Fort Lauderdale resort developer proposes land swap with city

The owners of the Bahia Cabana Beach Resort want to redevelop, and have reportedly proposed a land swap with the city of Fort Lauderdale to do it.

Randolph Equity Partners, which owns the 70-room hotel and marina on Fort Lauderdale Beach, has submitted plans to city officials for a $160 million redevelopment of the resort.

The plans include a 196-room hotel, a luxury 112-unit condominium complex, and a marina. Restaurant, retail and gallery spaces would be available, and the developer has said it would create pedestrian pathways and plazas along A1A too, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Randolph Equity would build on the current Bahia Cabana site, at 3001 Harbor Drive, along with two neighboring parcels at 1001 and 1015 Seabreeze Boulevard, according to the newspaper.

The Seabreeze Boulevard parcels are owned by the city, and a fire station currently occupies the 1015 Seabreeze Boulevard plot.

Randolph Equity has offered to exchange the plots for a 0.38-acre site it owns at 3109 Harbor Drive, where it would build a $4.5 million fire station to replace the one it would build over. The Fort Lauderdale-based developer has also thrown in 150 parking spaces from the project’s new parking garage, the Sun Sentinel reported.

A city official told the newspaper that the plan will be reviewed in detail and brought before the city commission. [Sun Sentinel] — Sean Stewart-Muniz