Ft Lauderdale Postpones Vote On Growth Control

"Fort Lauderdale commissioners gave a controversial proposed ballot item, the "Citizens Initiative Against Overdevelopment", its first public airing on Wednesday. The charter addition would stop large scale redevelopment east of Federal Highway for six months and impose broad restrictions on development and rezoning of land citywide, putting much more authority directly into the hands of voters. The measure would allow voters, rather than elected officials, the right to decide zoning changes. The proposal would forbid land with residential zoning to be increased in density, or changed to a nonresidential or mixed use category, would require voters to approve land use amendments, would modifications of setbacks (except for hardships) and would mandate that all parking must be on the site of a proposed development.