A controversial plan to relax building height caps along Hollywood beach could trigger a dramatic transformation of the city’s barrier island — a prospect that has some ready for change and others worried about the impacts of a growing coastal skyline.
Supporters say the proposal would spark reinvestment on a beach that has sometimes been overlooked by developers who’ve set their sights on more height-friendly Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Opponents worried about traffic gridlock, shifting sands and sea-level rise say they fear the Hollywood they know and love will come to resemble Sunny Isles Beach, a wealthy but densely populated town known for its wall of skyscraper condos along Collins Avenue.
Much of Hollywood’s barrier island north of Hollywood Boulevard is bound by a height cap of 65 feet.
The new rules, which have yet to be approved, would create a temporary five-year Hollywood Beach Overlay District on the barrier island with six development precincts, each with their own height and density rules.
The century-old Hollywood Beach Resort, a 1925 landmark built by city founder Joseph Young, would be subject to the most radical skyline changes. Under the new height rules, the seven-story resort at 101 N. Ocean Drive could be transformed into a 398-unit luxury condo tower standing anywhere from 340 feet to 490 feet high.
The building height caps in the remaining zones would range from 100 feet to 200 feet.
Sections of the beach outside the six precincts would remain low-rise with a height cap of 65 feet.
The Hollywood Planning and Development Board is expected to vote on the plan at its next meeting on Sept. 8. The proposal would then go before the City Commission at a later date, likely before an upcoming city election on Nov. 3 that will see three new faces elected to the commission.
The Hollywood Beach Resort can be seen in an aerial photo on Friday. If Hollywood approves new building height caps for the barrier island, a new tower could rise 340 high or more on the same site. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The prospect of taller buildings going up at the beach has not exactly been a hit with residents, said Dick Blattner, a former Hollywood commissioner who now serves as vice chair of the city’s Planning and Development Board.
“We’re being asked to set up what the beach is going to look like for the next 100 years,” Blattner told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
And that has some folks nervous, he added.
“This is complicated and important stuff,” said Blattner, who argues the board should hold a workshop on the building height plan before scheduling a vote. So far, no workshop has been scheduled.
A recent goof by City Hall that prevented the public from commenting on the plan did not do much to engender trust.
Members of the planning board were set to vote on the new height cap proposal on Aug. 11, but were forced to adjourn the meeting after being told by staff that it had not been properly noticed.
Downtown Hollywood’s skyline can be seen in the distance miles from the Hollywood Beach Resort on Friday. Hollywood is on the verge of approving taller building height caps on the barrier island. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A notice of the meeting did run in the newspaper and online as required by state law. But city officials say staff erred in not posting a notice on a board outside the city clerk’s office in keeping with the city’s code of ordinances.
The news, delivered in front of a packed house, sparked a public outcry.
Planning Board Chair Joe Stadlen, who was running the meeting that night, suggested the public be allowed to stay and speak their minds about the plan.
A senior city attorney agreed to the compromise, but said staff would be the ones to stay and listen after the meeting was adjourned.
Stadlen stayed behind, moving from the dais to the audience. But the other members of the board, Blattner included, were sent home.
The comments were not recorded by the city and did not appear on Hollywood’s regular broadcast channels, including YouTube.
The Hollywood Beach Resort, shown on Friday, would be split into one of six development precincts under a plan awaiting approval in Hollywood. The proposed height cap for this site: 340 feet, with an option to go to 490 feet. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Not one person who spoke said they were in favor of the plan. A few suggested the city was trying to rush the vote before the November election.
Terry Cantrell, president of the Hollywood Lakes Civic Association, was among several speakers who urged the city to take its time before putting the plan to a vote.
“We are rushing something that is going to make a major difference in what Hollywood beach looks like,” he said. “There’s unintended consequences here. Once we go down this road, we cannot take it back. And that’s it. We’re stuck with it.”
Steve Welsch, president of the Hollywood Council of Civic Associations, joined the chorus of residents warning against allowing taller buildings on the barrier island.
After the meeting, Welsch argued the city should be allowing more time for the public to evaluate and scrutinize a voluminous plan that stretches beyond 500 pages. Any changes should be delayed until after the city’s upcoming election, Welsch said.
Trump Hollywood and other high-rise towers perch Friday on the southern end of Hollywood’s barrier island. New height rules would allow taller buildings to the north as well. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
“They are on a locomotive out of control trying to get this through before the November election,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “This is not a time to be rushing new height overlays on the beach.
“If they make this a reality, it’s not going to stop someone from using the Live Local Act and pointing to the 490-foot height limit a mile away and saying they want to do it here.”
Under the state’s Live Local Act, developers can match the currently allowed height of a commercial or residential building up to a mile away in an effort to boost affordable housing.
On Nov. 3, Hollywood voters will be tasked with electing three new commissioners, including one that will represent the beach.
Caryl Shuham, Hollywood’s District 1 commissioner, currently represents the beach but won a race for County Commission on Aug. 18. She will be sworn in as a county commissioner in mid-November.
Traci Callari, Hollywood’s District 3 commissioner, and Kevin Biederman, Hollywood’s District 5 commissioner, are term-limited and cannot seek reelection.
Cat Uden, one of the candidates running for the District 1 commission seat, agrees that more public outreach needs to happen to educate residents about a plan that could forever alter the beach.
“There are a lot of questions to be answered about the future of the beach,” she told the Sun Sentinel. “I think there are ways to make the beach successful without the skyscrapers. Developer lobbyists will tell you what we need to do with our beach.
“Staff will tell you what we need to do with our beach. But the voices that matter the most should be the people who live here, the taxpayers. We’re the ones who live here.”
A couple rides e-scooters down Ocean Drive in Hollywood on Friday, a tall tower looming in the distance. More tall towers could be on the way if the city relaxes its current height cap at the beach. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Hollywood already has several tall buildings on the barrier island, but are south of Hollywood Boulevard.
They include:
— Hyde Beach House (483 feet, built in 2019).
— The Diplomat hotel (444 feet, built in 2002).
— Trump Hollywood (443 feet, built in 2009).
— Hyde Resort & Residences (443 feet, built in 2016).
— Diplomat Oceanfront Residences (323 feet, built in 2007).
— Apogee Beach (254 feet, built in 2013).
Here’s a list of all six coastal precincts as currently envisioned:
Precinct 1: North Beach Village Precinct
Extends from Dania Beach Boulevard at the northern city limits south to Franklin Street. Intended to preserve the human-scale coastal character, conservation values, passive recreation function, neighborhood compatibility and ecological and recreational function of North Hollywood Beach Park and surrounding coastal areas. Height cap will be adjusted to 200 feet for the area north of Balboa Street.
Precinct 2: North-Central Beach Residential
Extends from Thomas Street south to Carolina Street. Intended to accommodate residential redevelopment consistent with the density, height, uses and development standards permitted by the city’s comprehensive plan and county’s land use plan while maintaining a compact, walkable and pedestrian-oriented beach environment through enhanced landscaping, public realm improvements and improved east-west connectivity. Height cap of 100 feet plus 50 feet for landmark bonus in transition zone. Height cap will be adjusted to 60 feet along Surf Road and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Precinct 3: Central Beach Commercial
Extends from Carolina Street south to Tyler Street. Intended to function as the primary resort, hospitality, restaurant, entertainment, tourism, mixed-use and visitor-serving center for the beach. Height cap will be adjusted to 100 feet plus 50 feet for landmark bonus in transition zone and State Road A1A corridor. To qualify, a project must serve as a visual “gateway” or “landmark” featuring high-quality architecture, superior streetscapes or specific public contributions. Height cap of 60 feet along Surf Road and the Intracoastal.
Precinct 4: Hollywood Beach Resort
Extends from Tyler Street to Harrison Street. Intended to function as the signature mixed-use hospitality precinct and landmark resort destination on the beach. Height cap will be adjusted to 340 feet. A historic rehabilitation incentive would allow an additional 150 feet, bringing the total height to 490 feet.
Precinct 5: South-Central Beach Residential
Extends from Harrison Street south to Bougainvillea Terrace. Intended to support the area as a year-round destination while prioritizing quality of life, pedestrian comfort, shade and connections to the Broadwalk and beach and parks. Height cap will be adjusted to 100 feet plus 50 feet for landmark bonus in transition zone and A1A corridor. Height cap of 60 feet along Surf Road.
Precinct 6: South Beach Residential
Extends from Bougainvillea Terrace south to Hallandale Beach Boulevard at the southern city limits. Intended to accommodate a predominantly residential urban coastal development pattern in areas that can support additional height and intensity while improving the provision of neighborhood commercial uses. Emphasis will be placed on public realm quality, visual permeability, and access to the ocean, Intracoastal, parks and public spaces. Height cap will be adjusted to 200 feet along A1A corridor.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan