Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce chief fights for Marina Lofts project

The $150 million rental project in the works in Fort Lauderdale should be approved, the city’s Chamber of Commerce President Dan Lindblade wrote in an op-ed published in the Sun-Sentinel.

The Marina Lofts project would create 999 multi-family rental units near the New River with a starting price of $1,100 per month, at a time when demand is outpacing supply, he wrote. Lindblade defended against activists who he said are “spewing propaganda opposing the impressive project mainly because of the relocation of a rain tree.”

The board of directors, however, widely supports it because it would attract young professionals and enhance marine interests, he wrote.

Lindblade urged the Planning and Zoning Board to approve the plan at a special hearing May 14. He said Broward County has the lowest unemployment rate – 5.7 percent – in the region. More than 4,000 multi-family units are under construction in Fort Lauderdale and another 5,000 are under review, Lindblade wrote. [Sun-Sentinel] —Mark Maurer