From the Sun-Sentinel:
Within six months, one of the cityâs largest trailer parks will close, uprooting poor retirees, a few young entrepreneurs, and unemployed families hanging on by a financial thread. It is a typical tale in South Florida, where developers are eager to buy up land in built-out cities. But for Wilton Manors, what comes next defines whether its urban core will become attractively average or extraordinary in city officialsâ eyes. Trailer Haven is the bridge between what the city was and what it could become under an aggressive beautification project for this once blue-collar bedroom community that is rapidly evolving into a chic city. The bland plot of rusted-out trailers and ragged underbrush at 2360 Wilton Drive is wedged in the middle of the townâs burgeoning center that is now home to a new Thai/sushi restaurant, clubs and renovated shops. This plum 3-acre site is already rumored to be worth more than $3.5 million to a high-end developer who wants to buy it. ãThis would certainly be a signature location along Wilton Drive. Itâs a crucial parcel,ä said City Manager Joseph Gallegos. The city wants to rezone the land to allow a developer to build a two-story shopping district with condominiums that would rival Las Olas Boulevard and become the cityâs swankiest development. A Fort Lauderdale developer says he is in the process of buying the property from owners Doug Bachman and Steve Allen, although he wonât reveal how much he will pay. Bachman and Allen, who purchased the land for $1.2 million in 2000, confirmed a sale is pending.This is a few blocks away from me & I see property values are going up fast. I bought my condo at the beginning of this year, and I now see a similar unit in my building is selling for $15,000 more than I paid.