Cover Story: Mixed-Use Zoning Key To Cypress Creek’s Transformation
- Fort Lauderdale’s Cypress Creek area is one of South Florida’s largest business districts, yet its office market hasn’t bounced back as strongly as others in the region.
- A proposed zoning change could transform the office district into a vibrant neighborhood with a multitude of housing, dining and entertainment options.
- As South Florida’s eighth-largest office market, and the second-largest in Broward County, Cypress Creek is home to prominent companies such as Microsoft, Citrix Systems, Hotwire Communications and Zimmerman Advertising.
- About 66,500 people work there, but only 3.5 percent of them live in the area, according to a 2015 report by the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA).
- The Uptown Urban Village rezoning would occur in the 353-acre area just west of Interstate 95 along Cypress Creek Road to Powerline Road. It would allow an additional 2,560 residential units, 250,000 square feet of offices, 225,000 square feet of commercial space, 50,000 square feet of industrial space, 450 hotel rooms and 6.5 acres of park space. The master plan would also redesign the streets and sidewalks to encourage walk-ability and mass transit.
- “Just like Flagler Village has its own unique vibe, I think Uptown will be the new hot spot, a mixed-use base with commercial, residential and entertainment,” said City Commissioner Heather Moraitis
- Envision Uptown organizers hope to convince SFRTA to allow a transit-oriented residential development on the parking lots surrounding its Tri-Rail station there.
- Building apartments and retail in Cypress Creek with the new zoning would improve the demand for office space, leading to higher rents, said Ian Weiner, president of Boca Raton-based PEBB Enterprises
- “Office tenants want retail and restaurants and apartments close by for their employees,” said Ian Weiner. “[They] want the amenities more than anything.”
https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2018/04/12/cover-storymixed-use-zoning-key-to-cypress-creeks.html
