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Redevelopment
Changing Appearances
 Rendering of Gulfstream Park |
The small oceanfront town of Hallandale Beach, sandwiched between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, largely missed out on the development frenzy that blew through southeast Florida in the last decade.
The 40,000-population town now hopes to retire its image as a low-key refuge for retirees with a host of redevelopment projects, starting with a recently completed $130-million renovation of the Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino complex. New development plans call for 1,500 condos, 750,000 square feet of retail, 140,000 square feet of office, a 500-room hotel and a 2,500-seat movie multiplex. Cleveland developer Forest City plans to break ground in June.
"Our master plan to upgrade our corridors has led to millions of dollars in proposed development around Gulfstream Park," says Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper. While gambling is the city's primary industry, Cooper adds, she envisions Hallandale as a more general recreation retreat.
Meanwhile, scores of developers plan to make their mark on the city's skyline, and more restaurateurs and retailers are moving in. Alejandro Uribe, who opened Carlton's Restaurant and Lounge with a fine-dining concept two years ago, says, "We figured it was just a matter of time before Hallandale exploded."
The European Club, a 30-story luxury mixed-use development, is scheduled to be completed in mid-2008. "Hallandale Beach had been skipped over," says Juan Carlos Ventura, president of European Club's developer, Miami-based V-Strategic Group, "but its revitalization is at its peak. This is a strategic location."
