Developer sues to overturn city’s rejection of Fort Lauderdale apartment project

Trammel Crow Residential is trying to revive plans to build Alexan-Tarpon River, a planned 21-story, 181-unit apartment building in downtown Fort Lauderdale

Alexan-Tarpon River rendering (inset) and Trammell Crow’s Jim Berardinelli
Alexan-Tarpon River rendering (inset) and Trammell Crow’s Jim Berardinelli

The developer of an apartment building in downtown Fort Lauderdale sued to overturn city commissioners’ rejection of the development.

City commissioners voted 3-2 last month to deny site plan approval for Alexan-Tarpon River, a 21-story, 181-unit apartment building that would replace the three-story, 30-unit Edgewood condominium.

Trammel Crow Residential Co. is the developer, and Edgewood House Condominium Association is the plaintiff in three similar lawsuits filed this week in Broward circuit court.

Jim Berardinelli of Trammel Crow Residential had offered to reduce the scale of Alexan-Tarpon River to 14 stories and 120 units but subsequently withdrew the offer.

According to one of the lawsuits, the city’s rejection of Alexan-Tarpon River lacked a legal basis and “was purely the result of political pressure,” the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Mayor Dean Trantalis and commissioners Ben Sorenson and Steve Glassman voted to deny site-plan approval for Alexan-Tarpon River.

Trantalis, Sorenson and Glassman were elected in spring after campaigning against excessive real estate development.

City staff approved Alexan-Tarpon River in April, and city commissioners never identified the development rules that the 21-story project would violate, according to the lawsuits.

The proposed development site now occupied by the Edgewood condominium is on the south side of the New River just west of the U.S. 1 tunnel. [Sun-Sentinel] Mike Seemuth