Planning board approves 240‑foot Amalfi condo at 2317 N. Ocean with conditions after months of debate

The Fort Lauderdale Planning & Zoning Board approved a site‑plan level 3 conditional‑use permit to build the Amalfi, a 39‑unit condominium at 2317 North Ocean Boulevard, in a 9‑to‑2 roll call that adopted staff conditions and the applicant's written agreement with the adjacent Everglades condominium association.

The vote followed a lengthy public hearing in which neighbors and civic groups argued the project is too tall and would cast new shadows on nearby properties, while the applicant described design changes intended to reduce impacts and bring underground parking and new streetscape improvements.

The applicant, represented by attorney Stephanie Toothaker, said the development replaces a low‑rise cluster of short‑term rentals and that design changes were made after extensive outreach to nearby condo owners. Architect Kobi Karp described the building’s design and the below‑grade parking, saying the project intentionally reduces the street footprint and increases ground‑level landscaping while preserving light for the neighbor to the west: "A basement parking, big green space at the ground level, a very nice small footprint at the ground level, and really creating what we see as villas in the sky," Karp said.

Opponents, including several neighborhood associations and individual residents from Dolphin Isles and Lauderdale Beach, said the 240‑foot height is inconsistent with nearby buildings and…