There are two agenda items which will decide the future of Bahia Mar on the December 5th agenda. · R-4 17-1330 Quasi-Judicial - Resolution Approving a Site Plan Level IV Development Permit - Bahia Mar - Rahn Bahia Mar, LLC. - 801 Seabreeze Blvd. – Case R17040. · M-2 17-1482 Motion for the City Commission to Consider Consent of Major Alterations to Bahia Mar. The Resolution (R-4) calls for the approval of the Site Plan for the Development of Bahia Mar. The development includes 15 buildings, 651 residential units and 176,965 square feet of retail/commercial space. The existing hotel will be replaced with a new 256 room hotel. The Motion (M-2) asks the Commission to allow the tenant to make major alterations to the property. In other words, the Commission will first approve the Site Plan. Next as the Landlord, they will give their tenant the ability to build it. It will take 7 -10 years to finish the project. This project raises many concerns. Purchased by the Citizens of Fort Lauderdale in 1947, Bahia Mar is one of the City’s most significant assets. (The appraised value in 2016 was $218 million.) Municipal recreation bonds funded not only the purchase of the land but the construction of a municipal recreation center. The marina at Bahia Mar was instrumental in earning Fort Lauderdale the reputation as the Yachting Capital of World. The marina is protected by the current lease which mandates that the character of Bahia Mar shall be maintained as a marina. In fact, the Lease states that the premises shall be used as a first-class hotel-marina-resort. So how do 651 residential units fulfill the agreement to have a first-class hotel-marina-resort? The City has been told repeatedly that the Site Plan violates the lease. As their attorney told them in 2015 “The Existing Lease does not allow the Bahia Mar Property to be used for condominiums, multi-family residential uses as principal independent uses.” But the City Commission is moving ahead with both the site plan and the motion to give permission to build the site plan. They don’t even know whether their will be a financial benefit to the City. In fact, the Commission Agenda Memos for both items say: Resource Impact There is no fiscal impact to the City associated with this item. The memo in support of making changes states that it fulfills Goal 12: Be a leading government organization, managing resources wisely and sustainability • Objective 1: Ensure sound fiscal management Sound fiscal management? The City is considering granting permission to their tenant to develop this valuable piece of property. They have provided no back-up to suggest that the City will make any money. What about the developer? They could make as much as a billion, a billion and a half. There are many other concerns about the impact of this development on · The character of Bahia Mar is required to be maintained as marina in the Lease. 651 residential units compared with 250 boat slips raise questions about whether the character of the property will be changed from marina to residential. · Adding density on the barrier island in an area with traffic congestion and aging infrastructure is a major concern. The City last year supported directing development away from the barrier island. A1A Level of Service by Bahia Mar is ranked an F by the State at certain times of day. Adding 651 apartments in a concentrated area on the narrowest part of the barrier island is going to adversely impact the area. There have been numerous pipe breaks in the vicinity. How much more density can this one area sustain? · The Tenant agreed to use the premises as a first-class hotel-marina- resort - now they want to build 2 ½ times more apartments (651) than hotel rooms (256). · The time to negotiate with the developer is before the City allows them to make changes to the property. For too long, City officials have complained about the lease. The revenue to the City on this 38-acre property is just $1.5 million dollars per year. Why would the Commission agree to let someone build on their land without knowing how it will impact the value of the property and the revenue to the City? · Emergency Response times are already greater than 2 minutes over target times. How will increase traffic impact this? · This is public land – purchased for a municipal recreation center and a marina. Last year over 1000 registered voters certified by the Supervisor of Elections asked the City to take a position on using public lands for a public purpose. 651 residential units are not a public purpose. There is much more to be said about the magnitude of the project, the lack of any real financial information, the failure to enforce the Lease, and the impact on infrastructure and traffic