Construction is finally set to begin on Icon Las Olas, a Fort Lauderdale condo project delayed for 15 years.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that Jorge Perez’s Related Group will start construction in December or January. The 45-story building will have 272 units and is targeted for completion in late 2016 or early 2017. The condo project was first proposed in 1999, but it was opposed in court for years by the neighboring Stranahan House museum, which feared being covered by the condo’s shadow.
The public battle over the condo is history, according to Leo Hansen, the president of Stranahan House’s board. “The bottom line is, what happened is old news,” he said. “Our goal is to be good neighbors.”
Related’s plans for the condo were also stymied by the collapse of the housing market. Although the Stranahan case was dismissed in 2011, market conditions kept the project in limbo until the turnaround.
Related has two other Broward County projects in the works: a condo conversion for the former Ireland’s Inn in Fort Lauderdale and the Hyde Resort & Residences in Hollywood. [Sun-Sentinel] – Chris Guanche