Holiday Park just the spot for new YMCA and urgent care center ‘on steroids,’ Fort Lauderdale says

FORT LAUDERDALE — Outraged condo residents said no way to a 24-hour emergency medical center in their Galt Ocean Mile neighborhood.

The proposal, presented by Commissioner John Herbst, died a quick death after an angry crowd of seniors blasted the city — and Broward Health — for even suggesting they be subjected to what they feared could have turned into a nightmare of traffic jams and round-the-clock sirens.

But Fort Lauderdale has since found a new spot for what Broward Health CEO Shane Strum is calling an urgent care center on steroids: Holiday Park.

Broward Health is partnering with a new tenant at the park that has yet to break ground, the YMCA.

In late 2016, the YMCA worked out a deal with the city to lease land at Holiday Park for 50 years at the price of $1 a year. At the time, the plan was to build a 30,000-square-foot facility.

A newly unveiled plan calls for a 60,000-square-foot complex on a 3.2-acre parcel in the northwest section of the 93-acre Holiday Park, right along Federal Highway and just south of Sunrise Boulevard. The YMCA facility will include a Broward Health presence.

The hospital has agreed to pay the YMCA nearly $27 million to sublease space on the site for 30 years. The sublease, which includes a rent escalation of 2% per year, amounts to $892,000 a year.

Commissioner Warren Sturman called the partnership a match made in heaven.

On Tuesday night, Fort Lauderdale commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of the plan.

Sturman, a physician with privileges at Broward Health, recused himself from Tuesday night’s vote due to his affiliation with the hospital.

“I look at it like a super urgent care center,” Sturman said. “You’re not going to have ambulances bringing people there. You’re not going to have the noise and disruption. That’s not really a concern.”

‘I did not want a repeat’

Commissioners say they back the new deal with one condition: Broward Health can sublease the space as long as its administration agrees to reopen Dottie Mancini Park in northern Fort Lauderdale and continue leasing the land to the city for $1 a year.

Broward Health has agreed to the condition but wants to wait to open the park until the Holiday Park project is further along in the approval process.

Vice Mayor Steve Glassman, who represents Victoria Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, says the project will be a most welcome addition to the neighborhood.

“I wanted to make sure the neighborhoods are good with this, so we all started talking with the neighborhoods,” Glassman said, referring to officials with both the YMCA and Broward Health. “After I saw the debacle at the Galt, I did not want a repeat.”

The neighborhood knew a YMCA was coming. But an emergency medical center run by Broward Health would have been a surprise had the partners not first done outreach, Glassman said.

“I get asked the question all the time from those surrounding neighborhoods, ‘What’s happening with the Y, what’s happening with the Y?’ Glassman said. “People are really so excited about this project. They really want to see this move forward.”

If approved, the facility would open in early 2027, said Sheryl Woods, president and CEO of the YMCA of South Florida.

“We are here to improve the quality of life for residents in Fort Lauderdale,” Woods told commissioners. “This will be an incredible partnership. As you all know, it would not have come about if it weren’t for the city of Fort Lauderdale agreeing to donate the land to the YMCA.”

The YMCA plans to build a two-story community facility with 46,000 square feet along with a six-lane swimming pool visible from Federal Highway.

“The building has a lot of glass,” Woods said. “So you’re going to see activity both inside looking out and outside looking in, especially with the pool deck right there on Federal Highway. There will be a multi-purpose room that will open up onto a big patio that we’ll showcase there on Federal Highway.”

On Tuesday, Mayor Dean Trantalis urged Woods to make sure the grounds are protected from traffic that might plow into people on the pool deck.

“I’m very concerned about the proximity of the pool to the highway,” he said. “We’re talking about exhaust fumes. We’re talking about the possibility of cars careening off of Federal Highway.”

Woods told the mayor she’d share that warning with her team.

Fort Lauderdale plans to cover the cost of the YMCA pool, an estimated $3 million.

Glassman and Herbst both agreed to contribute $1 million each from their districts’ portion of the parks bond land acquisition fund.

City officials are looking into whether they can use $1 million in park impact fees to cover the rest.

Faster than the ER

Once built, the new YMCA facility would serve more than 25,000 children and families, offering swim lessons, aquatic exercise programs for all ages and water therapy programs, in partnership with Broward Health, also known as the North Broward Hospital District.

To the north would sit a one-story emergency medical center run by Broward Health. At 12,000 square feet, the center would have up to 12 exam treatment areas staffed by certified emergency physicians.

Broward Health would cover the cost for its portion of the construction, with projections ranging from $14 million to $18 million.

The YMCA would also carve out a 2,000-square-foot space on the second floor of its building for Broward Health to run health and wellness programs.

Strum also touted the benefits of the partnership.

The biggest complaint hospitals get about their emergency rooms is the long wait, he told commissioners.

“This (new emergency center) is something that will benefit the residents directly in this community,” he said. “If you fall down and break an arm or a leg, instead of going to the Emergency Department, we can take you here. You can walk up, drive up and we will take care of you. Patients will be seen faster.”

Patients will be able to get their lab work and imaging done at the new center, including CT scans and X-rays, Strum said.

Herbst said he’s happy to see a new neighborhood outside his district welcome the plan.

“I think it’s the right project in the right location,” he said of the emergency center.

Facing the crowd

Herbst took a moment to walk down memory lane.

“Take you back a year ago,” he said. “Shane (Strum) and I walked around up at the Galt and were looking at locations that we thought might work for a free-standing emergency room. We thought it was a great idea.”

It was a great idea until they heard different from the would-be neighbors on the Galt, that is.

Soon, Herbst was busy dealing with another controversy — the abrupt closing of Dottie Mancini Park.

Broward Health owns the land beneath the park, a 1.2-acre parcel next to Broward Health Imperial Point at 6520 NE 22nd Ave.

More than 25 years ago, the city made a deal with Broward Health to lease the land for $1 a year to give the people a 1.2-acre park with a playground, walking path and picnic tables.

Broward Health locked up the park on Dec. 7, less than a month after the city’s lease expired and seven months after the Galt neighborhoods came out in force against the ER center plan.

City officials have been working on getting an extension on the lease to keep the park open for at least another 20 years.

Fort Lauderdale has already earmarked $1 million in improvements at the park as part of a $200 million parks bond approved by voters years ago.

Fort Lauderdale officials say they have been working with Broward Health administrators since November to find a new spot for the free-standing emergency medical center.

Herbst says residents in his commission district are anxious to see Dottie Mancini Park reopen.

“I’m hoping the park will open very soon,” he said. “I’d like to see it open by the summer for the kids to play in. We’re working expeditiously to get this done.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan