A beachfront hotel in Fort Lauderdale could be the last major development the city sees for a while. The creation of the Beach Boys Plaza hotel will attract more visitors on the roads of the already crowded beach town. It will push the traffic volumes towards their legal limit. According to city officials, the legal maximum is 3,220 cars on the roadways during the busiest hour in the afternoon. The new development would be short by 59 cars to the maximum amount.
The elected officials of the city were warned last summer of the development reaching its maximum capacity. The beachfront development should be coming to a halt in the very near future. There is no guarantee that the commissioners will be granted approval for increasing the development and traffic capacity. The approval process could also take several years, holding any future development projects off.
The largest question being posed at this time is, does the community want to be fully developed but risk the additional traffic in order to complete it? Developing stores, hotels, bars, or even a restaurant will attract more traffic. Redevelopment projects would have to be limited as to not add to the traffic in the area.
The city has an agreement with Broward County dating back to 1989 to keep tabs on the traffic patterns and amounts. On a scale from A to F, congestion should not surpass a “D” level. New projects for development should be made to improve the traffic flow and not further congest the roadways. Despite this agreement, State Road A1A has surpassed the “D” level and is rated to be an “F” level congestion. Current residents are looking forward to the development to die down in hopes that the traffic will follow the same pattern.
It may be time to start preparing the city for the rising sea level and making sure that the barrier island is sustainable. Residents would prefer city officials to focus on redeveloping since they believe that the island is already way overdeveloped.
About Matthew Scott, Zoning Attorney:
Matthew Scott is a Zoning Attorney in South Florida. With many years of experience, Matthew has acquired experience and expertise in land use and zoning laws. Matthew is passionate about zoning laws because it requires strategic thinking, creativity, and community engagement. Matthew enjoys working with a diverse community of professionals and improving the communities in which we live.