Fort Lauderdale has officially put shovels in the ground on The Alridge and The Laramore, a $42 million mixed-use complex that city leaders say will lock in affordable housing along the historic Sistrunk corridor. The twin buildings are slated to bring 72 rental apartments and street-level retail to a stretch where rising prices and constant construction already have longtime residents wondering who, exactly, this progress is for.
What the project will include
According to the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Agency, the Sistrunk Apartments project will feature two five-story buildings, each with 36 units, plus ground-floor commercial space geared toward small, neighborhood-serving businesses. CRA project materials put the development at roughly $42 million and say that long-term affordability restrictions will be written into the deal so rents stay below market levels over time. Notices from the City of Fort Lauderdale also tie the build to broader corridor efforts, including small-business support programs and local hiring events.
Rents and community reaction
As reported by CBS News, one-bedroom apartments at The Alridge and The Laramore are expected to rent for about $1,100 a month, with two-bedrooms around $1,350. The city says rents will be capped at 30 percent of a household’s gross income, with that cap including utilities. CBS also notes that construction is expected to wrap by summer 2027. Those numbers have landed with a mix of cautious optimism and unease among neighbors who see the new buildings as both welcome relief and another sign the area is changing fast.
Funding and local hiring
The CRA has been touting hiring events tied to Sistrunk projects, and public records show the agency putting up multi-million dollar incentives to get developments like this one off the ground. Developers behind the Sistrunk proposals have also gone to the Broward County Housing Finance Authority for multifamily financing, and HFA board materials and applications outline requests for bonds and local incentives that are meant to make the affordability math pencil out for the project team.
Neighbors worry the change is erasing history
As CBS News captured, 90-year-old resident Gerline Heastie said the Sistrunk corridor "has changed tremendously" and warned that "we don't have any history left there," a fear shared by other longtime locals. Some business owners see more upside. Chris Smith, who owns Smitty’s Wings, called the project "part of the Renaissance," arguing that more residents could mean more customers and extra eyes on the street that help legacy shops survive.
What happens next
City and CRA officials say they plan to keep up community outreach while crews are on site, monitor the affordability covenants and continue to host hiring and vendor events as work progresses. Advocates and neighbors, meanwhile, say they will be watching the leases, the fine print on affordability terms and any future incentive packages closely to see whether these new units actually help longtime families and small businesses stay put in Sistrunk, or simply mark the next phase of a corridor in transition.
