One day, the legendary International Swimming Hall of Fame will be reborn, transforming the city-owned peninsula that sits south of Las Olas Boulevard into a bustling tourist attraction, city officials say.
But that has not stopped the rising tide of opposition to the $218 million project.
The developer plans to build two new Hall of Fame buildings that will sit like bookends on either side of the pools at Fort Lauderdale’s Aquatic Center at 501 Seabreeze Blvd.
The west building’s height has been scaled back three times after critics complained that it would eclipse the Aquatic Center’s iconic dive tower, which stands nearly nine stories high. The original design called for a building standing 134 feet high. That was scaled back to 120 feet. And now it’s down to 85 feet.
The six-story west building will be home to a new Hall of Fame museum, theater, aquarium and rooftop restaurant. The east building will go up in the next phase of construction, replacing the current building at the site.
The deal, approved by the commission and signed by the mayor, was made in 2023.
Skeptics now say they are worried about the city losing money on the deal.
Under the comprehensive agreement, Fort Lauderdale will be required to contribute a maximum of $11 million a year over the course of a 30-year lease. The city’s contribution could be offset by revenue generated by the project.
Other critics — some of whom only recently came forward — say the Hall of Fame building is still too tall under the new proposal.
Mario Caprini, CEO of Capital Group P3 of Florida and a partner in the project with Hensel Phelps, recently presented the new plan to city staff who sit on Fort Lauderdale’s Development Review Committee.
“How we pulled this little magic trick, we just made the floor plate bigger,” Caprini told the South Florida Sun Sentinel after the meeting. “So we can fit three floors on one floor. We accomplished what the mayor and the citizens wanted. Now it’s shorter than the dive tower. And we can still accommodate our tenants.”
Not everyone was impressed with the design team’s so-called magic trick.
Competitive swimmers who use the pools at the Aquatic Center crowded into the conference room to object to a project they say will jeopardize the center’s status as a world-class facility.
The Aquatic Center, which shares the 5-acre peninsula with the Swimming Hall of Fame, recently underwent a major renovation that cost nearly $50 million. The center’s $5 million dive tower, one of the tallest in the world, has become one of the barrier island’s most popular landmarks.
The swimmers had several concerns, saying the west building is still too massive and still too close to the dive tower. They also think the site needs more parking.
The building has undergone a redesign that brings its height from the equivalent of 12 stories to eight.
The second and third floors will feature a 181-space parking garage. Another 76 parking spaces will be reserved at the Las Olas Parking Garage, bringing the total to 257 spaces
Susan Peterson, a former competitive swimmer who is now 82, warned against moving forward with the building as planned.
“I think this building would be a disaster for the whole area,” Peterson said during the meeting. “The peninsula isn’t big enough for it. Please put the swimmers first. This whole place was designed as a swimming facility.”
Debby Eisinger, a former Cooper City mayor who now lives in Fort Lauderdale, said the current plan will only take away from the newly redesigned Aquatic Center and its famous dive tower.
“Fifty million dollars was spent on rebuilding the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center — are they protecting this investment?” she said.
Mark Richards, another swimmer, argued that the developer should be required to do a wind study and a shadow study even though it’s not required by code.
“When you look at the 85-foot building that’s now proposed, because of prevailing breezes off the southeast, you’re going to get wind eddies,” he said. “I’ve seen no wind studies. Our world competition dive tower is going to be in the shade every afternoon. They can’t dive in the shade. You lose perception. And if you don’t hit the water just right, you’re going to get hurt. If they’re seeing unsafe conditions, they’ll call off competitions.”
Richards also told city staff that the building needs to be set back.
“You’ve got to make a smaller and a lower profile,” Richards said. “You’re going to have headlights, noise, pollution and honking of horns right next to a dive tower. That distracts the divers. Downsize the building and do a bigger setback.”
The Development Review Committee board had a limited time to hear the speakers and reminded them several times to keep their comments short and to focus on the technical aspects of the project. The board did not have the time to respond to the comments, but told the crowd they would have more opportunities to share their concerns in future meetings with the commission and Fort Lauderdale’s Planning and Zoning Board.
The redesign of the west building will need approvals from both boards before the project can break ground.
Glassman and other city officials have wondered why the swimmers didn’t speak up earlier, before the commission approved the deal two years ago.
But Commissioner Ben Sorensen says it’s not too late for the skeptics to speak up and share their concerns.
“I think the swimmers are there day in and day out,” Sorensen said. “I think their perspective and feedback is important. And I think we need to keep working together to design a project everyone can live with. I’m confident we’re going to get there.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan