Plantation, Florida, is turning the closure of a long-standing hospital into a catalyst for wider renewal. A pro bono planning study helped restart talks with the hospital owner and attract new investment, including an emergency facility, a grocery-store anchor and a proposed workforce-housing development. The redevelopment agency now counts more than $140 million in investment across the district.
Key takeaways
The hospital site became a focus for a broader effort to reconnect neighborhoods, improve services and attract development to Plantation’s Gateway Business District.
- More than $140 million in catalytic investment has been recorded across the corridor.
- A new HCA emergency facility and a Publix grocery store have opened.
- A developer is under contract to buy the former hospital and proposes about 400 mixed-use workforce homes.
- Several challenges remain, including the foreclosure and potential redevelopment of a nearby motel.
A major vacancy left a wider gap
HCA Healthcare moved acute-care operations from Plantation General Hospital to a new campus in Davie in November 2021. The former hospital, which had served the community since 1966, stood on a 28.5-acre site in the city’s north Gateway Business District. Its closure affected a nearby network of more than 94 medical-related businesses and left residents with fewer nearby health services.
The vacant campus was also next to the Plantation Inn Hotel & Lounge, which redevelopment officials identified as a source of persistent criminal activity. With the hospital largely shut off from the community, the area faced economic and social challenges as well as a conspicuous empty property.
A study helped restore confidence
In 2021, Plantation brought the site to the Urban Land Institute’s Leadership Institute for a seven-month pro bono review. The team examined zoning, market demand, demographics and community priorities, presenting its recommendations in June 2022. City officials say the work helped establish a shared direction and gave potential developers greater confidence in the site.
The study also helped reopen communication between the city and HCA after years without meaningful engagement. HCA subsequently advanced a smaller, standalone emergency facility. City leaders describe that commitment as a turning point that encouraged other investors to reconsider the corridor.
New projects spread along the corridor
The emergency facility opened in 2026, and Publix opened at the adjacent West Broward Shopping Center in June. Kimco Realty, which owns the center, invested about $10 million in its redevelopment. The grocery store brought a new anchor to an area that had gone roughly three decades without one and addressed a lack of convenient food-shopping options in eastern Plantation.
Fort Lauderdale-based Affiliated Development is under contract to purchase the former hospital building from HCA and proposes a roughly $85 million, 400-unit mixed-use workforce-housing project. The proposal has not yet broken ground. Other activity includes façade grants for local businesses, new residential projects and planned streetscape improvements.
Work remains unfinished
The Plantation Inn remains in foreclosure, while the broader vision for a health-care district with medical offices, research and hospitality uses is only partly realized. Still, officials see the site’s transformation as evidence that sustained community engagement and a credible plan can help convert a long-empty property into a catalyst for investment and neighborhood renewal.
- How Plantation, Florida, Turned a Vacant Hospital into $140 Million in Investment, Urban Land Magazine.