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Special Feature

By Arianne Glassman

n late October 2019, the City of Fort Lauderdale, and open space situated off 5th Avenue South and A1A,
Central Beach CRA saw their five-year investment into estimated to be completed in late winter 2021/22, will
Iplanning and design come to life. For those of us of a feature a multi-level signature play area surrounded by a 25-
certain age, watching the transformation to the area where foot sweeping observation deck with a 42-foot-tall shade
Las Olas Boulevard meets the beach had us humming Joni canopy and restroom facility. The timing coincides with the
Mitchell's famed folk song Paved Paradise, but in reverse. eagerly-awaited completion of the International Swimming
Trees would not go in a "tree museum" but instead would Hall of Fame and Aquatic Complex enhancements, set to
flank four acres of green space where both the Oceanside open in two phases between summer 2021 and early 2022.
and Southside parking lots once sat. A new state of the art, When you add the $70 million Las Olas Marina complex,
LEED Certified Parking Garage would grow to the sky from a public/private partnership between the City and marina
the blacktop. Its future-forward design boldly welcomed operator Suntex, memories are not the only thing that will
those traveling over the Las Olas Bridge by day, and its be created. The combined projects will, in essence, create
wraparound programmable lighting became a nightly a whole new neighborhood, and with it, infinite new
entertainment spectacle. Sitting high atop the new experiences for residents and visitors alike.
Garage's 5th level amenity deck, one could enjoy a
o
staggering 270 view of downtown and Intracoastal DEFINING THE LOOP
waterway views. I nicknamed Las Olas Oceanside Park, The LOOP, upon
moving Friday Night Sound Waves to it from the area
Remarkably, within only sixteen months, and with thanks to known as The HUB just across the street. In addition to
the tireless efforts of the CRA's senior project manager,
being shorter and easier to remember, it also made this
Thomas Green, and construction contractors, Skanska, the new immense space feel a little smaller and more friendly.
first three phases of the $78,000,000 public improvement
Interestingly, what I soon came to realize was the acronym
investment in the Central Beach Area opened to the public. was really a foreshadowing. On a map, when you connect
Three weeks later, the City's annual Light Up the Beach the path of these four new greenspaces, an infinity sign
event acted as the official unveiling of Las Olas Oceanside appeared connecting each of the four parks within this new
Park. A month and a half following, Oceanside Park park system: a walkable, bikeable, drivable loop.
became home to the annual Friday Night Sound Waves
The LOOP, now encompassing an area much larger than
concert series and new weekly Friday Night and Saturday just the one park at the corner of Las Olas and A1A, was a
Afternoon Farmers, Antiques & Artisan Market. In its short
cornerstone to a whole area with a story to tell and had a
span of existence, this new jewel on the beach also caught new-found purpose in which those who visited would find a
local headlines and national attention as the host location
welcoming sense of place.
to the Super Bowl LIV sanctioned weekend celebration,
Raised in the 954. Andy Royston was brought into the team to tie this vision
together visually. Although it had been nearly 20 years
The project's final phase is to finish the build-out on the since he and I worked together, I followed his work
complete redesign of DC Alexander Park. The small plot of

20 CORAL RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES HOA