A controversial condo project that would see a luxury tower rise on taxpayer-owned land along Hollywood beach might soon be much harder for opponents to fight.
The tower is now slated to become a Live Local project, with a split of luxury condos on upper floors and apartments reserved for workforce housing on lower floors, said Keith Poliakoff, attorney for the Miami-based developer Related Group.
Under Florida’s Live Local Act — a measure designed to tackle the state’s affordability crisis — approvals are handled by city staff, effectively protecting projects from the scrutiny and dramatics of a public meeting.
The proposed condo tower would be built steps from the ocean on city-owned land at 1301 S. Ocean Drive.
“The city can now control the project because it’s a Live Local project,” Poliakoff told the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week. “The county has absolutely no say at all. There is no other avenue to fight it.”
An amendment to the state’s Live Local Act expected to take effect July 1 would allow developers to build workforce housing on government land in a bid to tackle the state’s supply of affordable housing crisis.
The new plan for Portofino Residences Hollywood calls for 210 residences. Of those, 126 will be condos and 84 will be apartments reserved for workforce housing for 30 years, Poliakoff said.
The developer hopes to break ground later this year.
“By adding workforce housing we’re creating attainable housing for teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers and working families making great use of city-owned land,” Poliakoff said. “We’re creating a development that will have a lasting and meaningful impact on the entire community.”
Hollywood Commissioner Traci Callari brought up the option toward the end of a marathon City Hall meeting last week, reading from a prepared statement.
Mayor Josh Levy and Commissioner Adam Gruber were quick to support Callari’s recommendation.
Commissioners are expected to vote on a resolution at their next meeting on May 20 approving the project as a Live Local initiative.
It might be the final blow silencing the opposition.
An artist’s rendering shows a luxury condo tower with workforce housing apartments planned on public land at 1301 South Ocean Drive, now home to a community center and Harry Berry Park in Hollywood. (SOM/CFE/ARX, Courtesy)
Hollywood commissioners signed off on the deal with Related Group four years ago, but the project has stalled under the weight of an intense public outcry along with ongoing zoning disputes at the county level.
Critics have put up a fierce fight in an attempt to block the private condo from being built on public land. They argue it’s a land giveaway the residents will never get back, especially after condos are built.
As part of the 99-year lease, the developer has promised to build a new park and two-story community center. The parcel, deeded to Hollywood more than 50 years ago, is home to Harry Berry Park and the Hollywood Beach Culture & Community Center.
Original plans called for a tower standing 365 feet high — seven times what the current code allows. The deal allows up to 300 condos, but initial plans called for 190.
By late 2025, plans called for a shorter tower, one rising 327 feet with 27 floors and 111 condos.
But switching to a Live Local project could mean the tower will get taller than 27 floors to make room for the affordable housing apartments.
Poliakoff could not say how much taller because that’s still being worked out. But he did say the new height will not extend beyond 30 stories or 365 feet.
“We are not looking to exceed the agreement’s height limitation,” he said.
An artist’s rendering shows a luxury condo tower with workforce housing apartments planned on public land at 1301 South Ocean Drive, now home to a community center and Harry Berry Park in Hollywood. (SOM/CFE/ARX, Courtesy)
Under Live Local, 40% of the units would be reserved for workforce housing for people making anywhere from 80% to 120% of the county’s area median income.
Based on the current median income of $102,500, renters eligible for the workforce housing apartments would be making from $82,000 to $123,000 a year.
The benefit of using Live Local is that it will protect home rule and let the city move forward with a project approved long ago, Callari told her colleagues.
She then alluded to the extreme criticism directed at the commission both in meetings and on social media for backing the project.
“I know I’m not going to make many friends here today, but this job isn’t easy — and it’s definitely not for the weak,” Callari said.
Levy argued that the project gets “even better” under Live Local because it will guarantee workforce housing prices for over the course of 30 years.
Commissioners have defended the project, saying it bring in more than $1.3 billion over the 99-year lease thanks to a mix of upfront payments, annual rent and a share of condo sales.
At last week’s commission meeting, the mayor called it a win-win.
“The public benefit goes beyond the financial (impact) and the new community center,” Levy said. “You would also have a space to live in a less costly manner on the beach.”
Not everyone shares his enthusiasm.
Cat Uden, a longtime resident who has helped lead the charge against the project, said the tower does not belong on public land at the beach.
“If the city wants to create affordable housing, they should do it in a more appropriate place in the city, on a mass transit corridor that isn’t going underwater and not vulnerable to storm surge,” Uden told the Sun Sentinel. “If the barrier island gets destroyed in a hurricane, these residents will be displaced for an unknown period of time, which will require even more resources.”
Uden urged the commission to put the question on a ballot and let voters decide.
“This has been a toxic project for more than five years, but the city still has the opportunity to do the right thing,” Uden said. “Private towers will ruin what is special about this ‘locals’ spot. Commissioners who are terming out still have the opportunity to be remembered for saving this priceless slice of our beautiful beach.”
Resident Clive Taylor, another vocal critic of the project, accused Hollywood officials of paving the way for a private high-rise on a precious parcel of land where it doesn’t belong.
He addressed the commission directly in a recent social media post: “Is it too much to ask for you to save this tiny parcel? Stop the Steal. This land is our land. It belongs to the residents of this city.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan