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Special Feature

TRYING SOMETHING NEW

On Las Olas

By James Martin Fletcher

As springtime unfolded this development in a long series of initiatives and ideas
worked on by the city’s Las Olas Boulevard Mobility
year, the pandemic shutdown Project, in cooperation with the Las Olas Boulevard
became the new normal for Association. Because of innovative responses to the
pandemic situation, visitors to Las Olas can now enjoy the
everyone, and with it some street in a much more relaxed and safer way.

serious effects on the shops City Commissioner Ben Sorensen recently commented,
and restaurants of Las Olas “This provides a fantastic opportunity for businesses to
expand seating on the sidewalk and allow pedestrians to
Boulevard resulted. walk in the closed lane of traffic. As we all move through
this challenging time, continuing to work together and
hankfully, Florida’s recent phased reopening has helping each other is vital to our success.”
begun gradually bringing the boulevard back to life,
Tyet with a careful eye to necessary restrictions, Upon the approval of the plan, Jodi Tanner, Vice President
specifically the wearing of face masks and keeping a safe of the Las Olas Association, responded to the Fort
distance between pedestrians. Lauderdale City Commission by stating, “Safety is our
main concern, and we will continue to find new and
Everyone loves strolling Las Olas Boulevard, and now improved ways to enhance the safety protocols regarding
there’s more to love every weekend. Additional space is vehicular traffic, pedestrian traffic, and emergency
being made available for pedestrians with the closure of responses. Secondly, we all want to see the boulevard
two lanes of traffic, one on each side of the street. This back up and running safely after the huge setbacks all the
action will accommodate larger groups of patrons as they businesses and employees have endured, due to the
walk between businesses and dine outdoors, all while COVID-19 pandemic.”
keeping social distancing in mind.
The various Las Olas homeowner associations are also in
The outside lane in each direction of Las Olas, between SE agreement and have let the business association know
6th Avenue and SE 11th Avenue, will be closed Fridays at they approve of the weekend lane-closure solution.
7:00am through Mondays at 7:00am. The closures Ms. Tanner continues, “We are very pleased that we are
include on-street parking spaces in the area, a plan all on the same page with this plan which will alleviate
carefully considered by the city’s governmental agencies, some of the concerns regarding the traffic issues. We
mayor, commissioners, and the city manager before agree that nothing needs to be done between Andrews
approval. Parking is also still conveniently available in the Avenue and SE 6th Avenue.”
lots located behind many businesses on adjacent streets.
All this recent success has been a direct result of an
The City of Fort Lauderdale calls this recent plan a ongoing cooperation between everyone involved. It is also
temporary outdoor business expansion. It is the latest an outgrowth of determined efforts over the years, pre-

LAS OLAS BOULEVARD
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