Broward County has filed a proposal that would significantly reshape the 154-acre area surrounding the Florida Panthers’ home arena in Sunrise, positioning the site for a large-scale mixed-use entertainment district. The concept envisions the property shifting from its current auto-oriented format to a more intensive, round-the-clock destination that combines housing, hospitality, commercial space and institutional uses.
According to the plan, the redevelopment framework contemplates approximately 1,400 apartments, which would introduce a sizable residential component around the venue. The proposal also outlines 600 hotel rooms, adding a hospitality presence that could support event traffic as well as broader visitation tied to the district. Together, these uses signal a move toward building a resident and visitor base that extends beyond game days and scheduled events.
The draft program further calls for about 1.62 million square feet of office and education space, indicating that the county is weighing opportunities to integrate workplace and institutional users alongside entertainment. In addition, the proposal includes 300,000 square feet of commercial space, which could accommodate a range of retail, food-and-beverage, and other street-activating uses. Much of this new development is envisioned as replacing portions of the site’s existing surface parking fields, reflecting a reallocation of land from low-density parking to higher-intensity uses.
The Florida Panthers organization has acknowledged that discussions with Broward County and the City of Sunrise are in the early stages. A key step in the review process is approaching, as the Sunrise City Commission is scheduled to consider the proposal next week. That hearing will help determine how local officials view the scale, mix of uses and long-term vision embedded in the plan for the arena district. At this stage, it remains unclear whether the existing Amerant Bank Arena itself would be directly incorporated into any physical transformation contemplated by the proposal.
The initiative would align the Panthers’ arena area with a broader national trend in which major sports venues are increasingly linked to surrounding mixed-use entertainment districts. Examples cited alongside the Broward County concept include The Battery Atlanta at Truist Park, Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and L.A. Live near the Los Angeles Lakers’ home arena. These precedents illustrate how teams and local governments around the United States are exploring ways to pair professional sports facilities with adjacent districts that blend residential, commercial and experiential uses.
