Connecting Communities Through Development

Where most see an underutilized municipal bus stop and park-and-ride lot, a South Florida developer sees the future.

After signing a 100-year ground lease with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the developer set out to build a mixed-use, transit-oriented development on a 13-acre site along I-95. Called Cypress Crossing, the project seeks to positively encourage the natural transition between the expanding southern edge of Fort Lauderdale’s uptown district with the fast-growing, suburban-oriented Oakland Park it borders.

Faced with complex underlying infrastructure, zoning challenges, and the site’s location within two municipalities, the development team needed creative and collaborative strategies to accomplish its vision for the site and keep the project moving forward.

Creativity Despite Constraints

As part of the lease agreement with FDOT, the developer was required to maintain public transportation routes and provide a live/work/play community option to reduce regional vehicular traffic. Additionally, the site’s location within two separate municipalities prompted stakeholders from both sides to weigh in on the project.

Bohler turned to collaborative planning to create initial concepts that identified and addressed both shared and competing requirements from all entities up front.

As a result, the team combined two mixed-use towers with six retail and restaurant outparcels. The commuter lot and bus stop were strategically positioned for easy access, public safety, and convenient service. The design solutions enabled the developer to establish the transitional nature of the site through mixed-use elements while meeting the transit-oriented needs of key players.

Connecting Communities Through Development

Contract Review Brings Opportunity to Recapture Space

Prior to the developer taking control of the site, FDOT had installed additional stormwater measures for I-95 roadway expansion. In reviewing the lease language with the developer, Bohler worked with them to identify an opportunity to recapture buildable area by relocating these stormwater facilities outside the lease area.

Phasing as a Strategy

In addition to legal complexities and physical site constraints, the team identified that the overall permitting and entitlement needs added risk to the project’s timeline.

Bohler supported the evolution of this dynamic project through conceptual planning, preliminary design, and municipal engagement. As the project progresses, full civil design and permitting services will be provided to prepare for construction.

Upon completion, Cypress Crossing will offer 190 rental units with retail, a sit-down restaurant, open space, and service amenities along I-95 and municipal transit lines. More importantly, the project will successfully connect two fast-growing neighborhoods.