U.S. 441 getting condo complex

A new residential and retail development will be ready by late next year in Plantation's Gateway Redevelopment District.

The Boca Raton-based Altman Development Corp. will build 220 condominiums and 17,650 square feet of retail space at the southeast corner of Broward Boulevard and U.S. 441, now the site of a shopping center.

Construction will begin in October and is expected to be completed by December 2006. Sale of the residential units will open later this summer.

Although the company has not yet found renters for the retail space, a development spokeswoman said there has been talk of coffee shops and other stores that will complement a young, commuter lifestyle.

''They're hoping to find things that will really suit the residents and fit into their lives,'' said Saadia Van Winkle, a spokeswoman for public-relations firm The Apple Organization.

The residential units, from studios to three bedrooms, will sell from the mid $100,000s to the mid $200,000s.

On-site features will include a fitness center, pool and playground.

Van Winkle said the developer is committed to keeping the units affordable and in the hands of actual residents, not investors.

''Joel [Altman] is saying he'll do everything he can to make sure this won't be investor property and that the people who buy the units will live there,'' Van Winkle said, adding that the developer is considering limiting units to one per buyer.

Developers chose the site because they were impressed with the city's effort at revitalizing the U.S. 441 corridor between Sunrise and Davie boulevards, Van Winkle said.

The City Council has poured millions of dollars into the redevelopment effort, adding new landscaping, lighting and signs in an attempt to attract new businesses and residents.

''They wanted to be the first in there, to provide affordable living that isn't way out west on the Everglades,'' Van Winkle said. ``There is so much going on [in the redevelopment district], it's really going to be a great neighborhood pretty soon.''

Marcia Berkley, the city's director of planning, zoning and economic development, said the Gateway District's first mixed-use project is a big step in the right direction.

''It's a positive thing for the city and the corridor,'' Berkley said.

``It'll be great to get some more residential units to enhance the businesses that are opening up there