The Planned Development District (PDD) zoning ordinance is derived from the former Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Innovative Development (ID) zoning ordinances. On June 21, 2022, the City Commission directed staff to conduct public outreach regarding amending the current PDD ordinance to allow for increased building height from 300 feet to 500 feet. The existing regulations state that building height for a proposed PDD development may be increased by an additional amount equivalent to one hundred and twenty-five (125) percent of the existing height identified in the underlying zoning district, but in no case shall height exceed three hundred (300) feet.

Below are links to two documents, one which summarizes the ordinance and the full text of the ordinance.

PDD Summary 

Full Ordinance

A waterway restoration project will begin April 5 along a portion of the Tarpon River in Rio Vista and Downtown Fort Lauderdale. As part of this project, crews from Arbor Tree and Land, Inc. (ATL) will use hydraulic dredging equipment to remove sediment from the river in the area of SE 9 Avenue.

While this work is underway, the Tarpon River will be inaccessible for boat traffic from the staging area west of US 1 / Federal Highway to the SE 9 Street Bridge, as the work requires the use of barges, hoses, and other equipment that will be in the river. The area will be restored at the end of each week so that it is open for navigation on weekends.

More detailed information can be found on the city website.  Should you have any questions about the project, the City’s project manager is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our customer service team is also always available to respond to any inquiries and can be reached 24/7 at 954-828-8000 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Lately, in community conversations questions regarding the Notice Process which applies to development in our City have been raised. This piece is an attempt to create a more informed public. A special thanks to Commissioner Ben Sorensen and Anthony Fajardo, Director of Development Services Department in our City for being willing to put this information together.

RVCA encourages all residents to visit FortLauderdale.gov and sign up to receive e-updates from this City so that you can be the most well-informed version of yourself!

Read on for a summary of each Development Services Department Application type and a breakdown of the notification requirements for each level of approval. Please note, where you see references to 300-feet please note that the 300-feet is regardless of boundaries. It crosses water bodies (New River, Intracoastal, etc.) as well as other boundaries.

DEVELOPMENT_NOTICE_SUMMARY_FINAL_2.1.22_APPROVED_BY_FAJARDO.pdf

FDOT and Broward County will be hosting three Alternatives Public Workshops for the Broward Commuter Rail PD&E Study. The workshops will include information on the Broward Commuter Rail project, including station locations and alternatives for the New River Crossing that will need to be considered as part of determining a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). Determining the LPA is critical to entering the Federal Transit Administration's Project Development process, which would allow the project to compete for federal funding.

Three workshops will be available, including two virtual and one in-person on the dates below. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

• Alternatives Public Workshop Virtual Session #1 – January 27, 2022, at 3:00 pm
• Alternatives Public Workshop Virtual Session #2 – January 27, 2022, at 6:30 pm
• Alternatives Public Workshop In-Person Session #3 -January 31, 2022, at 6:30 pm

To register: Visit https://www.fdot.gov/projects/broward-commuter-rail | If you register for a virtual meeting, an email containing a personalized link will be sent to you with instructions for joining the meeting at the specified date and time.

Contact: If you have any questions, please contact Phil Schwab, Project Manager with the Florida Department of Transportation by telephone at (954) 777-4524 or toll free at (866) 336-8435, ext. 4524, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project Website: www.browardcommuterrailstudy.com

Download PDF

The following presentation was given my Dr. Gassman to Ben's District 4 leadership meeting.

The full pdf can be found here:

There will be a public hearing on Tuesday, December 21, 6 p.m., at City Hall to discuss a proposed 14-story, 77-unit condominium planned for 808 SE 4th Street (in Los Olas across the river from Rio Vista’s Abreu Place) on a 0.57 acre lot. Following the hearing, the city commission will vote whether to approve the proposed building shown in the architectural rendering below.

Register at https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/government/departments-a-h/city-clerk-s-office/commission-meeting-speaker-card  if you’d like to speak at the public hearing. You must attend in-person to participate. The speaker card registration requires you to include the agenda item number, which will be available on Thursday, December 16 at: https://fortlauderdale.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Click on the December 21, 6 p.m. agenda, and scroll down to the public hearing section to find the file # 21-1110: De Novo Hearing – Consideration of a Quasi-Judicial Resolution for Site Plan Level III Application – 808 SE 4th Residences – Case No. R19052 – 808 SE 4th Street – (Commission District 4).

The association recieved the following notice.

I represent Federal Highway Holdings, the owner of property located at 777-789 S. Federal Highway within the City’s RAC-CC zoning district.  The owner filed an application to vacate a portion of a remnant alley (10’ wide x 124’ long) that runs through the property.  A location map is attached to this email for reference.

As part of the application process, we are required to notify neighborhood associations within 300’ of the DRC meeting.  Below is the information date, time and place of the DRC meeting:

Date/Time: Tuesday January 11, 2022 at 9:30am

Place (if attending in person): Urban Design and Planning Division, 700 NW 19th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Virtual: There is also an opportunity to attend virtually. Instructions for attending the meeting virtually should also be on the City’s website. 

The agenda and comments are typically posted on the City’s website on the Friday prior to the meeting date. The link to the agenda is as follows:

https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/government/departments-a-h/city-clerk-s-office/advisory-boards-committees-authorities-agendas-and-minutes/development-review-committee