Construction has begun on a full city block of rental apartments and office space, encompassing nearly 3 acres in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

The project, known as “The Main Las Olas,” calls for twin towers with 25 stories of office space and 27 stories of 341 apartments, bordering 201 E. Las Olas Blvd. and Southeast Third Avenue.

The towers will be connected by a parking garage and amenity deck, including a rooftop pool. The 10th-floor outdoor amenity deck will have an open-air terrace overlooking Las Olas Boulevard, as well as a fitness center, conference center and office lounge.

Stiles Construction is the general contractor on the project, with Stiles Realty handling the commercial leasing.

In 2016, Stiles paid $13.1 million for the Bank of America building on the site, which was torn down earlier this year to make way for the residential tower. The site also formerly housed a building owned by Broward College, which is leasing the land to Stiles, for the office side.

Underground site construction began during this past summer.

Among the unique features:

  • The 16,000-square-foot penthouse office suite will offer tenants the ability to create a top-of-building outdoor terrace with sweeping city views.
  • There will be 357,000 square feet of Class A offices, with floor-to-ceiling vision glass for a transparent effect so “you could see through it,” said Stiles spokeswoman Adrienne Zalkind.
  • The residential tower will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes ranging in size from 600 to 1,400 square feet with gourmet kitchens with chefs’ islands. Amenities throughout the residential tower include full-time concierge service; an event/yoga lawn; and entertainment pavilion with grills and dining areas. There will be an indoor dog run and pet grooming spa; automated package lockers; and a fitness center.
  • The project will include restaurants and retail shops on the ground floor of the office tower. The ground floor of the apartment building will house a grocer, though the name has not been disclosed.

Pre-leasing for the office tower has started, and two law firms and a real estate investment firm have signed on. Apartment leases will begin in 2019; prices have not yet been disclosed. Both towers are expected to be ready by the fall of 2020.

Stiles Chief Executive Officer Ken Stiles said in a prepared statement that the project has a “distinguished design and exceptional location.”

“The Main Las Olas project represents the growth and transformation of the central business district on Las Olas, expanding the active core to west of Third Avenue by creating a place where people can live, work, create, dine and entertain,” he said.