Temple Kol Ami Emanu-el in Plantation submits new plan to sell 5.4 acres to Stiles

Temple Kol Ami Emanu-el in Plantation plans to sell off 5.4 acres of its 15-acre campus to a multifamily developer to build 315 apartments.

According to the new plan, Stiles Corp. is replacing the Alliance Residential Company, which had planned to develop the project a year ago on the property at 8100 Peters Road, documents filed with the city show.

Neither the temple nor the current developer responded to requests for information about the new plan which is scheduled to be heard by Plantation’s development review committee on August 22nd.

Currently, the site is zoned for community facilities, a designation that applies to the temple and the school. But the developer is trying to change the land use for the entire site, including the temple, a charter school, a swimming pool, recreational areas and vacant land, Peter Dokuchitz, principal planner with the city of Plantation, told The Real Deal.

But even if the zoning change is approved, the request for 58 units per acre is more than three times the maximum allowed in the city for the 5.4-acre site, Dokuchitz said.

“They are attempting to combine the densities for the entire property to get the density they want [for apartments]. We are in the process of determining if this can be done,” he said.

The temple has owned the land since 1999. According to a city staff report for the review committee, such a zoning change is usually only approved if there is a change in the local population or the development of the property nearby that would affect the property.

Plantation is becoming denser, according to Dokuchitz. That’s why the city updated its plan for the Midtown district —designated in 2004 as a kind of town center — where the temple is also located. “We are asking ourselves, ‘what level of density does the city want in the next 10 to 15 years?’” he said.

Charles Foschini, senior managing director for Berkadia in Miami, told TRD that the temple property’s site would be excellent for apartments, because of its proximity to airports and expressways in addition to its being a high-employment area. The apartment market in West Broward can absorb a lot more than 315 units, he said. Plus, “an institutional owner usually looks for 250 to 300 units [to qualify a development] as an investment opportunity,“ he said.

And if Stiles decides to sell the units as condos, they would also be successful, Foschini said. “Suburban condominiums are more affordable for first-time buyers and there is a dearth of quality [units] in the $250,000 to $400,000 range,” he said.