Holiday Park has always been one of those places people don’t tend to overthink. It’s simply woven into daily life. Kids run across the fields, parents linger a little longer than planned and weekends somehow stretch out in the best way. For more than 75 years, it has quietly done its job as Fort Lauderdale’s shared backyard.
Now, something new is rising there, and it feels different right from the start.
The upcoming YMCA Family Center, paired with a Broward Health Emergency Department, is more than just another park addition. It reimagines what a community space can be: fitness, healthcare, education and everyday connection all folded into one place designed for constant use. And in a first for the country, it incorporates emergency care directly into that mix.
“This new, state-of-the-art YMCA in east Fort Lauderdale will be a destination for all ages, abilities and backgrounds,” says Sheryl A. Woods, president and CEO of YMCA of South Florida. “It will be a real community hub, filled with healthy living, learning and community options and activities.”
That idea, a “real community hub,” anchors everything.
Fort Lauderdale will now have two YMCA locations, but this one changes the conversation entirely. The addition of an emergency department right next door to the YMCA means it is no longer just a place to work out or drop kids off for a class. It becomes part of how people regularly take care of themselves, not just when something goes wrong.
“The adjacent Broward Health 12,000-square-foot freestanding ED will bring full emergency services closer to home for residents, including on-site imaging, such as CT scans and X-rays, and lab work and exam treatment areas staffed by board-certified emergency physicians,” Woods says. “Broward Health will also occupy 2,000 square feet on the wellness floor of the new YMCA. Together, Broward Health and the YMCA will deliver community health education and programs designed to improve the quality of health and lives of residents.”
The shift is subtle, but significant. Health is no longer separated into categories—it’s not fitness in one place and care in another. Instead, it’s integrated into daily life.
And for families, that integration becomes routine.
“This new YMCA will serve as a community anchor, blending recreation, wellness, healthcare and community programming,” Woods says. “Families will have access to transformative programs, including aquatics, summer camp, fitness, youth sports, chronic disease prevention and mental wellness initiatives as well as high-quality, accessible care right where they live, play and gather.”
Walk through what the facility will offer, and you start to see how it fits into a day.
“The Y is the largest provider of youth programs in South Florida. Some of our most popular programs include after-school, summer camp, special needs inclusion, Y STEP (Supported Training Employment Program), Teen Broadway, Teen Leaders, Youth in Government and more,” Woods says. “Our after-school programs help children and teens realize who they are and all they can achieve through academic intervention and enrichment activities. There’s always something to do at the Y.”
Sports will also play a larger role, especially with two YMCA locations now working in tandem across Fort Lauderdale.
And then there are the aquatics, which in South Florida is more about necessity and less about recreation.
“We also offer one of the most comprehensive water safety and drowning prevention programs,” Woods says. “Annually, we provide more than 25,000 lessons for drowning prevention and water safety to children and adults.”
Construction is expected to wrap in 2027, but the vision is already easy to picture—not because it’s overly ambitious, but because it’s grounded in how people actually live.
“The new Y at Holiday Park isn’t just a building. It’s a continuation of Fort Lauderdale’s legacy as a place where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds belong and you’ll feel that the moment you enter the building,” Woods says. “Whether kids and families are learning to swim, seniors are staying active, teens are discovering new interests or neighbors are simply gathering to connect, this Y will be a hub of energy and togetherness. Broward Health is expanding its geographic footprint with a much-needed freestanding Emergency Department, and we are bringing a new, state-of-the-art YMCA to the city, all to support the City of Fort Lauderdale’s rapidly developing population.”
And that’s really the point. In a city that is growing quickly, building higher and expanding outward, projects like this help bring things back to a more human scale—not just where people go but how they live.
