A controversial plan that will allow taller towers on Hollywood’s barrier island in an attempt to spur redevelopment has won final commission approval, sparking warnings from opponents that the new towers will ruin the charm and character of a beach loved by so many.
Supporters say it will save the beach from a blighted future and bring new life to a stretch of beach in dire need of a makeover.
The 5-2 vote came Wednesday during a marathon 15-hour meeting that saw more than 60 people speak out against the plan to pave the way for taller towers.
Some pointed to flooding, sea-level rise and traffic gridlock as reasons to reconsider.
Hollywood officials argue the new rules will give the city more control over beach redevelopment and serve as an alternative to Florida’s Live Local Act, a state law that allows developers to bypass certain local zoning laws if they dedicate 40% of their project to workforce housing.
Looking out into the crowded commission chambers, Vice Mayor Traci Callari defended the overlay plan.
“Some people didn’t want to see Margaritaville built,” Callari said. “And we built Margaritaville. Some people will say it’s the worst thing the city of Hollywood did. Others will say it’s the best thing. It’s a balance. It brings in revenue. And it brings in an opportunity for growth.”
For years, much of Hollywood’s barrier island has been bound by a height cap of 65 feet north of Hollywood Boulevard.
The new rules create a Hollywood Beach Overlay District on the barrier island with six development precincts, each with their own height and density rules. Under the plan approved by the commission, those rules will remain in place for up to five years.
Mayor Josh Levy voted in favor of the plan along with Vice Mayor Traci Callari and Commissioners Kevin Biederman, Adam Gruber and Peter Hernandez.
Commissioners Caryl Shuham and Idelma Quintana voted no.
Under the new plan, the landmark Hollywood Beach Resort could be transformed into a tower as high as the commission decides — as long as the property’s multiple owners can agree to a unified development plan.
“It was the grand lady of its time when it was built,” Hernandez told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday. “Let’s make it the grand lady of its time now.”
Related Group, partnering with BH Group and potentially Terra, has the property under contract for $100 million.
The seven-story resort, built in 1925 by city founder Joseph Young, could be transformed into a luxury condo tower with 398 residences.
In June, commissioners approved a resolution granting vested rights to the owner allowing for the development of 398 units.
Keith Poliakoff, attorney for the Related Group, praised the city for leaving the height cap up to a future commission.
“We are thrilled that the city has chosen not to limit the future vision for the Hollywood Beach Resort property,” Poliakoff said Friday. “By allowing the City Commission to ultimately determine the appropriate height, the city has preserved the opportunity for world-class architects to think boldly and without artificial constraints, creating an iconic architectural masterpiece for the Commission’s consideration.”
As for the beach overlay plan, Poliakoff said it would help rid the beach of blighted properties that have been waiting decades to be redeveloped.
“While many have mischaracterized this ordinance as a wholesale restructuring of building heights on Hollywood beach, its actual reach is extremely limited, applying only to a narrowly defined number of assembled properties,” Poliakoff said. “This carefully tailored approach ensures that the incentives provided are used for their intended purpose: encouraging meaningful redevelopment and critical infrastructure improvements in targeted areas that are in dire need of revitalization.”
Dennis Dimartino was among dozens of residents who urged commissioners not to move forward with a plan that would lead to a wall of buildings along the Broadwalk, forever altering the quaint beach they have enjoyed for years.
“If you see a patch of sunlight and then you look up and you just see walls, you’re not in the right place,” he said. “You’re not in the place of comfort. You’re not in the place that I consider Hollywood.”
Dimartino argued that remodeling the existing buildings was a better idea than making way for new and taller towers.
“How does economic vitality get satisfied by cramming more and more people onto a small barrier island?” he said. “Give us a Hollywood we can enjoy like the one I moved into, where I saw all these small boutique hotels and these little pastel buildings.”
Before the vote, Hernandez explained why he backed the plan.
“We’re not trying to ruin the beach,” Hernandez said. “We’re trying to control what goes on the beach. Because at the end of the day, if the state had their will and the developers had their will, you would wind up with boxes all over Hollywood beach. And that’s exactly what people don’t want.”
Hernandez also addressed residents who expressed concern that the new towers would bring hundreds of new residents and overwhelm the beach.
“People don’t want more people to come to the beach,” he said. “But it’s everybody’s beach.
“And more and more people are coming to the beach. At the end of the day, I’m here to try to make the best decision I can for the residents of the city of Hollywood overall.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan