uh Coral Springs, but I live in Beverly Heights.

Leslie's my my neighbor, and one is uh I've I park on the street, so uh parking is always a concern to me.

I can't think probably of a more low impact on parking than a jewelry store.

I'm sure a vape shop has more uh customers through there than the jewelry store.

So uh I'm one, I'm I'm I'm high support of this project.

I know Ed and done business with Ed for probably about 20 plus years.

I think I think the other piece of this that needs to be emphasized is we we've been in Coral Springs for 40 years as a private company, and we have probably the most dynamic relationship with the city, and the city wants, and Fort Lauderdale needs to have more family-owned businesses here because getting things done and getting things done with a phone call.

Like, can we do this?

Can you help us with this?

Can get done quickly with some of these private equity and so on, these other companies, it's very difficult the challenges and get things done.

So some of the things that they're talking about tonight is they progress, it they're a phone call away.

And I think that that's why our relationship, even in Coral Springs, is we have 600 employees there.

You know, we're a phone call away for anything that needs to happen.

And and lastly, I I this guy's taking a shot.

I mean, a serious shot here.

There's nothing that supports this type of retail that he's gonna be successful there, other than his his spirit and the entrepreneur side of it.

You know, this is gonna be the pathway for all the other retail you guys are going to be soliciting.

Because this project will be talked about, whether it's between someone else that's going to develop, but this project will be the anchor to everything that grows east from here, is a a Rolex high-end jewelry retail that's successful and they will be successful, will elevate the growth for every other retail piece.

And this will be a conversation going forward for everyone else that's considering going.

He's taking a shot and being the first big retailer on Los Alas.

And I and I commend them for that.

That's a that's a wrist of rolling.

Okay, thank you.

Dan Daley.

Dan's still here.

Um Scott Lieberman, Scott here, no.

Uh Michelle Centron.

I'm sorry.

I can't hear you.

I haven't gotten there yet.

Uh Steve uh Nur Nuremberg.

Oh, that's you, okay.

Right.

Uh Elena Herskowitz.

Elena, followed by Dan McNulty, followed by Patty Bloom.

Good evening.

Hi.

Um I just want to say really quickly that um when you talk about a flagship store bringing traffic, um, you know, not traffic, but foot traffic and and tourists and and people who want to come here.

You think about the beauty of a project like an Apple store, um, or like an Air MS store.

Uh, you people want to go there because it's so beautiful, and Architectonica is gonna design this project, and we're not we haven't really talked about that.

And I mean, I've been waiting for Architectonica to come to Broward for a long, long time.

So that's really awesome.

Um, wait, are we getting an Air Mes store now?

I don't know if we might tell us.

What do you know?

Um, uh the second thing is it's a jewelry store, which uh the happiest people in the world are gonna be in jewelry stores, only happy people go to jewelry stores.

Basically, um no sad people are gonna be in that building.

Um, and the third thing, um, and I've been living in Fort Lauderdale for close to 30 years.

Um, and what I love about Fort Lauderdale is that it's a city, but it actually feels like a small town.

Um, pretty much, you know, we know all the people in the shops.

Um, and Eddie and Tracy um and Danny and Jesse are just the best family.

They're all about family values.

Every customer that they have, as you could tell, um, feels like they're part of the family, so I also think that you all should approve the project.

Okay, thank you so much.

Dan McNulty followed by Patty Bloom, followed by Amy Clough.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

Every McNulty I ever met was a pastor.

That's not me.

That's not you.

Sorry.

Um, I live in the villagio right across the the river.

The canal and uh canal, as we call it, canal down here.

Um I've only been here a couple years, so I don't know all the terminology.

Um so I'm gonna, you know, look at this thing every single day.

So I mean, I would appreciate something a lot nicer than what is there today.

Um, so I mean, I like I said before at the planning commission meeting, I think that's what you guys call it.

Um it's a beautiful building.

I mean, it's a lot better than what is there today.

Um, you know, what I wish it'd be a little bit smaller, sure.

Um, I don't think that that's in the the cards.

Um, but um I'm happy to see that there's been movement made that the parking has been taken care of.

Um I haven't been here 25 30 years, so it's tough for me to understand, you know, that uh that that soul that some people have in the city that uh protect my neighborhood, protect my interests, and um don't be encroaching into my neighborhood.

Um and uh I I come from uh I I only winter down here, um, but uh I'm going back this Thursday to leave this mess.

I'm going back to Wisconsin.

Um but uh the the city that I live in in Wisconsin also went through something like this.

So I mean I just sit here tonight and kind of it just it just uh it's like deja vu.

Um, you know, we had a much bigger investor come in, um Diane Hendricks, um, uh 22 billion, I think is her latest number on or behind her name, um, richest woman in Wisconsin, one of the richest women in the United States, and she picked cities to go in and revitalize.

So she didn't just put up one building, she put up a whole city, she bought neighborhoods, she knocked them over.

Um, but you know, I so I mean what I've learned from that, and I think it'll be a challenge.

Uh yeah, um she has a yacht parked right out here.

Yes, yes.

Um, but it just to me it's a um it's a message to the commission that it just seems like a lot of the frustration tonight is because there's been a lack of say planning by the city to get ahead of some of this development that should be coming.

You know, you gotta change some of the ordinances, you gotta fix some of the parking regulations.

You've got to, you know, you seem surprised tonight when people are like, wow, we really did that much on parking, you know, uh regulations, and um, you know, it's just like um the communication has to be old you know open, and um and and I so I just put the challenge to you guys more than I think to Weston tonight that um you know if if you allow these cracks to happen to me that's where the double is going to step in, and that's where this chaos has taken place.

He loves anger, he loves frustration, he loves to put people against each other, and that's really kind of what's happening here tonight.

All right, well we'll try to do better.

Well, I just you know uh it's just constructive.

I I've lived through it, and um, but the city I came from, and I know I'm over the do, but I mean it's a beautiful city today.

I mean, but a lot of the people left.

And so I think that's a something that the residents here have to kind of understand what your direction is gonna be.

Okay.

Um, and and I think that will help.

We'll see tonight, thank you so much.

Are you Patty?

Hello, yes.

Hi, I'm Patty.

I feel a little bit like David and Goliath here tonight.

Um I'm a neighbor of Dan's in Villaggio, and um I think one of my concerns is the actual height of the building, because I personally I have a nice 12 by 16 foot enclosed patio.

Very nicely furnished, morning coffee, evening glass of wine, sit with friends.

It's going to be overshadowed by an A one foot high building, and so my life will be changed, but that is a small thing compared to the just the fact of the rezoning, because I do feel that the Coley hammock neighborhood is going to be adversely affected.

I think those nice quiet streets are going to change, and that is a problem.

Also, um all of our birds are igrets, our manatees, etc.

Has there been any thought of an environmental impact study?

Maybe not.

Sorry, I went over.

All right, thank you.

You know, it's interesting.

Um Patty, it's interesting that when your building was being proposed, there was so much opposition because they thought it was going to be an intrusion of the neighborhood, and people objected, they came to a meeting like this, they spoke and they said, No, no, never.

It's it's gonna impact the single family home neighborhoods.

And what has happened to your building is beautiful.

It's blended into the in blended into the environment, people love it, and it's just all part of Fort Lauderdale now.

And if it's designed well, and if it works with the neighborhood, then it then it's properly then it was properly designed and and thought out, and that's what we're here for.

We're trying to figure out the best way to allow nice things to come to Fort Lauderdale.

I'm sorry.

Is Amy here?

How about uh Michelle Spence Young?

There you are.

Spencer Young, I'm sorry.

And uh the Viorica Nagu.

Good evening, Mayor.

Uh Vice Mayor Commissioners, City Manager.

My name is Michelle Spencer Young, and I'm here tonight to speak in support of the proposed project involving Western jewelry.

I'm someone who's lived in Weston for 30 plus years.

So I have experience in both cities.

And I can tell you that Western lifestyles will bring nothing but good things to Fort Lauderdale, the same as it did in Weston 30 years ago.

They are more than a retail establishment, they form communities.

In terms of uh charities, and uh there's someone, they're people, they're great family, but uh businesses like Western jewelers contribute to the character and the vibrancy of a city.

Um I know Western jewelry would be a perfect addition to the evolving vision and uh reimagined image of Las O'S Boulevard.

As many have stated here tonight, their presence would enhance the streets luxury appeal while bringing a refined established brand that um understands how to create an exceptional customer experience.

So I'm here this evening to say Western Jewelers is more than just another jewelry store, it's a respected South Florida institution.

With a proven uh history of elevating communities, it becomes part of their uh presence on Las Solas, would enhance the Boulevard's image.

Based on my first-time experience as both a former Western resident and a current resident of Fort Lauderdale, I respectfully encourage the commission to approve the project.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Is it Viorica?

Followed by uh Nizar Laji, followed by Walt McCrory.

Good evening.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Viorica Neagu.

I live at the Villaggio di La Solar Las Solas for more than 20 years.

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your service, as well as those that want to beautify our city, and also including the participants, not only at those meetings, but also in person, but also via internet.

Initially, we were very excited to have a prestigious Western jewelry, uh jewelers, uh, as a neighbor, but when we found out about the unrealistic proposal of this project, the community started to panic and objecting it.

Despite our numerous efforts to negotiate, leaving work early, schedule, reschedule clients, fight traffic in order to attend those meetings, the owners' representatives came up with the same and accurate answers, researches, plans that didn't make any common sense.

In fact, we were threatened if we not accept the rezoning, they will build higher buildings.

And that was at the last meeting we had, and uh most of the people respectful that have a respectful age couldn't handle the tension of the magnitude of tension they got to.

I mean, it was escalating to the point that they left the room, and this is one of the reasons we are just a few here, because they are fragile people, they are people that work hard all their lives to pay for those apartments that they live in, and they would be affected by these major construction.

So this is why we are just a few here, and I apologize for getting too much into it and I'm passionate about it.

I don't want to get too emotional and get to the facts, but this is part of the answer that you were expecting earlier.

Okay.

So thank you for your patience.

Thank you.

Yeah, so the hype that is, but he's I'm I this is not over yet.

So uh the height is already a big concern, and we don't want to accept the construction higher than 30 feet.

Due due to many dangerous structural and uh foundation.

As everyone mentioned before, there are many issues resolving not uh so this is not an option.

Can you please conclude your remarks?

Yes.

Uh we want the unique historical charming look and the safety of the structure of existing buildings as well as the new ones.

Not to mention that is a great attraction point for the international visitors, which are contributing to our community.

People starting to leave town, they don't want to come to Las Olas anymore.

Now, luckily they found something.

Can you please conclude your remarks?

Yes, well, this is what they compare our building being the same height with theirs.

No, it's not.

Our building is only 50 feet.

They are theirs is 88.

So again, it's a very very dangerous um project.

We live at a sea level.

The soil is very soft.

The drilling, the banging is gonna shake the ground, the foundation of our building, the structure of our building.

We are trying to avoid to not have another surf side tragedy.

And I and I hope this is recorded, and I hope nobody will get in trouble.

And I just hope that if the building will be lower 30 feet, I think it will be reasonable, we'll be happy and enjoy the the beauty of the architecture.

Okay, thank you so much.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

I have more to say.

I don't know why I'm if you have spoken.

I understand you have more to say.

If you have written remarks, I wait, wait, so stop for just a second.

If you have written remarks, you're welcome to give them to the clerk, and we'll and he can pass them to the commissioners.

As a matter of fact, your remark, but your time is up.

Okay, there are a bunch of emails that you've got over the weekend and for the past few days.

Yeah, we you finished your remarks.

Okay, thank you.

Is Nizar here?

How about Walt Macquarie?

Followed by uh and Brian Martin has left.

Uh, is Brucey still here?

She left.

Anthony Santiago, Mr.

McCrory.

My name is Walt McCrory.

I've been a resident of Fort Lauderdale for 74 years, the last 50 years in the Los Alas neighborhood.

I am 100% in favor of bringing Western Rolex to Los Solas.

However, I object to it in its present format.

My objection can be summarized in six words.

Too tall, too big, minimal parking.

For that reason, I urge the commission to deny the application tonight, in hopes that the Western Rolex folks will go back to the drawing table and come up with a plan that is satisfactory to them and to the Law Souls community, and the converts parking LOIs into firm agreements.

When that is done, the commission should then approve of their application.

And Western Rolex will be welcome on Los Solas with open arms.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Santiago, followed by uh Rochelle Rosen.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening, Your Honor.

Mayor, Commissioners.

My name is Anthony Santiago.

What can I say about a man I literally met two weeks ago?

I just traveled and stopped my travels to Manhattan today from Miami, Diane's design district to be here for three and a half hours.

I'm Manhattanite by background.

I'm proudly now of Fort Lauderdale Resident Evil.

It's not over yet.

We're coming by droves.

So proudly is a Fort Lauderdale resident living within walking distance of Las Olas.

I want to first thank you all here.

It's tough to physically go through change.

I appreciate that.

I've been coming to Fort Lauderdale for 30 years with my family, and the opportunity to relocate to South Florida, we chose your city deliberately.

And that's because what's happening here.

Not in Miami, not in Palm Beach.

Professionally, I spent the last decades serving as a chief operating compliance officer for a multi-billion dollar real estate developer in New York City, which I exited.

We had over 150 development projects, over three billion dollars in real estate sales in luxury condos.

So I stand before you tonight, bifurcating my perspective in two ways.

First, as a resident, more importantly.

Secondly, and is as important, is a real estate operator who has spent three decades watching CDs either evolve into world-class destinations or slowly lose momentum because they became afraid of thoughtful progress.

I'm not going to support Western Jewelers and Ed, but I thank him for his visionary, the ability to be proposing another project.

It's not what it is.

They're making a statement of confidence in Fort Lauderdale with their resources, their time, their capital injection.

Cherblazers like Western Blazers, excuse me, Western jewelers, and businesses like Caviar Bar, they're starting the wave here.

Do we accept it?

It's aspirational.

The environment that's affluent with more residents, entrepreneurs, visitors to go globally.

This is how districts are born.

Every iconic corridor once had skeptics, Worth Avenue, Rodeo Drive, Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue.

How about the design district a minute in Miami?

Just give me a little couple of seconds and I'll jump out of this.

But in the final analysis, it's important for us to understand the economics around the formula.

Luxury investment plus elevated design plus walk at ability and destination retail is increasing tax bases at higher property values, stronger lease rates, tourism growth, and long-term economic sustainability.

Give these guys an opportunity.

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

Is Rachel Rowan Rosen here?

No.

And Tyler Chappelle, you're just here for questions, right?

Okay.

And uh Rand Maya is Rand here.

Okay.

Uh Aristotle Halikius.

He is not here.

Um, Mary Furtig followed by Michael Schneider.

Is Mary here?

Ah, did you want to speak on this item?

I'm sorry.

Okay, one second.

Let's see, I'll set the clock for two seconds.

I'll be generous.

Huh?

Yes, yeah.

Follow by.

Is anyone else wish to speak on this?

Because these are the last two names.

And then we're gonna take a five-minute break.

I actually need more than two seconds, but I did write it out because I only have a couple thoughts.

One, I'm changing from what I had written, and just asking you how this was attached to the agenda, it is so different from what uh Stephanie's presentation was.

And I feel like that is really misleading for the citizens of Fort Lauderdale.

So I'm just gonna make that comment and then go.

And to what I really thought when I was reading this, I thought it was so ironic that we're here tonight, because just a few months ago, February 3rd, many of us were here to talk about the Las Oulas Mobility Project, and the issue of parking was brought up numerous times.

For example, there were some people who maintained that parking was needed to that the that parking was needed on the street due to the lack of parking um in the area.

Now, there were others that felt that the median should be left, but they kind of were out-shouted by people who were worried about the parking.

So it's kind of ironic we're here, and many of us, actually, I know I did, asked you to do a parking study because you've told us there's a new parking garage coming in, the Heron parking garage, Dean.

Is that right?

And is that what it?

Yeah?

And that also the lots outside, we've out behind the stores.

We often see parking there.

So we asked for a parking study, and then I'm with you after what you said tonight about not realizing how many parking reductions there were.

I just am here to encourage you all as this area evolves to do that parking study so you know what you're dealing with.

And when you get a parking reduction, I mean to grant a parking reduction with zero spaces, is kind of is kind of a uh a big ask, but if you have sufficient parking in the area, that's fine.

You don't know.

And and Commissioner Beasley Pittman actually asked that night about a parking study, and she was explained to her that the city's approach included new technology designed to collect parking data and related information.

So actually, I'm just thinking, what?

Okay, I'm gonna leave this alone because really I just couldn't help but comment on how ironic it is that at one meeting we don't have enough parking, and another meeting we do, and I'm asking you to the due diligence.

And also, could you just get us a correct staff report next time?

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael Schneider.

Hi, um, I just want to say so where the avenue is referenced, and I think there's a consistency with Avenue as far as the size of the buildings, and I just feel that this is out of line with the um with the other buildings on the street.

And in other words, sometimes you put something in and it makes everything else wrong.

And it's not that you know you don't want to see progress, but you just want to see um things evolve in a way that doesn't make everything else look um like it's out of place.

Anyway, so I just feel that the this project does do that.

Um I think it's just too big.

Uh I don't know why they can't stay within the um setback um requirements, and I don't know why.

If we have rules, they're so easily bent.

Not to say that um somebody doesn't want um to see, you know uh advancement and growth and um development.

Um, but uh you know, there's there's rules set in place, but it seems like they're very um very malleable.

So anyway, I'm just concerned about um, you know, one building making other things look like they're inappropriate, or you know, um I mean because I thought I thought that the city I thought that's all it's provided a very nice experience for a lot of people over many years, and um, you know, I I don't think that uh it's a um I don't think it's a disaster that has to be corrected and that one thing is gonna come in and change everything for the better.

I think it's already a nice situation.

Anyway, thank you.

Anthony Batista.

Uh sure.

Come on up, Anthony.

Did you fill out a card?

Anthony Batista.

Anthony Batista.

I don't have that card in the question.

Did you want to come up and speak?

Yeah, I don't have a card for him.

Hello, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you.

My name is Anthony Batista.

I've been a resident of Los Alas Boulevard for the past 23 years, and I've lived in Fort Lauderdale for the last 50 years.

So I have seen an awful lot of changes.

I love Lugan on Los Alas Boulevard.

I love the changes that have occurred over the last 25 years, and I'm looking forward to have welcoming Weston jewelers to our neighborhood.

However, I have one problem.

The problem I have is with the rezoning of the back of the building.

In my opinion, the architects and engineers that designed this project could certainly fit within the 35 feet requirement for residential parking.

They could put a two or three-story building on that property and build out the front of the property, which is zoned commercial.

I would love to see a change in the design of the of the building to fit that property.

The property is only 50 feet wide and 210 feet long, a 32,000 square foot building, and that smaller property is an overburden.

I personally think that the property should be redesigned and welcome Weston Jewelers to make some changes to help the neighborhood maintain its character.

Furthermore, changing the zoning uh to commercial on the back end of second court.

Porttens, the same thing could happen in the future.

Going to Southeast 15th Avenue.

The west side of the Wahimershi Canal has been zone commercial for probably many, many years.

There's adequate parking, there's there's adequate parking on the south side of Los Alas in the back of the buildings.

It is a beautiful upstale neighborhood that's getting better.

There's no reason why Western Jewelers can't design a building that fits the property perfectly instead of the way it's designed now.

All right, thank you so much.

I hope this that they go back and to the drawing board and do something more appropriate for that size property.

Thank you very much.

Um before we continue, I need a motion to extend the time of the meeting.

I would ask for another hour.

Moved.

Second.

Please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst?

Yes.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Mayor Sorensen?

Yes.

Mayor Turn Tallis.

Yes.

So we have a meeting sentence to 11.

Okay.

So anyone else wish to speak on this item.

There being none, do I hear a motion to close public hearing?

No.

I don't I didn't hear anything.

I'm sorry.

May you what continue our speech.

No, ma'am.

No.

We can't be here all night.

Move to close.

Second.

Okay.

Move the seconded.

Um please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst.

Yes.

Commissioner Glossman?

Yes.

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Yes.

Vice Mayor Sorensen?

Yes.

Mayor Trentals.

Yes.

So public hearing on PH1 is now closed.

District Commissioner, Vice Mayor, I'll let you start the conversation.

Thanks, Mayor.

Appreciate it.

I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight.

Ed, I want to thank you for your engagement with the neighborhoods.

You're working to solution to find ways that that this can work for everyone.

You know, from the beginning, you've I think had a great the right approach to it.

Um I appreciate that.

I appreciate especially the neighborhood leaders, um, Beverly Heights, Coley Hammock working together.

Um I think there's more work to do with our city attorney to make sure we've got the right language and the representations that we all heard tonight.

Uh city attorney are appropriately um included in what I think is gonna have to be some conditional some conditions uh to uh the agreement.

So I think that's important, it's gonna matter, and I think that will take a little bit of work, but um I'm confident we're gonna get there.

I think from a parking standpoint, I think we're we're getting towards a very good place.

So Ladonna, I think your your comments are spot on.

And I think actually that from a parking standpoint, once we really make those improvements that we're talking about, um, I think the neighborhood's really gonna be in good shape.

It's gonna require work on the city and and partnering, but I think we're gonna we're gonna get there from a parking standpoint.

So I appreciate that.

Um, and I appreciate everyone coming out and and sharing their perspectives.

It matters uh as we uh you know move our city forward and so um uh supportive of where we're going, support of the direction, um, uh to welcome uh a new wonderful landowner to Las Olas.

Mayor so uh would you like to would you like to introduce the ordinance?

Yes, I'd like to introduce yours.

For approval.

Um anyone else have any questions or comments?

I do, Mayor.

Go ahead.

Thanks.

Uh actually uh Ella, I think you're the project manager for this, if you could come up.

And I'm doing this on purpose, Mayor, because I want to just stress we heard a lot of different uh items tonight, but mostly focusing on you know parking, height of the building.

I think it's so important for us to realize that there's some real detail in our in our ULDR.

It's really important.

I want to just make sure I'm not making a mistake.

Because for me, much of this is really found the answers to whether this project should move forward, is found in the ULDR and what a person is able to do, what a development team is able to do uh when we're talking about things like rezoning and everything else associated.

So if I say something at a turn, just say no, Commissioner, that's wrong.

And I really appreciate it.

Uh so when I look at the when I look at what we're faced with tonight, and again, rezoning criteria.

Number one, the zoning district proposed is consistent with the city's comprehensive plan.

Staff seems to say, yes, it is when I read.

Is that correct?

Good evening, Ella Parker, Deputy Director Development Services.

Um, yes, that is correct.

It is consistent with allocation of flexible commercial flex.

Thank you.

Two, the changes anticipated by the proposed rezoning will not adversely impact the character of development in or near the area under consideration.

When I read the analysis, it seems to say that it is consistent with the character of development on the East Les Hollis Boulevard corridor, which includes commercial uses such as restaurants, retail, and hotels.

Is that correct?

That's correct.

Thank you.

Moving right along, and again, I'm going through the urban land, I'm going through the ULDR because it's so important that people understand we just don't make these decisions based on a motion, based on one item.

We make these decisions because we're legally obligated to make these decisions based on our comprehensive plan, based on our ULDR, based on what we have in our law.

And it's so important because we lose sight of that so many times when projects come forward.

Next item.

Staff seems to say yes, the proposed rezoning will permit uses suitable and similar to those uses already existing in the area.

Correct?

Correct.

Okay, that's really good.

Thank you.

And then moving along to adequacy and neighborhood compatibility, because this also gets to the crux of the issue when we're talking about the two neighboring uh Beverly uh Heights and Coley Hammock.

Uh the adequacy criteria of the ULDR talks about number one uh that there's sufficient capacity for both water and wastewater to service the project.

Uh tell me if I'm wrong, but there was a capacity letter that we saw in the backup saying that uh we are okay when it comes to that issue.

Are we okay with that?

That's correct.

The letter indicated there is capacity.

Okay, that is very, very important because right now, for the last eight years, we've spent so much time, so much money on dealing with water, stormwater, and sewer.

So that's also a piece that we haven't heard at much, but it is so very, very important.

Um next, uh, I want to talk about the fact that this is a five-story office with um in comparison to what else is happening on the street again with regard to neighborhood compatibility.

Uh so to mitigate the scale and mass of the building, staff tells us that the project contains architectural elements with expansive glass interjected with vertical paneled engineered wood walls, and there's a mixture of protruding balconies with awnings that create variation in the building facade.

So tell me why that's important.

Why are those elements important?

Why is that something that we need to consider uh when we're looking at a building such as this, that kind of variation, why is that important?

Well, as you saw, the building is presented tonight, it's it's in scale in comparison to other similar buildings in the area.

Yes, there's a mix of buildings that vary in heights from two, three, um, four, and and then up to the the building that's across the street that's very similar to the height of this building, as well as the hotel that was mentioned that's been approved at 12 stories.

Um that scale of five to eight story buildings that you know the building is 74 feet as the applicant presented tonight.

Um, it's got higher floor to ceiling heights, but generally even any buildings between five to eight stories for an urban neighborhood like this are very common.

It's it's still, you know, it's not the central core, it's not the downtown, but it's a scale that's still walkable, still provides light to the street, so that is appropriate um in the context of the surroundings.

Thank you.

Waterway use, again, very important.

We know that this is right on that canal.

Um, and pursuant to our ULDR, the project has to demonstrate compliance with criteria for waterway use.

Now we know that a setback is not provided on the west side of the property line, which fronts the Himersheet Canal, but the three remaining sides of the building face uh towards a right of way and they meet or exceed the required setbacks.

This is not uncommon in that area because I think if you look at some of those other buildings, we see that um the property constructed on the west side of the Himershi Canal, it has the same exact conditions as are proposed with this building, correct?

Correct.

So there's nothing unusual with that setback not appearing in our backup for this building.

That's correct.

It's a narrow site, so if you were to provide that type of a setback, it would really not be developable.

Right, thank you.

Parking and transportation.

We've had a lot of discussion about parking this evening.

I think that's been really satisfied.

Um, but I do want to just acknowledge um that a parking reduction can be approved if there is a public parking facility within 700 feet of the parcel, uh, that the parking is intended to serve, and there's a safe pedestrian path.

We have not really talked yet about that safe pedestrian path.

Um, but I believe because of the fact that you guys did your study, we heard about parking studies, we heard about what are we doing with all that.

Um, but we have in our backup that an additional two hundred and thirteen parking spaces, in addition to two hundred and seven city controlled public spaces are right there within a quarter of a mile of the area, and other businesses along East Las Olas Boulevard and within the vicinity of the project site are primarily parked in adjacent private surface parking areas.

So it looks like also the peak occupancy, according to your study, the peak occupancy of 420 publicly available parking spaces are located within a quarter of a mile.

Is that correct?

Yes, so I'll I'll just mention that based on that um criteria, the applicant showed that there is available parking within 700 feet, then they further showed that within a quarter mile there's even more parking available.

But the criteria specific to the code is 700 feet.

Okay, so we should be fine.

For what I heard tonight was 35 people in a 24-hour period visiting the store.

We should be fine with that, correct?

As was discussed, there are some peak demand hours that um that are shown in the study.

Um, but again, there is a lot of that shared parking analysis show that there's a lot of available parking, and those peaks don't necessarily coincide with the busiest times um on La Solas.

There might be a little bit of a peak time at the lunch hours during um the weekday hours, and then a little bit more like you know, eight to nine p.m.

excuse me, six to nine p.m.