Within six months, one of the city[base ']s largest trailer parks will close, uprooting poor retirees, a few young entrepreneurs, and unemployed families hanging on by a financial thread. It is a typical tale in South Florida, where developers are eager to buy up land in built-out cities.
But for Wilton Manors, what comes next defines whether its urban core will become attractively average or extraordinary in city officials[base '] eyes.
Trailer Haven is the bridge between what the city was and what it could become under an aggressive beautification project for this once blue-collar bedroom community that is rapidly evolving into a chic city.
The bland plot of rusted-out trailers and ragged underbrush at 2360 Wilton Drive is wedged in the middle of the town[base ']s burgeoning center that is now home to a new Thai/sushi restaurant, clubs and renovated shops. This plum 3-acre site is already rumored to be worth more than $3.5 million to a high-end developer who wants to buy it.
[base "]This would certainly be a signature location along Wilton Drive. It[base ']s a crucial parcel,[per thou] said City Manager Joseph Gallegos.
The city wants to rezone the land to allow a developer to build a two-story shopping district with condominiums that would rival Las Olas Boulevard and become the city[base ']s swankiest development.
A Fort Lauderdale developer says he is in the process of buying the property from owners Doug Bachman and Steve Allen, although he won[base ']t reveal how much he will pay.
Bachman and Allen, who purchased the land for $1.2 million in 2000, confirmed a sale is pending.
This is a few blocks away from me & I see property values are going up fast. I bought my condo at the beginning of this year, and I now see a similar unit in my building is selling for $15,000 more than I paid.
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