{"id":82114,"date":"2025-12-13T12:28:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T12:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/82114\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T12:28:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T12:28:08","slug":"private-condo-on-public-land-clears-next-hurdle-in-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/82114\/","title":{"rendered":"Private condo on public land clears next hurdle in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Critics of a plan that would see a sleek condo tower rise on a quiet stretch of public beach in Hollywood are fighting to save what they call a little patch of paradise.<\/p>\n

So far, they\u2019re losing.<\/p>\n

Hollywood commissioners said yes<\/a> to the deal in 2002, signing off on a comprehensive development agreement with the Related Group that calls for a 99-year lease of the land.<\/p>\n

Another blow to the critics came Wednesday night, when the commission approved the developer\u2019s request for a land-use change 5-2. A second and final vote is expected early next year.<\/p>\n

The land in question is home to Harry Berry Park and the Hollywood Beach Culture & Community Center at 1301 S. Ocean Drive.<\/p>\n

The developer submitted an unsolicited proposal to the city in January 2020 for a luxury condo tower that has since been named Portofino Residences Hollywood. In 2021, the land had a value of $35 million. By 2022, commissioners had agreed to the public-private partnership.<\/p>\n

Because the project will be built on public land, it\u2019s exempt from height and density rules, city officials say.<\/p>\n

The Related Group plans to break ground on the $375 million project in late 2026, according to Keith Poliakoff, attorney for the developer.<\/p>\n

During the City Hall meeting, Poliakoff unveiled new renderings, showing a slightly shorter, more streamlined tower.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project you see today is a drop from 190 to 111 units,\u201d Poliakoff told the commission.<\/p>\n

Original plans called for a tower standing 365 feet high \u2014 seven times what the current code allows. New plans call for a 327-foot tower with 27 floors.<\/p>\n

The tower was reoriented to preserve views of the neighboring condo to the north, Poliakoff said.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn artist\u2019s rendering shows a 27-story condo tower planned on public land at 1301 South Ocean Drive in Hollywood. The city has already agreed to give the developer a 99-year lease. (SOM | Arx Creative\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n

The developer has also promised to build a spiffy new two-story community center with a view of the ocean. Hollywood taxpayers would pick up the tab for the new center, which could cost up to $20 million. The developer would pay for upgrades to the park.<\/p>\n

The condos would have a starting sales price of $4 million, according to Poliakoff.<\/p>\n

After the condos are sold, the city would collect $71 million in rent, Hollywood officials say. According to city estimates, Hollywood would net more than $1.3 billion over the term of the 99-year lease.<\/p>\n

Critics don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

They have held protests, spoken out at City Hall and taken their battle<\/a> to social media, blasting the project with relentless ferocity.<\/p>\n

Cat Uden, a Hollywood activist who lost a run for mayor in 2024, has led the charge to stop the project<\/a>. On Wednesday, she was one of 36 people who signed up to speak against the new tower.<\/p>\n

She argued that a 27-story building doesn\u2019t fit in with the quiet neighborhood on the south end of Hollywood beach. That it\u2019s in conflict with the county\u2019s resiliency plan. That it flies in the face of the city\u2019s own beach master plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city\u2019s Planning and Development board recommended denial of the land use amendment and you should follow their recommendation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Mike Stocker \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel<\/p>\n

People opposed to a plan to build a private condo on public land at Hollywood beach protest outside City Hall on September 14, 2021.<\/p>\n

Hollywood activist Ann Ralston argued the commission should hold a referendum vote to let the residents decide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hate this project,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the wrong place and the wrong size on a barrier island that\u2019s an evacuation zone. I\u2019m sorry. I just don\u2019t like it. A 99-year lease is just a giveaway to get around the charter and (avoid) having a public vote. Just put it to a vote. If we lose, we lose. But if we win, we preserve the barrier island for many generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resident Dennis Dimartino reminded the commission of all the people who had already spoken against the project over the past five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it that I can say that hasn\u2019t already been said,\u201d he told the commission. \u201cOne word just keeps coming to mind: No. No, we don\u2019t want that tower. No, we don\u2019t want the face of Hollywood beach to be looking like Sunny Isles. No, we don\u2019t want the increased cars coming in making A1A look like Hallandale Beach Boulevard. No, we don\u2019t want to run the risk of buildings sinking on a very small and very short portion of the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Adam Gruber told the crowd he\u2019d heard from hundreds of people in his district who back the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has been proposed and voted on and (approved) was to have a new community center with views of the ocean,\u201d Gruber said. \u201cThe size of the park will be increased and the green space for the parcel will be increased. And what is paying for all of that will be condos. It\u2019s a touchy subject. But please understand that there are people in the city that are OK with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s planning board cast a unanimous vote<\/a> against the project two years ago, but the Hollywood commission has the final say.<\/p>\n

And Wednesday night, the majority of the commission said yes.<\/p>\n

Mayor Josh Levy joined Commissioners Peter Hernandez, Traci Callari, Adam Gruber and Kevin Biederman in approving the land-use change from community facility to medium high residential. Vice Mayor Idelma Quintana and Commissioner Caryl Shuham voted no.<\/p>\n

Before the vote, Shuham argued the land-use change request should go back to the city\u2019s planning board because the project had undergone significant changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new application is completely different,\u201d she said. \u201cNew design. Different height. Different footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n

For that reason, the commission also needed to take another vote on the comprehensive agreement it approved three years ago, Shuham said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking at a complete new deal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The developer\u2019s attorney agreed the comprehensive agreement would require a new commission vote, but said it could be addressed at a later date.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Mayor Levy said each and every critic was welcome to speak up and have their say, but that doesn\u2019t mean they represent each and every resident of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-six people don\u2019t reflect the sentiment of 150,000 residents of the city,\u201d Levy said. \u201cIn a perfect world, everyone would love the project. Residents are getting a brand-new modern community center and an improved park. And the city is getting $1.3 billion over 99 years. This is all by the public, for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Critics of a plan that would see a sleek condo tower rise on a quiet stretch of public…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,28,249,251,250,114,266,109],"class_list":{"0":"post-82114","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-lauderdale","8":"tag-broward-county","9":"tag-florida","10":"tag-fort-lauderdale","11":"tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","12":"tag-fort-lauderdale-news","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-social"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}