A new court ruling shall place the developer in the driver's seat on a condo tower near Stranahan House. However, preservationists insist that the war is not over.

On Friday, Broward Circuit Judge Robert Lance Andrews ruled that the Related Group of Florida might move ahead with the 287-unit condo complex that foes say will overwhelm the home built in 1901 by Fort Lauderdale pioneers Frank and Ivy Stranahan.

The plan created an argument for members of Friends of the Park at Stranahan House, a nonprofit whose mission is to have the home and the surrounding area -- including the Hyde Park Market site -- designated as historic.

Two years ago, Stranahan House went to court to kill the compromise. In 2006, they filed a petition challenging the city's site plan and development approvals. City Attorney Harry Stewart said that Judge Andrews' decision has made everyone happy -- except Stranahan House. Scott Strawbridge, president of Friends of the Park at Stranahan House, said he finds the developer's plans ''offensive,'' and plans an appeal.

By M. Sese
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