Atlantic Pacific partnership buys Fort Lauderdale land, plans affordable housing

Site was formerly planned as a facility for the scrapped Wave Streetcar system

1801 Southwest First Avenue and AP’s Howard Cohen
1801 Southwest First Avenue and AP’s Howard Cohen

A public/private partnership between the Housing Authority of Fort Lauderdale and Atlantic Pacific Communities just paid $1 for city-owned land where it wants to build a new affordable housing complex.

The city of Fort Lauderdale sold the 2.3-acre property at 1801 Southwest First Avenue as part of an effort to repurpose the site that was formerly planned as a facility for the scrapped Wave streetcar system program.

The Fort Lauderdale City Commission unanimously approved the sale last week. Fort Lauderdale acquired the property in 2014 through a land swap with All Aboard Florida, a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries. All Aboard is also the company building the Brightline rail service.

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“[The Housing Authority of Fort Lauderdale and Atlantic Pacific Communities] can now begin designing the project,” City Manager Lee Feldman said. The partnership has five years to develop the property or it will revert back to the city.

Plans call for more than 100 units designated for families earning less than $78,840 a year, or 120 percent of the county’s area median income – currently pegged at $65,700, according to the Housing and Urban Development.

Feldman said plans will likely have to go before the commission for approval. The partners will also have to rezone the property to allow for multifamily development. Currently, the zoning allows for light commercial and industrial properties.