Will Hollywood embrace taller towers along State Road A1A to help spur development?
City commissioners are expected to decide that question on Wednesday when they vote on a five-year Hollywood Beach Overlay District plan that would introduce height and density bonuses to six distinct sections of the barrier island.
Hollywood’s planning board advanced the controversial proposal last week with a 5-1 vote.
Under the new rules, the seven-story Hollywood Beach Resort could be transformed into a tower as high as 340 feet to 490 feet. Some sections of the beach would see heights increased to anywhere from 100 to 200 feet while some areas would retain the current cap of 65 feet.
The proposal has triggered fierce pushback from opponents, who say they are worried taller towers will change the quaint character of the beach and contribute to gridlocked roads and flooded streets.
Christine Corbo, a real estate agent who serves on the planning board, made a motion during a marathon meeting last week to approve the plan.
Corbo suggested Hollywood cap the building heights along State Road A1A at 15 stories and reserve the 20-story height cap for recognized landmark properties.
Before the vote, staff informed the board that the 15-height cap along A1A was already spelled out in the city’s 541-page proposal.
The plan also paves the way for 2,300 new hotel rooms and allocates 500 flexibility units to eligible beach properties.
Before the vote, the planning board heard from dozens of residents who oppose the plan.
Joseph Stadlen, the board’s chair, announced that 97 people had signed up to speak.
Longtime resident Siobhan McLaughlin urged the board to delay the vote to give more time for residents to weigh in.
“You represent our last best hope to say this plan needs to be addressed more completely and with much more input from the city residents,” she said. “Why are we rushing through a plan that has supposedly taken 10 years to come up with? The people do not want this.”
Resident Donna Green told the board the plan would forever alter the quaint feel of the beach.
“This plan shuts people out and rewards developers and people with money,” she said. “Hollywood beach has always been the people’s beach. It’s not Sunny Isles or South Beach or Fort Lauderdale. That’s why we love it. That’s why we want to save it.”
Before the vote, planning board member Steven Morales told the crowd why he backed the plan.
“We have to do something to revitalize and to attract tourism,” he said. “I have talked to businesses and people who say we’ve got to do something. These hotels are dilapidated. They’re not as attractive as they were 10, 15, 20 years ago.”
Morales argued that Hollywood is losing people to Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
“I want to preserve Hollywood beach,” he said. “I want to preserve the businesses there and have them be successful. But you can’t do that if you can’t attract people here. The sand and the water is not the only thing that’s going to do it.”
Hollywood commissioners plan to begin their discussion of the beach overlay proposal at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan