The fashionable Dalmar hotel in Fort Lauderdale’s trendy Flagler Village is getting a neighbor — a much taller neighbor, much to the chagrin of the hotel’s owner, Jake Wurzak.
The two-tower development set for 201 N. Federal Highway won the commission’s blessing during a recent meeting where Wurzak argued the project will dwarf his 25-story hotel and block views of the fast-growing downtown skyline.
“This project will be disastrous to hotel Dalmar,” Wurzak told commissioners. “This is not just another building. It’s a looming shadow over The Dalmar.”
The project as proposed by New York-based Naftali Group calls for 936 luxury apartments with close to 5,600 square feet reserved for restaurants and shops. The taller 47-story west tower will stand 522 feet, 10 inches. The 45-story east tower will stand 492 feet, 10 inches. A nine-story parking podium will connect both towers, sitting just 10 feet from The Dalmar.
The Naftali project won approval 4-1 on Dec. 5, with Commissioner Warren Sturman casting the only “no” vote.
Steve Glassman, the district commissioner, had high praise for the project.
“This is only going to add to what’s already happening in Flagler Village,” Glassman said. “Flagler Village has become a city unto itself. This is quite a stunning downtown project that’s going to add to that whole Federal Highway corridor. I think it’s going to be a perfect addition to Flagler Village.”
To build the project as planned, the developer needed and got commission approval on two variances. One allows the developer to build a podium that’s nearly 400 feet long despite a code that sets the maximum length at 300 feet. The other allows Naftali to exceed the maximum floor plate size of 12,500 square feet on each tower, allowing for more residential units.
“They’re not just bending the rules, but rewriting them at the Dalmar’s expense,” Wurzak told commissioners. “Their increase in the floor plates blocks our view, blocks our sunlight, blocks fresh air. It’s terrible.”
Wurzak argued the developer showed no hardship to get either deviation requests approved.
“They want to build a bigger building, they should have bought a bigger site,” said Wurzak, whose hotel opened four years ago at 299 N. Federal Highway.
Wurzak also took issue with the nine-story parking podium, saying the hotel’s sixth-floor pool deck will face the garage next door once it gets built.
“The guest rooms will look right into this garage,” Wurzak said. “We’re going to see lights and cars and all this stuff coming through. The parking garage is literally 10 feet away from our pool. The decision you make tonight will echo throughout the history of our city.”
Views are never guaranteed — especially in Flagler Village, Mayor Dean Trantalis noted before the vote.
“The first time I ever stepped out onto that amenities deck (at The Dalmar), I thought, ‘Wow, what a beautiful view,’” Trantalis said. “And my next thought was, ‘It’s only going to be temporary.’ Because that’s the nature of Flagler Village. The fact that you were the first on the block meant the risk was there that someone would come in and build right next door to you.”
Before the vote, Commissioner John Herbst said he was worried about the project’s impact on The Dalmar as more tall towers go up downtown.
“I think the tallest one on Brickell now is 898 feet,” Herbst said. “It’s coming, folks. We’re going to look more and more like Miami, which is doing its best to look more and more like Manhattan, or Dubai for that matter. I’m not entirely happy with the project, but I do believe something is going to be built there.”
In the end, the project got a nod from Herbst.
“I did have some qualms about it,” he said this week. “But when it comes to development projects, I tend to defer to the district commissioner. The feeling is they’re more in touch with their neighborhoods and they know what their neighborhoods want. Had the district commissioner been opposed to it, I would have had a different vote.”
The way Herbst sees it, the project is compatible with the neighborhood and in line with other projects on the rise downtown.
“It’s consistent with the long-term growth plans we put in place 20 years ago,” he said. “We made a commitment as a city that we were going to concentrate density in the downtown area. We’ve been working towards that goal for the past two decades and we’re there now. And I think we’re the envy of most cities throughout Broward. They’re trying to create what we have naturally.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at . Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
