Fort Lauderdale, already known as the yachting capital of America, is going to get bigger yet. The city government just approved a $1 billion redevelopment of the Bahia Mar complex, home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to include four condominium towers, a 23-floor luxury hotel, a marina village with restaurants and bars, and a park with a public waterfront promenade.
Then, across town, the Port 32 Fort Lauderdale Marina, a new development, opened this week on the Marina Mile on the New River, just west of I-95. It has room for 32 yachts in a three-acre yacht basin, and dry storage for 278 more. It’s owned by Port 32, based in Charleston, South Carolina, which already has seven other marinas in Florida.
The Bahia Mar development (pictured) will include seven acres of waterfront boat-show space and a new megayacht marina. The major projects:
Four 21-story condo towers with 350 units.
A 23-story, five-star hotel with 256 rooms and 60 luxury condo apartments.
A marina village with restaurants and bars along A1A.
A waterfront restaurant on the north side.
A 1.25-acre ark overlooking the ICW.
A public waterfront promenade 25 feet wide and half a mile long.
Construction is projected to take 15 years, and the city expects to collect $15 million a year in new taxes.
The new Port 32 marina is a full-service affair including a fuel dock, the only one on the New River. It comes with a high-speed pump. New wet slips can hold yachts up to 150-feet in the water for repairs, including painting, engine work, hull work, and bright work. The development has a captains’ and crew quarters with a fitness center, lounge and conference room. (The dry storage is pictured above.)
Port 32 is convenient. It’s just a few minutes drive from the airport, and it’s meant to safe from hurricanes, with the ability to withstand winds up to 175 mph. Read more:
