Fort Lauderdale officials pause Galleria redevelopment review as "Live Local" rules shift local control

City of Fort Lauderdale officials and planning staff told a packed town-hall audience they have paused review of an initial Live Local application for redevelopment of the Galleria Mall site after finding the submittal incomplete and raising legal questions about how the state'level law applies to portions of the property.

"The requirement is that 40% of the overall development units that are proposed have to be affordable," said Anthony Farhad, director of development services for the city, describing the core Live Local requirement and the administrative review process staff must follow. He said the statute sets certain items (height, density, FAR, parking reductions) by statute while other elements such as setbacks, landscaping and neighborhood-compatibility standards remain subject to the city's unified land development regulations and ordinances.

The initial application materials shown at the meeting included renderings and staff-cited figures of 3,144 total residential units, an estimated 1,273 affordable units (40% by unit count), and roughly 142,963 additional square feet of commercial space. Staff emphasized those figures came from…