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Mayor Sortal's Special Update - December 4, 2024 |
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It’s coming down! But don’t ask me when.
A local group bought the half-built Sears property on the north end of Broward Mall -- and with it comes the path for the existing eyesore to finally be demolished.
 The 17 acres stuck in purgatory were owned by Seritage Growth Properties, a company formed to acquire and redevelop some of the Sears real estate. Back in 2019, the Plantation City Council approved a plan to repurpose the former Sears building with shops, restaurants and an entertainment center. But when COVID hit, Seritage stopped construction after building just the shell and the city has been frustrated ever since. Everyone shudders every time we drive by.
Permit was frozen
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide executive order after Hurricane Ian hit the state in September 2022 and part of that order included freezing of all permits. Usually, permits expire after three years and cities can begin fining builders like Seritage for non-completion, but the governor's order prevented that. Seritage just let the building sit, and even declined several requests by the city to put a colorful wrap to cover up the eyesore at the heavily traversed spot at Broward Boulevard and University Drive.
But that page has finally been turned.
The new owners have been meeting with my administration and me and four months ago they told us they had an agreement with Seritage to purchase the property. Such complicated transactions, though, often take many months to complete and the $28 million sale closed on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Important: We have to be cautious in speculating on a date when the existing mess will be demolished, though. While the new owners are already securing demo proposals, there are considerations regarding the potential loss of valuable county impact fee credits tied to demo permit issuance that merit consideration. But I’m asking the county to waive the potential expiration of the impact fee credits so demolition can start ASAP.
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Quick-fix options
The encouraging part is that the buyers, called Midtown Group, are based in South Florida and have other interests in Plantation, such as the ALDI near the mall. They care. So as we work toward full demolition, we’re thinking we all can work something out pretty quickly to temporarily improve the aesthetics, be it with artistic graphics, interim landscaping and the like.
While there is likely to be a general mixed-use concept as envisioned by the Midtown master plan, the exact nature of how “high-end” they take the restaurants and stores portion is still being discussed. The new owners will need to go through the city approval process, culminating with a vote by the City Council. That means all elements will be out in the open.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Broward mall (excluding Macy’s, Dillard’s and JC Penney) is still owned by the lender and will be sold at some point; the general line of thinking is that any new owner would likely keep the mall in place in some form.
But today, I’m going to enjoy the progress. We’ve all waited a long time for this.
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Mayor Nick Sortal writes a regular newsletter to keep Plantation residents informed.
Sign up by going to plantation.org/signmeup.
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