Merchants Want To Extend Las Olas Shopping District
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) Thinking that going bigger will bring in more business, merchants along Las Olas Boulevard want to double the length of their tree-lined median.
They plan to bring it up before the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission early next year. But not everyone is happy with the idea.
Residents of the neighboring Colee Hammock neighborhood say Las Olas Boulevard is a main road which connects the downtown area to the beach and they oppose any change that would back up traffic, or cause more vehicles to use their side streets to get around any delays, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
Currently the median runs from SE 4th Avenue to the Himmarshee Canal. Merchants along Las Olas Boulevard would like to see the median extended past the canal to SE 17th Avenue so it would include businesses like the Floridian restaurant, Rocco's Tacos and Aqua Beachwear. The say the extension is necessary so they can remain competitive with other pedestrian shopping districts like Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach and Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
Another benefit of an extended median would be fewer traffic accidents, according to the business owners who say drivers tend to pick up speed after leaving the current shopping district.
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