October 15, 2021
Recent headlines in regional and national press have emerged showcasing DowntownFTL as a city of the future. Titles like "NHL Team, Elon Musk Tunnel Demonstrate Fort Lauderdale’s Growth Potential", "Fort Lauderdale Poised For Unprecedented Growth This Decade", and "Skyline of Downtown Fort Lauderdale 2030 Revealed" are highlighting what the urban core is poised to look like in 2030. As the center of the Southeast Florida region, DowntownFTL is a city welcoming growth, innovation and prosperity now on the map for emerging talent and young families. Over the past decade there has been a 43% increase in population in ages between 25 and 44. Since 2000, the number of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher has doubled, demonstrating that the city now has the talent to support high wage industries.
The 2030 vision celebrates how far DowntownFTL has come over the decades and highlights what residents, workers, and visitors have to look forward to over the next 10 years. Check out the 2030 vision in more detail, including before and after images at: www.ddaftl.org/2030.
Major investments may be realized by some of the world’s top entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. and international developers such as Hines, OKO Group, Related, and The Kushner Companies. Last year, a new Federal Courthouse was approved to be built and plans are underway to develop a new Joint City/County Governmental Center Campus. Major improvements to downtown parks and streets are ready to be realized, and investments in mobility and infrastructure are in the pipeline to support the sustained growth into the future.
The articles included notable quotes on the future of Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
On the evolution of DowntownFTL:
From Forbes: "What once was considered a vacation-only destination, Fort Lauderdale is thriving and poised to continue attracting high-profile businesses, an emerging talent pool and significant investment in infrastructure,” says Jenni Morejon, president of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority (DDA)."
On the construction of innovative office space like T3 FAT Village developed by Urban Street Development and Hines:
From Bisnow: “"This is going to be the first project in Florida that is built out of timber, and it really is trying to meet the needs and demands of a new generation workforce through this type of office space that they build,” Morejon said."
On the growth of the S.O.L.O District (South of Las Olas) on the southern side of the New River:
From Bisnow: "The New River and Las Olas Boulevard both effectively bisect the city. The southern side is now affectionately being called the S.O.L.O. District (South Of Las Olas), Morejon said. “There are probably at least a half-dozen, maybe 10 different towers that are proposed for south of the river,” she said. Those will trigger more retail and restaurant activity, Morejon predicted. A new federal courthouse is slated for construction, too, which will drive more commerce and office use, she said."
On the potential of a DowntownFTL based "City Centre Venue":
From Bisnow: "Whether that's esports, whether that's hockey, a place where you have connectivity from the Brightline, so regionally, you can get right to downtown and have major performances or sports games happen in the city center and not have to necessarily drive out to the suburbs," Morejon said."