The Sailboat Bend Civic Association, representing Fort Lauderdale's only residential historic district, wants the 21 year old designation dropped, arguing that it's scaring off developers and depressing property values. The neighborhood of small, closely spaced historic homes and small apartment buildings shrouded in lush vegetation on the New River was one of the city's first working-class areas. Residents who oppose lifting the designation say that—in addition to the need to preserve the historic character of the area—being a working-class neighborhood is just in Sailboat Bend's DNA.
"We are derelicts, we are jacks of all trades in the center of Sailboat Bend and we have been there for a hundred years," 30-year resident Richard Locke told the Sun Sentinel. Proponents say they have seen other near-downtown neighborhoods flourish as cash has returned to Fort Lauderdale five years after the real estate bust, whereas Sailboat Bend continues to look a lot like it always has, which is either great or extremely frustrating, depending upon your perspective.
· Sailboat Bend wants to sink its historic district [Sun Sentinel]