October 2020 Newsletter - SpringbrookGardens

Who We Are

Springbrook Gardens was a private residence condominium building in the Central Beach district of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Our Association

Established in 1979, the Springbrook Gardens Condominium Association (Springbrook Gardens, Inc.) is held in a trust by a Termination Trustee as per Section 718.117(10)(a), Florida Statutes.

Redevelopment Opportunity

Springbrook Gardens is available for redevelopment. This premier property offers a blank canvas in a highly sought-after location. It is ideal for visionary developers aiming to create a landmark project. Springbrook Gardens represents a rare chance to reshape local community infrastructure. The site perfectly suits a modern, sustainable development that meets the evolving demands of the local market. Click here for more information.

Where We Are

The property is located in the Central Beach District of Fort Lauderdale Beach at the corner of North Birch Rd and Sebastian St, directly on the Intracoastal waterway and only one block from the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway and the Atlantic Ocean.

See the full map.

Our History

The Legacy, Challenges, and Ultra-Luxury Transformation of Fort Lauderdale's Iconic Waterfront Parcel

Learn more.

Mid-Century Modern Design

Erected during Fort Lauderdale's mid-century coastal development wave, the structure served as a foundational luxury fixture two blocks from the beach line. Click here to learn about the design style.

Details: Last Updated: 28 October 2020

Dear Neighbor,

Moving forward to codify the Unified Land Development Regulations for better development in Fort Lauderdale

The last time the Downtown Master Plan was updated was in 2007, the same year Apple released the first iPhone. And there have been many changes in Fort Lauderdale and the iPhone since then.

In December 2018, I requested that staff begin the process to codify the Downtown Master Plan (DMP) which up until then was only a guideline and had no teeth. This was necessary to promote positive redevelopment throughout the Downtown Regional Activity Center. Less than a year later, their proposed changes were denied by the Planning and Zoning Board (P&Z) in October 2019 and everyone I met with disliked it for his/her own different reasons. P&Z was concerned with the impact to property owners based on the proposed changes, the need to evaluate character area boundaries, and the need for further discussion and input with the community.

Throughout this year, staff performed additional public outreach, including presentations to over 25 civic groups, and received a variety of comments including requests to re-evaluate the character area boundaries. Based on the stakeholder feedback, staff revised the character area boundaries, tweaked the transition area boundaries (we needed to protect our neighborhoods from further downtown high-rise intrusion) and made other corrections. P&Z then approved the proposed amendments unanimously and included four recommended additions 1) minimum of 400 sq.ft. in unit sizes 2) minimum residential parking requirements in the RAC-CC 3) minimum building tower separation of 60 feet and 4) require transition zones be measured from the property line within the Downtown RAC.

Last week, the City Commission approved the Downtown Master Plan amendments to the City’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR), but requested that staff return after further vetting P&Z's four recommended additions. The dimensional requirements will help guide the form of buildings and design of streets reflective of three distinct character areas: Downtown Core, Near Downtown, and Urban Neighborhood; each area exhibiting unique urban form characteristics. This effort also includes updates to character area boundaries at multiple locations to reflect changes in development patterns and, importantly, compatibility with existing development outside the Downtown boundary since the Master Plan’s adoption in 2003. In addition, the code changes will address transition zones to ensure buildings on the periphery of Downtown provide a proper transition in height from adjacent lower density neighborhoods. The new standards will apply to both residential and nonresidential development.

Since the four additions from P&Z did not go through the comprehensive public outreach like the other major components, I asked that we move forward and have staff review these four recommendations separately and come back for public comment.

The approved first reading of the amendments will be presented to the City Commission on second reading on November 5, 2020. Additional background information, including presentation material, proposed code amendments, character area map and transition zones map are available below.

If approved on November 5, the revised Downtown Character Areas and Transition Areas will be incorporated into the City’s ULDR through associated amendments to the City’s Official Zoning Map. For details, visit bit.ly/34h2zWG.

Thank you to Anthony Fajardo, Chris Cooper, Ella Parker, Jim Hetzel, and our entire Sustainable Development team for all their hard work. Thank you also to the many neighborhoods for their valuable input.

Downtown Master Plan Website

Proposed Transition Area Map

Proposed Code Amendments

Proposed Character Area Map

Celebrating Halloween amid COVID-19

Halloween has always been a fun and enjoyable time of year in Fort Lauderdale for our families and children. This year, though, we face special challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some activities that the Centers for Disease Control consider low risk: carving and decorating pumpkins with your family, decorating your home, a virtual costume contest, a Halloween movie night with family.

The CDC offers some suggestions that the agency deems of moderate risk in regards to Trick-Or-Treating:

· Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard).

· Having a small-group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than six feet apart.

· Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than six feet apart. Remember that a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. And you should not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.

· Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than six feet apart.

· Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family and friends with people spaced at least six feet apart.

The CDC argues against traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, crowded indoor costume parties and crowded indoor haunted houses. The agency believes those are high risk.

To help us through this unique Halloween, the city has scheduled some events that we believe are safe for families’ participation.

Join us for a Halloween drive-thru experience. Load your cars with your fancy princesses, legendary superheroes, spooky ghosts, swashbuckling pirates, and mischievous goblins as you enjoy multiple trick-or-treat stations along each park’s route. All stations will be accessible from the safety of your own vehicle. CDC guidelines and social distancing will be in effect.

Saturday, Oct. 31 from 1-5 p.m.

Osswald Park, 2220 NW 21st Ave.

For a full list of the City's Halloween events, click here!

Voting Information

Early Voting Dates & Times

Now Through November 1

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

You can drop off your mail-in ballot now through this Sunday, November 1 at any early voting location.

Election Day - November 3

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

It is my opinion that it is now too late to mail your vote-by-mail ballot. To ensure your ballot is counted, please drop it off at an early voting location or the Supervisor of Election's office. Ballots cannot be dropped off at your precinct on Election Day unless you mean to dispose of the ballot and vote in person. Check the status of your ballot atbrowardsoe.org.

Please note that, according to the Broward Supervisor of Elections office, 3,302 ballots were rejected in the August 18 Primary. 2,923 of those ballots arrived after 7 p.m. on Election Day. Another 288 mail in ballots had no signatures on the envelopes, 76 signatures were signed by someone other than the voter, and 15 did not match the same voter's signature on file.

Click here to locate an Early Voting Location

Click here to check the status of your mail-in ballot

News Article: 24 vote-by-mail drop-off locations will be available in Broward County ahead of Election Day

With Mayor Dean Trantalis and County Mayor Dale Holness

This morning, it was a pleasure to help kick off the Opening of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show lasting through this weekend! Kudos to all involved in submitting the 44-page safety protocols and all the work that has gone into making this event safe and secure. This is a smaller show than usual, and the producers have taken extraordinary measures in going above and beyond CDC guidelines. This is our first event in Fort Lauderdale in quite a while. It is important that life and activity return to our City, but it must always be balanced with everyone's safety in mind. This show's procedures are a template for the way future events will be handled. If you'd like to attend, please click on the link below to purchase tickets.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

I joined Norm Kent on his radio show on 95.3 FM and 1470 AM. As always, there was plenty to talk about! I miss the days when we were able to speak together in Norm's studio like in this photo!

Fort Lauderdale is blessed to have an incredible number of neighborhood activists who give of their time unselfishly to improve our City. Thank you to the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations for the opportunity to join you!

Zoom enabled me to be with leaders and members of 7 District 2 neighborhoods in one night! After meeting with 6 of them at once, I jumped over to Victoria Park - a neighborhood that packs more into one hour than you can ever imagine! Excellent presentation on our infrastructure progress as well as the DDA. All great neighborhoods in a great City!

The Neighbor Leadership Academy provides our residents with a tremendous opportunity to learn the ins and outs of Fort Lauderdale City Government. For the last several years, it has been my pleasure to welcome each class and congratulate them on their participation in this endeavor. Knowledgeable, engaged, and passionate citizens are vital and make our City so great.

It was a privilege and an honor to serve as the president of the Central Beach Alliance from 2002-2009 so always a pleasure to attend their meetings. Thank you to the FLPD, Hensel-Phelps, and Staff for the informative presentations on beach issues and projects and great to see our County Commissioner Lamar Fisher.

News Articles

Florida again tops 4,000 new cases of COVID-19

COVID-19 is claiming more lives than official data indicates

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

& Informational Links

Broward School Coronavirus Updates

Broward Food Resources

Search COVID-19 In Your Area By Zip Code

The greatness of our community starts with passionate citizens like you.

Please do not hesitate to contact our District 2 Outreach Coordinator, Celia Gisleson, with any questions, comments or thoughtful suggestions cgisleson@fortlauderdale.gov or 954-828-5923.