Fort Lauderdale's Riverfront now a ghost town

[thelakelander]

It looks like DT Fort Lauderdale's version of the Landing is on it's last legs.

Dan Marino's â€" gone. Ugly Tuna Saloona â€" gone. Ditto for Max's Grille, Johnny Rockets, Argenti Designer Jewelers and Vogue Italia.

Planned 12 years ago as a major entertainment destination for tourists and locals, the Las Olas Riverfront complex sits today as a ghost town along the city's New River. The movie theater remains, but most retail stores have closed and the dining options have dwindled.

Riverfront's business directory lists it as less than half full. And while water still flows from its signature courtyard fountain, its escalators don't move and are blocked off.

Visitors pass shuttered store after shuttered store emblazoned with for-lease signs. The place picks up only late at night when its few nightclubs open.

Casey and Audrey Ahlbum, of Margate, were stunned last week when they came to Riverfront for the first time in a couple of years to take a sightseeing cruise. They hoped to shop and eat in the complex as they had done in the past.

"It's sad," Audrey Ahlbum said. "They should have left it as it was. It was such a great location and set-up, but now there's nothing."

Downtown leaders believe Riverfront will linger largely as it is today until the national economy recovers. Their hopes for a faster rebirth were dashed recently when a group of commercial real estate developers backed out of a deal to buy and restore the complex.

That was the latest setback for the beleaguered Riverfront.

Plans to tear it down and replace it with a hotel, high-rise condo tower and an office building fell through when the real estate market crashed. The complex was bought earlier this year at public auction by one of its lenders, an arm of Cerberus Capital Management in New York.

"Time will force a decision, but I don't know how much time that will be," said restaurateur Tim Petriello, a member of the Downtown Development Authority. "It's terrible because it is one of the nicest pieces of real estate in Fort Lauderdale and is so underutilized. Ultimately, I hope something happens sooner rather than later because what is happening right now does nothing for downtown."

The complex, located just off Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue, was heavily underwritten by tax money.

Taxpayers to both the Broward County School Board and the city of Fort Lauderdale lost more than $3 million in deals leading up to the 1998 development of Riverfront. Local government still has a stake in it because the site must remain a public entertainment zone until at least 2011 under the terms of the city's deal with the original developers.

The downfall of Riverfront has come despite the explosion of downtown residents as a result of the construction of thousands of nearby condos.

Downtown leaders believe the complex developed too young of a following as a result of its movie theater and bars and lost the higher-end customers that could sustain major restaurants and retail operations. They also contend the building was poorly designed for how downtown developed â€" largely blocking itself off as an island between the shops and restaurants along Las Olas and those in Himmarshee Village.

"It's kind of creepy," said Tracy Acton, of Fort Lauderdale, who took her two sons to see "Toy Story 3" at Riverfront last week. She said the original "bustling and wonderful" Riverfront was part of what attracted her family to Fort Lauderdale.

Merv Brody's Vogue Italia was one of Riverfront's original businesses, but he left 2 1/2 years ago.

"I didn't want to leave, but it just wasn't working," Brody said. "The location was right, but the caliber of people changed and the better places moved out."

Robbie Barnes, though, has faith that the complex will recover.

He recently moved his designer clothing store Street Couture from a warehouse studio in Deerfield Beach to Riverfront. He notes that he invested heavily in remodeling what once was a sandwich store and that a new restaurant and nightclub are soon to open.

Riverfront's continuing ill-health is drawing complaints from civic activists who argue the city must do something soon to rehabilitate a place that sits in the prime path along the river that runs from the Broward Center for the Performing Arts to Las Olas Boulevard.

"It's just critical that it be brought back because it is a pivotal piece of downtown," said former City Commissioner Tim Smith, who recently wrote about Riverfront's woes on his personal blog site. "The city needs to play hardball and force something to happen. It's the citizens' land, and someone needs to be a champion."

Mayor Jack Seiler agrees.

He would like the city to work with Riverfront's owners to bring about a redevelopment. He also wants more details on what happens legally next year when the entertainment zone requirement is set to end. He said Riverfront is a key part to building the walk along the New River into something more vibrant like that seen in San Antonio, Texas.

"The city started along the river and the river is our future," Seiler said. "You can't have such a large segment along the Riverwalk sitting vacant."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/fl-riverfront-empty-lauderdale-20100713,0,6752405.story

[finehoe]

Interestingly, most of the reader comments in that Sun-Sentinel article complain about...(wait for it)...PARKING.

[north miami]

The Miami River is to Miami what the New River is to Ft.Lauderdale.

I grew up on the once thriving Miami River,a working waterfront home to Bertram Yachts and multiple upscale yacht service yards and storage facilities such as the Florida Yacht Basin.Now mostly in disrepair,a slum.Some shipping remains and like our own River,the Miami River is a great political resource generating decades of 'restoration' talks.The bulk of the industry moved north to "The Yachting Capital";Fort Lauderdale,leaving the Miami River in a stigma.

Even in Ft.Lauderdale certain reaches of the New River have been long recognized as dangerous,crime ridden areas.In the recent past there have been some bad crime episodes directed towards the boating public in the Las Olas/New River area. As in so much of Jacksonville,there are only remnant islands of decent,safe areas in the Lauderdale area,with much criminal activity to the west of US 1.This is the trend for huge swaths of Southeast Florida.Harsh words here but bonafide.

Perhaps the Las Olas story is aso reflective of the times and economy.
The New River does enjoy working waterfront status.Perhaps that is where the attention should be.

[Vtlsgns]

As a current area resident I can tell you the Riverfront has struggled almost since the beginning. From the start it has really never had a major draw. Parking is not as bad as the Landings but getting in and out of the area is more difficult.

In addition (Note to Landings) the change of family style or mainstream businesses to a collection of bars was a major drawback for many people. It felt like spring break during the 80's at night. They clearly had a "clientele" that was attracted to the area. It is never a good sign to see every business with a Police dept. detail.

Just sayin'.

Anyway here is the listing for ALL of the retail stores as of today.

HEART TO ART
Custom portrait, art and frame shop.


ICHIBAN CLOTHING COMPANY
Riverfront's newest in trendy apparel and accessories.

THE ORIGINAL SIGNMAN
For all your sign and printing needs, we stand out from the competition! Mention this ad for a discount.

KIOSKS   
• Fashion Handbags/Beaded Jewelry
• Kool Shades
• Lucky Eyes

[tufsu1]

Interestingly, most of the reader comments in that Sun-Sentinel article complain about...(wait for it)...PARKING.

but yet there is no problem on Las Olas Blvd, just a few blocks away....where most peoiple also have to park in pay garages.

I think the reality is the Riverfront helped to revitalize the boulevard....and then the road became so cool, that the center began to die....the same thing happened (although in reverse at first) in West Palm, with Clematis Street and CityPlace

[heights unknown]

Lived in Fort Lauderdale (South Florida) from 1995 to 2004; Riverfront Complex started happening in early 2000's and was in fact a new, bustling destination for people looking to shop, dine, or just hang out downtown.  Located on the west end of downtown, which was firmly dead when I moved to South Florida, Riverfront Complex was a much needed shot in the arm not only for downtown Fort Lauderdale, but especially for the West End of downtown Fort Lauderdale.  Wow, can't believe it has faltered and is sputtering on the brink of deathdom.  The economy has spelled doom for even the best of the best! So Jacksonville, take note and take heart; you're not doing all that bad after all!

"HU"

[stjr]

They also contend the building was poorly designed for how downtown developed â€" largely blocking itself off as an island between the shops and restaurants along Las Olas and those in Himmarshee Village.

Looks like it has the same affliction as the Landing.  Turned its back on the surrounding City.  Connectivity, connectivity, connectivity .....

[RiversideLoki]

Sadly, the area was victim to the housing bubble "pump and dump" condo conversion sales.

I remember working down there on one of Montecito Property's places ("Las Olas By The River") on their computer network and the prices they were asking were astronomical even by Ft. Lauderdale standards. What sucks is it's a bigger indication of what happened to everyone else who bought into those places... spend 500k to 1 mil on a 3 bedroom apartment only for it to now be valued under 250. No one can afford to live there anymore. Everyone lost their butts.

[Ron Mexico]

The same story can be told for Baywalk in downtown St. Petersburg.  It had many of the same features of the New River/Los Olas district.  Same restaurants too.  Then it simply became a place for the bored and looking for trouble crowd.  Movie theater is still there, but everything else is circling the drain.  The weird thing is that is has plenty of parking that is easy to get to, and two blocks east along Beach Drive is a thriving dining district.

Taxpayers in St. Pete dumped a bunch of money into that thing too.  I guess there is a trend....

[billy]

This is sad. I spent a lot of time, on the water, in Fort Lauderdale, as a child,
and the place was incredible. Pier 66, Bahia Mar, Las Olas.

[billy]

Los Olas.
MJ is bumming me out tonight, legal action pending.

[tufsu1]

The economy has spelled doom for even the best of the best! So Jacksonville, take note and take heart; you're not doing all that bad after all!

exactly!

[Cliffs_Daughter]

I also lived in Ft Lauderdale for a few years - I went to this place within the first 4 months of opening. And it was crowded at the restaurants for sure, but I really couldn't afford much at many of the stores there. I was better off actually parking near Las Olas and walking up the street doing true "window" shopping... honestly, I liked that better.

[thelakelander]

The economy has spelled doom for even the best of the best! So Jacksonville, take note and take heart; you're not doing all that bad after all!

exactly!

No, we're doing bad.  However, this does not mean that other places aren't struggling as well.  At they still have the Las Olas strip.