It's unlikely, however, that each of the 17 approved projects will be built as the economy wavers and lenders invariably back out. But Christopher Wren, manager of Community and Comprehensive Planning, believes it's only a matter of time until the allotment is maxed out. He's asking the county to approve another 2,750 units in the short term. In the long term, he believes there could be upward of 10,000 units downtown. The early missteps have not been crippling.
Planners say they are, in fact, typical.
Fort Lauderdale has already taken steps to avoid repeating the mistakes. Despite its popularity with people who want to live downtown, New River Village serves as a poster child for what city officials don't want to see in downtown development. The monolithic 240-unit complex was not designed with the pedestrian in mind, a cardinal planning sin. We weren't thinking about pedestrian interaction with buildings then. The city has passed new codes for the heart of the downtown center in the last several years requiring the ground floors of buildings in the downtown area to be landscaped and have 35 percent transparent glass doors and windows, with awnings.