Affordable Housing Under Way in Fort Lauderdale
Carlisle Development Group and the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale have broken ground on Northwest Gardens, Phases II and IV.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—Carlisle Development Group and the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale have broken ground on Northwest Gardens, Phases II and IV. Located on about 14.42 acres, the two developments will have 13 one-, two- and three-story residential buildings and 266 affordable apartments, ranging from one to five bedrooms and 650 square feet to 1,500 square feet.
Ten percent of the apartments in Phases II and IV will be designated for residents at 25 percent or less than the area median income, which is of $62,600. Ninety percent of the dwellings will be designated for residents at 60 percent or less of area median income. Many of the residents will be seniors and children.
Community amenities include clubhouses, fitness centers, library/computer rooms, playgrounds and community rooms. Residential amenities include dishwashers, microwave ovens, dual flush toilets, impact-resistant glass and window treatments. Also, all phases of Northwest Gardens are supported by the Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Association’s shuttle system, which provides daily public transportation for residents.
The project is part of a master plan to redevelop the city’s Northwest neighborhood, which has a high rate of unemployment and poverty, as well as the highest juvenile crime rates in the state, and some of the highest HIV/AIDS infections amongst teenagers in the nation. The aim of the redevelopment is to replace outdated public housing with new affordable housing to help ameliorate the neighborhood’s problems. When complete, the redevelopment will have transformed more than 14 city blocks.
The first two phases of Northwest Gardens were designated as the first LEED for Homes (Multifamily) Gold in Florida, as well as the first LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) Certified Community in the state (and the fifth in the nation). The city of Fort Lauderdale honored Northwest Gardens I and III as Project of the Year in 2012.
