I wrote the following column for my local neighborhood magazine The Landings & Bay Colony.
We are fortunate to live in a very unique part of Fort Lauderdale with housing options for every type of boating enthusiast. For those of us who enjoy having our yacht (or kayak) in the backyard, the neighborhoods of the Landings and Bay Colony have something for everyone.
The Landings can be broken down into 2 categories for boaters. The east side of Bayview Drive has no fixed bridges, wide canals and lots that average about 90 feet of linear waterfront (point lots average 250 feet). The only limitation for larger vessels is the depth of the water which varies by canal. The waterfront on the west side of Bayview is similar, but the two 10 ½ foot fixed bridges (high tide) limit the size of vessels that can access these properties.
Bay Colony also has no fixed bridges and can accommodate even larger vessels with some of the widest and deepest protected canals in Fort Lauderdale. The large turning basins make navigating the canal system even easier. Lot sizes in Bay Colony are significantly larger with home sites averaging about 150 linear feet of waterfront.
Lake Estates and Golf Estates border the West side of the Landings and are both behind the 10 ½ foot fixed bridges over Landings Inlet and Welcome Passage. Lot sizes are just a bit smaller with linear waterfront averaging closer to 80 feet. The bridge at NE 59th Street has only about 5 feet of clearance at high tide making the north side of Lake Estates limited to smaller boats.
Bay Colony Club offers one of the best all-around values for boaters who prefer the condo lifestyle and need protected dockage. Condo owners may lease boat slips with no fixed bridges for only $1.50/foot per month. Other condos along NE 51st Street on the south side of the Landings with no-fixed bridge dockage include Heritage Landings, Royal Lauderdale Landings and The Warwick. In addition, Ethon House and Waterview Condos have dockage under the fixed bridge at Bayview.
Important tip: before buying property (or a boat) you should navigate the entire canal system with the boat and make sure it’s a good fit. Also, know your setbacks and local ordinances; they apply to boats as well.
Landings Market Snapshot: Both sales volume and prices have steadily increased in the past couple years and we expect the market to continue improving, especially along the waterfront. We continue to keep a close eye on inventory levels in Northeast Fort Lauderdale, which have been depleted in the past year, especially in the lower price ranges. However, a recent increase in inventory has brought us back to more normal inventory levels creating equilibrium between buyers and sellers and hopefully long term stability in the market.
