New retail project planned in Fort Lauderdale

A rendering of the Las Olas Place mixed-use project in Fort Lauderdale
A rendering of the Las Olas Place mixed-use project in Fort Lauderdale

The Las Olas company has announced plans to build a new retail and office building in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Dubbed Las Olas Place, the proposed two-story building would have 16,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 15,500 square feet of offices on the second. Its rooftop would also double as an event space with room for 500 guests, according to the announcement.

The development site is a chunk of vacant land directly to the east of Fort Lauderdale’s Riverside Hotel, which the company also owns, at 788 East Las Olas Boulevard.

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Groundbreaking is slated for January 2016, with work wrapping up by spring 2017. Shoppers will be able to use the existing surface parking lot to the project’s rear.

The Las Olas Company is a major property holder along the boulevard. According to a news release, the company is trying to maintain the corridor’s “Mediterranean village architecture.”

“It’s extremely important to us to maintain the current architectural flow on Las Olas Boulevard,” said Michael Weymouth, president of the company, in the release. “With almost 80 years of preserving the Boulevard, we’re looking forward to Las Olas Place being a continuation of the beauty and elegance it represents.” — Sean Stewart-Muniz