Uptown Urban Village Land Use Amendment & Form

As a sub-consultant to BCC Engineering, Inc., Benesch worked closely with the City of Fort Lauderdale Department of Sustainable Development to develop a planning and urban design framework for the Uptown Urban Village, a large office/retail cluster located near the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.

Project objectives included advancing Urban Land Institute recommendations, community engagement, enhancing assets, improvements to bicycle/pedestrian and parks/open space infrastructure, evaluating the Uptown brand to ensure a strong sense of place, and recommending code changes to support the vision.

Benesch provided support for the completion of a Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) and led the development of an area-wide master plan and form-based code to encourage the development of a mixed-use district supportive of multimodal transportation. The integration of mixed-use and residential development required the development of an area-wide parking strategy to manage demand from employment uses.

This project included close coordination with Envision Uptown group and property owners to develop an integrated connectivity plan that improved walkability and provided opportunities for street frontages. Connectivity needed to be focused internally to the district and link regional transit and existing/planned bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Benesch assessed the existing planning framework to determine the most appropriate, market-feasible development typologies, conducted an interactive workshop and public involvement process to engage all stakeholders and developed a master connectivity plan.