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LHIA President’s Message continued

Mayor Trantalis shared comments on his recent visit to Federal that often extends all the way back to SE 20th
Washington where he met with those in charge of The Street from the SE 17th Street/South Federal Highway
Wave TIGR Grant. He learned that our City would not be intersection. Some residents were not on board with the
penalized in any way from future grants should we change theory that this will help alleviate traffic congestion.
the streetcar to something else and not go thru with the The Convention Center Hotel plans have been scaled down
original project. The Mayor feels we are a car-oriented
from an earlier 1200-room hotel to just 800 rooms. The
society and a two-mile streetcar track will not change that. building would be 290 ft. in height making it the largest
He is for adding bike lanes throughout our city.
building on 17th Street, nearly doubling the height of the
One of his biggest concerns as he takes office is the Boat Renaissance and Port Condominium. The setback would be
Show and it’s new contract with Bahia Mar. For the first time further from the street than the current building, which
in its history the Boat Show is asking for a two-million-dollar would be demolished. The hotel would be attached to the
government subsidy. No one wants the Boat Show to leave, Convention Center and would have restaurant, retail and
but Bahia Mar is apparently gouging Boat Show owners in green space, but no marina as previously proposed. The
rent. The Mayor’s other concern is getting our infrastructure green space around the hotel would be public but
needs under control with a $200-million bond issue. controlled by the hotel management.
Cohen stated that the Convention Center is only used 120
Convention Center Hotel Rendering
days during the year and an on-site hotel will bring larger
national conventions to the Center, which would further
reduce traffic by reducing the number of local and regional
consumer-oriented events that bring people to the
Convention Center in cars. The public space and the
bypass road are the benefits to the nearby neighborhoods.
Another proposal of the green space use is to create an
outdoor amphitheater. This is certainly a noise concern for
our neighborhood so close to the Convention Center. The
County would also need to try to work with the FAA to
keep airplane traffic further to the south to make an
outdoor venue even viable.

MOVING TRAFFIC

One plan coming out of the 17th Street Task Force was
Our final speaker was Alan Cohen, Broward County already on the FDOT’s radar. A second lane is going to be
Assistant Administrator in charge of the Convention Center added to the entrance ramp from Federal Highway to I-595
Hotel and Expansion plan. The City will not approve the west-bound. Traffic is often backed up in the right-hand lane
hotel and expansion without the County building a bypass as a vast majority of the cars on South Federal are entering
road. The bypass plan is to take cars exiting north from I- I-595. A second lane will eliminate the last-minute lane-
595 to Miami Road instead of Federal Highway. Under jumping and make better use the road. The second lane
the plan, Miami Road will have an overpass over State plan is currently beginning the design phase. There is also
Road 84, then make a right turn on SE 22nd Street, which a plan to reconfigure the odd jumble of roads by the post
will be a one way road heading east thru the port to office to make them more efficient and more welcoming as
Eisenhower Boulevard, then turning north to the Convention this is the gateway to Fort Lauderdale from the airport.
Center or 17th Street. Drivers can then continue from there
There is much going on in our area. We’ll do our best to
to the beach helping to alleviate some 17th Street traffic
keep you informed. LH
between Federal and Eisenhower. Reversing the traffic
flow, SE 20th Street would become a one-way road
headed west taking drivers to Federal Highway. That
Thank you!
means another traffic light at SE 20th Street so cars can
either go south or break into the line of cars on South Barbara Magill

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