By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
Three new world records will be added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s Wall of “World Records Set Here” after this weekend’s 2025 TYR Pro Swim Series stopped at the historic complex in Fort Lauderdale. The Aquatic Center, which played host to hundreds of swimmers and fans this weekend, recently underwent an extensive renovation. Now, there is growing opposition to 2023-approved development plans for the Swimming Hall of Fame, which shares the five-acre city-owned peninsula with the Aquatic Center.
Developers plan to build two buildings to the Hall of Fame complex that will bookend the Aquatic Center’s pools. The east building will replace the current building at the site, but there’s ongoing concern about the west structure, which is designed to hold a new museum, theater, aquarium, and rooftop restaurant.
The planned building has been scaled back three times as the opposition argues it blocks the nine-story dive tower, one of the tallest in the world. Original plans drafted the west building at 134 feet before revising first to 120, then 85.
Many of these critics were in attendance when project partners presented the newest round of revisions to the Fort Lauderdale Development Review Committee. Some questioned whether the city will lose money on the deal, but many focused on the technical aspects of the plans for the west building. These speakers argued the building is still too big and will disrupt athletes at the Aquatic Center. “The peninsula isn’t big enough for it,” said former competitive swimmer Susan Peterson at the meeting, per The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Please put the swimmers first. This whole place is designed as a swimming facility.”
Another swimmer, Mark Richards, brought up the issues the building could cause divers in his arguments to the committee, according to the paper. “You’re going to have headlights, noise, pollution, and honking of horns right next to a dive tower. That distracts divers, Downsize the building and do a bigger setback,” he said.
Richards also argued for developers to conduct wind and shade studies that are not required by code. “When you look at the 85-foot building that’s now proposed, because of prevailing breezes off the southeast, you’re going to get wind eddies. I’ve seen no wind studies. Our world competition dive tower is going to be in the shade every afternoon. They can’t dive in the shade. You lose perception. And if you don’t hit the water just right, you’re going to get hurt. If they’re seeing unsafe conditions, they’ll call off competitions.”
Some city officials expressed confusion to The South Florida Sun Sentinel as to why swimmers did not speak up before the commission approved the plan two years ago. However, Commissioner Ben Sorensen said “the swimmers are there day in and day out. I think their perspective and feedback is important. And I think we need to keep working together to design a project everyone can live with. I’m confident we’re going to get there.”
The revised west building plans need approval from the Development Review Committee and Fort Lauderdale’s Planning and Zoning Board before the project breaks ground.
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