Condo village in Lauderdale Lakes planned for starting teachers

Brought to you by

Condo village in Lauderdale Lakes planned for starting teachers

By Toni Marshall
Staff Writer

January 3, 2006

Lauderdale Lakes -- A development firm has set its sights on building affordable townhomes and condominiums for teachers just starting out.

Tarragon South Development Corp. has purchased 23 acres at Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 31st Avenue, the former AGU Studios, to build a $112 million mixed-use complex dubbed Central Square.

Representatives from the company, responsible for the towering Las Olas River House and other upscale properties in Broward County, have been meeting with Broward School District officials to push the concept of a teacher village. They've also approached the district on another mixed-use development to allow for the same idea, the $158 million Uptown Project in the 1700 block of North Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

"You can't have a society without core employees having a place to live," Tarragon South Vice President Danny Bivins said. The purchase of the Lauderdale Lakes site was completed Dec. 27.

"Affordability is a major issue, and everybody has to step up -- the city, employers and developers -- to make it happen," he said.

His company has been working with the school district on a teacher village concept for two to three years, Bivins said.

With median prices in Broward nearing $400,000 for a single-family house and roughly $200,000 for a townhouse, people with moderate incomes can't afford to buy these days.

Starting teachers make on average $35,300 a year, district spokesman Keith Bromery said. The price of homes has been a deterrent for some teachers to come and work in Broward, he said.

The school district has been looking at the teacher village concept with a number of developers, Bromery said. Tarragon's concept includes low-interest financing with a $20,000 loan for the down payment from the school district. The loan to the new teacher would be forgiven after five years. The teacher must continue to instruct in the district during that time.

Tarragon has the school district's support, said School Board member Bob Parks, although the School Board has not taken formal action in favor of the plan.

"The concept really is driven by need and our need to attract teachers. If we employ about 2,400 new teachers every year, they must be able to afford a place to live," Parks said.

Parks said he and Schools Superintendent Frank Till have been working with whoever will listen on the lack of affordable housing for district staff.

Meanwhile, the school district is also looking at upcoming projects in Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek and Fort Lauderdale to provide housing for teachers, Parks said. School officials are investigating using some of the district's own property to build affordable rental units for employees, he said.