Might Hollywood go the way of its condo canyons neighbors to the south and north?
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The coastline of South Florida is mostly lined with skyscraping apartment towers, but one exception has always been Hollywood’s beach, in the area north of Hollywood Boulevard. It has the charm of the Broadwalk and the quaint feel of old-time Florida, lined with mom-and-pop hotels, bars and cafes, and that atmosphere is preserved because of a 65-foot height limit on buildings.
“We are very worried that Hollywood could become Sunny Isles Beach,” said Catherine Uden, who is running for an open city commission seat on an anti-beach development platform.
The city is on the cusp of approving a plan to allow developers to build much higher hotels and condos along State Road A1A.
“I don’t think most residents are opposed to new things. I think what they’re opposed to is 20 stories all down A1A. That’s a very drastic change from what we have now. That’s three times as high as the height allows right now,” Uden said.
The city’s plan would allow buildings to rise higher on A1A, but must taper down as they get closer to the beach.
“Without taking away from that experience, that pedestrian experience that we love, that we know as Hollywood Beach,” said Cameron Palmer, the city’s chief planner. “So the Broadwalk is gonna look completely the same because no bonuses are proposed, no bonuses are proposed on the Broadwalk.”
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By bonuses, Palmer means the ability to build higher in exchange for design elements required by the city, such as more public gathering space, parking, and other features.
“Before we talk height, what’s happening at the grade, because if what’s happening at ground is enjoyable and an experience, then what’s happening above is where we can allow for leniency,” Palmer said.
Another contentious issue is happening simultaneously on the beach: the city wants to allow a private developer to rebuild and improve its community center, but in exchange, the developer gets to build a condo tower on public land. It will have market-rate apartments along with 84 affordable housing units. Palmer calls it a win-win deal for all parties.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have better amenities without a private tower. We’ve done it many times in the city, so we can have an improved community center; we don’t have to put a 30-story tower on top of it,” Uden said.
The city’s Planning and Development Board is meeting Tuesday night to discuss these issues. As of this writing, the board had not yet voted, but it will make recommendations to the city commission on these beachfront controversies.
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