Waterfront Project Dubbed Crown Jewel of Fort Lauderdale Beach

The Las Olas Beach Park project, located in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, has recently completed. Considered the crown jewel of Fort Lauderdale Beach, the $49-million project includes a new 650-space parking garage, improved public spaces and interactive water features, which collectively enhance the pedestrian experience and help better connect the city’s waterfront. Skanska served as general contractor.

As an integral part of the Las Olas Beach Park project, a 258,000-square-foot parking garage was constructed adjacent to the city of Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Marina. Designed by EDSA Inc., the enclosed garage features a stainless steel and aluminum wrap across the building’s exterior with colorful and programmable LED lights. It also has digital signage displaying parking space availability and an amenity deck that offers spectacular views of downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Intracoastal Waterway. Construction began in June 2017 and the garage opened to the public in December 2018, followed by the public debut of the Las Olas Oceanside Park less than a year later.

A central component of the project is the Las Olas Oceanside Park, featuring architecturally designed landscaping that provides additional shading with streetscape improvements along the boulevard and a refreshing splash pad for children to play. Instead of all grass, portions of the park incorporate coquina shells and tall patches of sea grasses that bring beach elements into the public space. Additionally, the city of Fort Lauderdale’s Seabreeze Tram will provide free transportation between the new parking garage and the oceanfront park and plaza to ease access for beachgoers.

The project’s infrastructure improvements included adding a festival street with eastbound and westbound lanes that are pedestrian friendly, bicycle lanes and the extension of retail and café fronts on the north side of the road. It also features several sustainable and resilient elements, including special draining systems for the palm trees that capture rainwater. Beyond providing shade, the new canopy sculpture also captures water runoff used to flush toilets in the park’s bathrooms.