The Central City CRA is a 344-acre community redevelopment area established under Chapter 163 Florida Statutes. The Central City redevelopment goals are to remove slum and blight and provide increased opportunities in the area, including improving housing stock, streets and infrastructure, and safety. Other goals include bringing quality jobs and services to the area, and fostering the development of new businesses, and creating an environment of mixed use and transit oriented development – especially on the Sunrise Boulevard, NE 13th Street, NE 4th Avenue and Florida East Coast Railway Corridors.
The Central City CRA is generally bounded by NE 13th Street and NE 16th Street on the north, Sunrise Boulevard on the South, Powerline Road and I-95 on the West and the Florida East Coast railway on the East. It is the youngest of the City’s three community redevelopment areas. Please click here to see a map of the Central City CRA.
When the Central City CRA was established in 2012, a Community Redevelopment Plan was adopted for the area. A Community Redevelopment Plan provides a framework for projects, activities and initiatives intended to revitalize and improve conditions within the Community Redevelopment Area. As a way to revitalize the Central City Community Redevelopment Area, the Central City Community Redevelopment Plan and prior planning efforts identified redevelopment potential for more intense commercial development along Sunrise Boulevard, with NE 4th Avenue and NE 13th Street supporting lighter intensity neighborhood-oriented retail establishments as well as mixed-use building types. In addition, the plan contains several redevelopment strategies and goals to eliminate blight, including the following:
To achieve the goals stated above, and to realize full redevelopment potential for Central City CRA, it is necessary to make some changes to the zoning regulations to accomplish the type of development that best suits the needs of the area.
Ultimately, the rezoning project will establish a stronger foundation for redevelopment and improvements in the CRA through the creation of regulations strengthen neighborhoods, retains existing neighbors and businesses, and attract new investment to the area.
New zoning regulations that allow for highly-desirable quality developments, while at the same time streamlining the development approval process, creates a conducive environment for investment and reinvestment. If the rezoning efforts and new regulations create some appeal for developers to invest in the CRA, the synergy needed to spur redevelopment will result – assuming other market forces are in alignment.
However, the very best impact of the new zoning regulations is the inclusion of elements that have a mutual appeal to both the developer and the community, such as mixed uses, neighborhood-oriented retail (grocery stores), distinct branding and design guidelines, public plazas, live-work units, or regulations requiring pedestrian friendly connections between uses. These elements provide Central City neighbors with easy access to shopping, jobs, and public transit, as well as a community oriented lifestyle. At the same time, the appeal for the developer is in the ease of bringing high-quality projects to market that result in 100% occupancy due to the demand for the quality of life resulting from the new regulations and required design elements.
The CRA hired The Mellgren Planning Group to lead the efforts of the rezoning project from 2018 - 2020. This includes planning community meetings, collecting data from surveys, noting neighbors’ concerns, and listening to the ideas and solutions provided by the residents and businesses within the Central City CRA. In 2021, the CRA hired The Corradino Group to complete the process for the proposed new-mixed use zoning classification. The scope stipulates the review and evaluation of the work products from the previous consultant, identify issues, propose changes/amendments, and develop a plan to complete the work.
Zoning is the process of dividing land into zoning districts such as “commercial districts”, “residential districts”, “industrial districts”, and “mixed use districts” (which regulate how commercial and residential uses are allowed to interact with each other). Once districts are determined, zoning rules are used to establish the types of uses that are permitted or prohibited. Zoning rules are referred to as zoning regulations. Please click here to see a zoning map of the Central City CRA.
The zoning regulations specify size and dimensions of land area for each district, and also provide height and size requirements for buildings in each zoning district. Parking, landscaping, and other requirements are also addressed through zoning rules. These guidelines are set in order to provide structure, visual appeal, and predictability for a city’s growth and development.
A brief description of the purpose of each residential zoning district found within the Central City CRA boundaries can be found in the table below:
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Central City CRA Residential Zoning District Information |
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Zoning District |
Purpose and Intent |
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RD-15 |
Residential Single Family Duplex/Medium Density District. |
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RDS-15 |
Residential Single Family/Medium Density District |
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RM-15 |
Residential Multifamily Low Rise/Medium Density District. |
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RMM-25 |
Residential Multifamily Mid Rise/Medium High Density District. |
There are also eight non-residential zoning districts (CB, B-1, B-2, B-3, P, CF, CF-H, U) within the Central City CRA. The B-1 commercial zoning district is a business related zoning district that allows commercial and retail uses. The Sunrise Boulevard corridor has many parcels within the B-1 zoning district. Along the eastern boundary of the study area, B-3 is the primary non-residential zoning district. B-3 allows heavy commercial and light industrial type businesses.
A brief description of the purpose of each non-residential zoning district found within the Central City CRA boundaries can be found in the tables below:
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Central City CRA Non-Residential Zoning District Information |
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Business Zoning Districts - Purpose and Intent |
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CB |
To meet the shopping and service needs of the community. |
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B-1 |
To provide for the location of commercial business establishments dependent upon high visibility and accessibility to major trafficways. |
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B-2 |
To provide for the location of commercial business uses which cater infrequently to households but are necessary for the city's economic vitality and to meet the general business needs of the community. |
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B-3 |
To provide for heavy commercial business uses, wholesale, warehousing, storage operations and establishments conducting activities of the same general character. |
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Central City CRA Non-Residential Zoning District Information |
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Public Purpose Zoning Districts - Purpose and Intent |
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P |
Parks, Recreation and Open Space District is intended to provide suitable locations for parks, recreation and open space areas, including conservation areas, consistent with the city's comprehensive plan. |
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CF
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Community Facility Districts are intended to provide suitable locations for institutions serving public needs, including the administrative activities of a municipal, state or federal agency, religious facilities, educational facilities and other public purpose facilities which generally benefit the community, consistent with the community facility land use designation of the city's comprehensive plan. |
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CF-H (House of Worship) |
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U |
Utility District is intended for utilities provided to the public, such as water, wastewater, electric and solid waste disposal facilities as necessary to provide an adequate level of utility services to meet the needs of the residents of the city, consistent with the utility land use designation of the city's comprehensive plan. |
The intent of the rezoning project is to provide additional opportunities for property and business owners in the area. This can be accomplished with mixed use options and other creative zoning alternatives, which will be explored throughout the planning process to determine the best regulations to support the community-wide vision.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission adopted Ordinance No. C-17-36 on October 3, 2017, to allow for a simplified parking reduction process for non-residential properties located in the Central City CRA. The ordinance also allows on-street parking that abuts non-residential properties in the Central City CRA to count toward the abutting property’s parking requirements.
Additional changes regarding parking requirements are yet to be determined by the input received from Central City neighbors and business owners.
This project is divided into 3 phases: Phase 1 Rezoning of the Central City Northwest Quadrant, Phase 2 Central City Mixed Use Proposal, and Phase 3 Land Use Plan Amendment.
Phase 1 proposal to rezone the Northwest Quadrant from RDs-15 to RM-15 was approved by City Commission First Reading on May 16, 2023, and Second Reading on June 6, 2023.
Phase 2 Mixed Use proposal is in progress. At this time the consultant is revising the proposal and working with staff to finalize the proposed zoning code amendments. Once the vetting process is completed, the proposal will be presented to the public in a series of community presentation meetings. Public hearings for approval of the rezoning ordinance will be scheduled for the Central City CRA Advisory Board, City of Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board, and the City Commission. Meetings and hearing dates will be posted at the Public Meeting Summary.
Phase 3 Land Use Plan Amendment will commence once phases 1 and 2 are complete.
The City of Fort Lauderdale and the CRA encourages all of its citizens to participate in this unique process. Additional public hearings will occur during the planning process. More information regarding the rezoning project and community meetings can be found at www.fortlauderdale.gov/CCCRP. These meetings include approvals of the rezoning by various boards of the City including the Planning and Zoning Board.
The mailing list for community workshops includes the property owners within the CRA. Anyone that is renting a residence or leasing business space within the CRA will also receive a notice about the community workshops.
If you are interested in receiving information about the project, but do not live in or own property in the area, please contact us at centralcityrezoning@fortlauderdale.gov and the CRA can update the mailing list to include your name to the list for any further mailings.
The City of Fort Lauderdale and the Community Redevelopment Agency welcomes your thoughts and ideas throughout the planning process and encourage you to contact us at centralcityrezoning@fortlauderdale.gov to submit your questions. The Corradino Group and the CRA staff are readily available to respond.
The City of Fort Lauderdale and the Community Redevelopment Agency welcomes your thoughts and ideas throughout the planning process and encourage you to contact us at centralcityrezoning@fortlauderdale.gov to submit your notes, comments, and concerns. The Corradino Group and the CRA staff are readily available to respond.
After each Community Meeting and Public Hearing, the project web site will be updated with a meeting summary. The survey has been officially closed on June 29, 2018.
Email: centralcityrezoning@fortlauderdale.gov
Phones Numbers:
Main Office Line: (954) 828-6130
Project Questions Line: (954) 828-4776
Project Questions Line: (954) 828-4756