What’s happening at the site of the old Broward Mall in Plantation? NBC6’s Sophia Hernandez checks what’s being built there.
What's happening at the site of the old Broward Mall in Plantation?
Off of West Broward Blvd and South University Drive there is a desolate shell of a building you can’t miss. And that's one of many construction projects featured in NBC6's What's Being Built Here series.
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WATCH HEREIt’s the site of the old Sears store at Broward Mall, once a hotspot in Plantation that now is just a run-down building.
"We have been putting together plans for decades, this is something that we have been talking about for decades. How is Broward Mall going to grow and change?" said Plantation mayor, Nick Sortal.
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According to the mayor, the City Council approved in 2019 plans for a remake of the Sears portion of the mall.
Seritage Growth Properties was the company tasked with redeveloping more than 250 properties of Sears across the country. This site being one of them.
The plan was to have shops, restaurants, a game area and more, but then Covid hit.
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"Since 2019 it has sat there halfway developed, it’s been an eyesore," said Sortal, who explained that an executive order by the governor allowed for construction permits to be stalled, and six years later it looks exactly the same.
“People drive by it and it’s pretty demoralizing that you go by and you see that all the time,” he said.
After the pandemic, Seritage started selling off the properties they acquired one by one.
"The one here in Plantation was among the final 50, it was among the harder ones to sell because there was uncertainty, what are you going to put there?” Sortal said.
But in November, Seritage sold this lot to Midtown Group for $28 million. They are the same team behind the development of Midtown Miami.
Midtown Group told NBC6 that they have been “actively engaged in conceptual planning for a tear down and redevelopment”, and that early outreach has shown the community desires high quality dining options.
They said that they are working on a plan to make this property a mixed-use space.
"We are excited to have a place where people can live work and play, that’s what the public wants,” Sortal said, adding that right now his priority is getting the building knocked down or covered, but that alone could take some time.
He is hoping that the new owners of the property will have a plan to present by the end of this year. Then it will go through planning and zoning, get vetted by the city, and in 2026, the City Council should be able to make a decision on the plans.
“We have the quiet neighborhoods off to the side, and we need another place that is more active, and Broward Mall has always been part of that plan,” he said.
