FORT LAUDERDALE — We know all about those trendy rooftop bars, but who builds a rooftop park?
Fort Lauderdale might, for a cool $3 million.
The park — likely the first of its kind in Broward County — would sit above a parking lot just blocks from the beach in northeast Fort Lauderdale. The site is right next to the city’s Beach Community Center, just north of Oakland Park Boulevard and west of State Road A1A, not far from the strip of condo towers lining Galt Ocean Mile.
Not everyone thinks a rooftop park is such a great idea. Critics fear it might become a haven for the homeless seeking shelter from the sun and rain.
“These people gotta be stupid. It’s just going to be another hangout for the homeless,” said Bob Casullo, a resident who lives on the barrier island and has no plans to go to the park.
“It’s a park with fake grass,” he said. “Why would I go? I got the beach right here.”
But some say they prefer a park to the 24-hour ER center that’s surfaced as a possible option for the taxpayer-owned site.
Commissioners approved the park concept in July 2022. The $200 million parks bond approved by voters in 2018 would pay for it.
If the park gets built, patrons would arrive by stairs or an elevator.
Parkgoers would walk on turf instead of grass. Trees in planters and shade sails would shield them from the sun. Initial plans call for a toddler play area, exercise stations, shaded benches and a walking trail around the perimeter.
Pickleball? Too loud
An earlier idea to include pickleball courts was nixed by critics, who worried the trendy sport would be too loud and disturb their peace.
Some have already said they’d prefer a park to a 24-hour emergency medical center.
In recent months, Broward Health officials have been in talks with the city about building a free-standing ER center on the very same parking lot.
The idea was slammed by an angry crowd of seniors during a recent town hall meeting. Their biggest fears: More gridlock and the round-the-clock whine of emergency sirens. It remains to be seen whether their blistering opposition has killed the project.
Commissioner John Herbst, who represents the district, says he has not yet had a chance to talk to Broward Health officials about their plans since the May 11 meeting.
Mayor Dean Trantalis suggested the city hold a charrette to get public feedback about the proposed park.
“We need to approach this in a holistic way,” Trantalis said. “Everything is in conceptual stages. Let’s put our heads together and see what makes sense.”
Who will use it?
Leslie Fine, who lives in a condo on the Galt, worries about what might happen to the area if the rooftop park gets built.
“People are not going to walk from their homes to go sit in a rooftop park,” Fine said. “The only people who go will be the homeless. They’re not going to go on top. They’ll stay underneath where it’s dry and shady. It’s going to make it scary for people to go to the rec center next door. It’s going to ruin the charm of that neighborhood.”
Fred Nesbitt, president of the Galt Mile Community Association, represents 28 oceanfront condo buildings that are home to at least 15,000 people.
He says former Commissioner Heather Moraitis, who left office in November, came up with the original idea for pickleball courts in October 2021.
When neighbors objected, she suggested a passive park that would be built above the parking lot.
Nesbitt is not a big fan of the plan.
“I just don’t think rooftop parks are going to be popular,” he said. “They have to use turf instead of grass. And it’s going to be difficult to get to. My concern is we never really did the research and surveyed people to find out what would draw them to that park. They’re planning a toddler station, but we don’t have a lot of kids here.”
Nesbitt also worries about the park becoming a destination for the homeless.
“They say the police will patrol it and it will be locked up at night,” he said. “But my other concern is that five years from now, this park will die and we’ll be begging the city to tear it down.”
Nesbitt even questioned the wisdom of putting up shade sails in the park.
“With these storms we’ve had the past few days, they’ll be gone,” Nesbitt said. “They’ll wind up in Oakland Park. We need to sit down and study this and survey the residents and businesses. We can’t just take off in the car on vacation without knowing where we’re going.”
Locked up at night
Moraitis says she spent at least a year holding meetings with the community to promote the idea of a rooftop park.
“We wanted to have more park space for all the residents to enjoy,” she said. “Just because you live in a condo doesn’t mean you want to go to the beach all day. We came up with the idea for a passive park after neighbors said pickleball would be too loud.”
Moraitis says she recalls people being concerned about the park attracting the homeless, but says she doesn’t think it’s an issue.
“Elevators would not work after a certain hour,” she said. “And the park would be locked at night.”
Herbst says he’d like to get more input from the community before moving forward.
“We’re going to need a solid shade structure so people don’t roast in the sun,” he said. “There will be open astro turf, which can be hot as hell. And a toddler station, though there are very few children in that area. Most of the residents along the Galt are retired, so they won’t be using the toddler station unless they have grandkids.”
Herbst says he’s not sure whether the city would conduct a study to make sure the park would get used.
“We can always cancel it,” he said. “No commission is bound by a resolution approved by a prior commission. However, that being said, what’s on the table right now is this park.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
