City of Dania Beach Looks to Redevelop City Center Site

DANIA BEACH, FL—The City of Dania Beach is seeking proposals from developers to engage in a public-private partnership to redevelop a 6.42-acre downtown site into a mixed-use development that could total as much as 1.4 million square feet.

The city released the request for proposals in March and has set a deadline for submittals for May 30.

Commercial brokerage firm Colliers International South Florida, through its Urban Core division,  is marketing the parcel that has been recently appraised for $12.3 million. The offering provides “an open canvas to developers for a multi-year phased development plan with a goal to jumpstart and stimulate redevelopment in the city’s Urban Core,” the city states.

In the RFP, the city states it would be willing to contribute the site as part of an overall development plan.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redevelop one of South Florida’s last remaining undeveloped Urban Cores,” says Ken Krasnow, vice chairman of institutional client services with Colliers International South Florida. “By leveraging a P3 approach, the city would gain new public facilities in addition to a mixed-use development that would serve a growing need and stimulate the renaissance of Dania Beach.”

The proposed project at 100 W. Dania Beach Blvd. is called “The First at Dania Beach” and is currently home to the existing City Hall Building of approximately 29,000 square feet. It also includes a 440-space parking structure that is able to be expanded to 660 spaces by adding two floors.

In addition to the existing City Hall, which would be demolished as part of the plan, and rebuilt on the site, the property houses an existing fire station and two small historic buildings, all of which the city believes can be relocated to other city-owned property leaving the majority of the site available for a complete redevelopment. The site also includes the 10,000-square-foot County/Paul Demaio Library. The offering calls for a connection to the existing library or the development of a new library building.

In the offering, the City of Dania Beach states that it “believes that a new City Center would create and stimulate a broader development of the entire downtown area and contribute to the renaissance of Dania Beach.”

The growing population in Dania Beach has been a factor in the growing need for mixed-use space. The city has seen 8.1% population growth since 2010 with the millennial demographic being the fastest-growing population, growing at 2.7 times the national average.

Under the current zoning and factoring in maximum building heights of 14 stories, the development site could accommodate up to 950 multifamily units that could be built in phases.

The property is located less than two miles from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and five miles from Fort Lauderdale.

“This rare opportunity allows prospective developers to partner with the city and get creative to address a growing need without large upfront land acquisition costs,” said Colliers International South Florida broker Bradley Arendt, who is marketing the property for the city along with colleagues Mika Mattingly and Brooke Berkowitz. “The site could accommodate 1.4 million square feet of new building space, creating great potential for multiple uses, including retail and apartments.”

A non-mandatory pre-bid conference is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 100 W. Dania Beach Blvd. Deadline for questions is May 9 and response to questions May 16. Submissions should go to: Thomas L. Schneider, City Clerk, 100 W. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach, FL, 33004. Submittals must include eight copies and one electronic copy.