The Fort Lauderdale Planning & Zoning Board approved three separate items and deferred another after public questions about process and state law. The board’s actions affect hospital outpatient services, cityaffordable‑housing flex policy and an Uptown land‑use restriction.

Holy Cross outpatient center and emergency department (200 East Sunrise Boulevard)
The board voted to adopt a resolution approving a Site Plan Level 3 conditional use for Holy Cross Health's proposed comprehensive outpatient center and off‑site emergency department at 200 East Sunrise Boulevard (case UDPS25014). The application was presented by Steve Tillbrook of Ackerman Law Firm and Holy Cross representatives. The board’s approval endorsed the project as consistent with the Northwest RAC master plan design guidelines and included the standard conditions listed in the staff report. Public testimony included support from an immediate neighborhood representative, Olga Zamora of the South Middle River Civic Association, who said the project would provide meaningful services and improve the pedestrian environment. The project details recorded at the hearing: an 11,721‑square‑foot emergency department with 12 treatment rooms, an outpatient center with 18 exam/treatment rooms, a future 20,000‑square‑foot shell on the second floor, and a 141‑space enclosed parking garage (code requires 128). Roll call on the resolution was unanimous in favor; the motion carried.

Unified Flex policy amendment (case UDPT25010)
Staff presented a local policy amendment to reallocate an unused set‑aside of affordable flex units into the city's unified flex pool, increasing the number of available flex units that can be used as incentives in major corridors and regional activity centers. Principal Planner Jim Hetzel explained the change addresses a pool of affordable units that, since adoption in 2018, had seen little uptake because other incentives and state law changes (including the Live Local Act) now offer alternative routes for affordable housing. The board voted to recommend the amendment to the City Commission and approved it in the board's action; roll call showed unanimous support.

Uptown Urban Village land‑use restriction (case UDPL25003)
The board recommended approval of a proposed amendment to the Fort Lauderdale comprehensive plan's Uptown Transit‑Oriented Development designation to remove language that excluded a small portion of property from residential uses (a restriction placed previously because of airport compatibility concerns). Staff noted that recent airport contour analysis and acoustical testing indicate that the property at issue lies outside of problematic contours and that future, site‑specific airport compatibility standards should be enforced in the ULDR rather than by a blanket comprehensive‑plan restriction. The board voted in favor of the recommendation to the City Commission.

Central City text and rezoning (UDPT25009 / UDPZ25002) — deferred
Staff presented a long‑running Central City rezoning project that would create new form‑based zoning districts across an area extending along Sunrise Boulevard to the FEC rail line and up to Northeast Thirteenth Street. City staff and the Central City CRA said the effort aims to create predictable, form‑based standards for podiums, tower setbacks, floorplates and streetscapes to accelerate redevelopment. During public comment, some residents asked for more time to review the proposed map and the new text and expressed confusion about a recently adopted state law that limits municipalities from adopting new rules deemed "more restrictive or burdensome" until 2027 (commonly referenced in the hearing as the recent senate bill on disaster recovery/state restrictions). Given the community requests and the complexity of how the text and map interact, the board voted to defer both the text amendment and the rezoning map to the next meeting so staff can better explain the implications and an opt‑in approach to applying the new districts.

What votes mean next
Approved items will follow normal permitting and City Commission review where required. The Central City text and map were deferred so staff can present clearer options about applying the new zoning districts (including an opt‑in approach) and address community questions tied to the current state law.

Votes at a glance (board roll calls)
- Holy Cross site plan (UDPS25014): APPROVED (roll call unanimous)
- Unified Flex policy amendment (UDPT25010): APPROVED (roll call unanimous)
- Uptown land‑use text amendment (UDPL25003): RECOMMENDED to City Commission (roll call unanimous)
- Central City text and rezoning (UDPT25009 / UDPZ25002): DEFERRED to next meeting (roll call unanimous)

Ending: The board emphasized that the Central City rezoning remains a multi‑year planning effort and asked staff to return with clearer guidance and a public outreach plan before rezoning parcels to the new form‑based districts.