In that decision, the county is allocating the distribution of those development units on a first-come, first-serve basis. That brought a halt to the New River Development project, even though the city already had approved the plans.

"We had a site plan that was approved and then revoked," Rosen says. "To our thinking, that was done incorrectly." He tells GlobeSt.com, "We are in litigation on that issue. We feel very strongly that we'll be successful in that litigation. Even if litigation fails, we're applying again through normal channels."

Prior to the county's action, Rosen originally proposed a construction start date sometime in October. In response to the county's action, the city is recommending an amendment to its Comprehensive Land Use plan to increase the number of allowed total residential units in the regional activity center.

That recommendation, though, requires approval from the Florida Department of Community Affairs.

"If the proposed amendment is ultimately found to be consistent with state law and (is) recertified by the Broward County Planning Council, it is expected that units will again become available in the Downtown Regional Activity Center sometime in December 2001 or January 2002," according to city records.

This proposed comes at a time of significant consumer demand, in Rosen's view. "Downtown Fort Lauderdale is going through a renaissance, with an estimated two million sf of new office space being built or proposed," Rosen says. "We think most of our buyers are going to be young professional people who want to live, work and play all in the same area."