Hollywood & South Broward

Aessotariq · December 20, 2004

Related Urbanplanet.org topics: [ | ]

This thread covers Hollywood and southern Broward County (south of Interstate 595).

Communities covered:

Hollywood

Hallandale Beach

Dania Beach

----------------------

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...le/10410483.htm

COMEBACK CITY

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

ALREADY FULLY BUILT OUT, HOLLYWOOD IS COUNTING ON REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS -- AND THEY'RE HAPPENING

BY JERRY BERRIOS

[email protected]

Hollywood is becoming a South Florida destination.

Drivers no longer just zoom through. They often linger on picturesque streets, devouring pasta, sipping lattes and savoring sweets.

There is a lot to do now and more to come, with several major redevelopment projects underway.

More than half a dozen condominiums and hotels are going up on Hollywood beach.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has built a $279 million Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on its western Hollywood reservation. City leaders hope the entertainment and retail complex will spark redevelopment on the weary U.S. 441 corridor.

City leaders see the future Young Circle ArtsPark as a catalyst for economic development downtown and throughout the city.

With a recent $53.6 million bond issue that voters approved in November, the city will be able to fix up aging parks and fire stations throughout the city.

''We are doing the right kinds of things,'' Mayor Mara Giulianti said. ``I think this is a very good time for Hollywood.''

The city, all built out, is counting on redevelopment to bring in more tax money.

The ArtsPark will have an amphitheater, fountains, and a glass-blowing studio. It also will have a visual arts building with artist studios and a teaching area for such arts as metalwork and painting.

Developers are building around Young Circle Park, long considered the heart of the city.

In July, potential condominium buyers camped out overnight for a chance to buy into Radius, on the northwestern portion of Young Circle, that is yet to be built. Developer Steve Berman, who is building the 14-story, 311-unit condominium with 45,000 square feet of retail space, said construction is slated to start before the end of the year. It could be completed in two years.

''Downtown was my old stomping ground as a teenager,'' said Berman, who at 15 worked as a busboy at the Conca D'Oro restaurant off Young Circle. ``I have seen downtown in good times. I have seen it in bad times. I have always seen downtown with so much potential.''

All 311 units at Radius have been sold from $180,000 to more than $500,000.

Berman, president of FIRM Realty, also built La Piazza, a 21-unit apartment complex with 25,000 square feet of retail space on the northwest corner of Young Circle.

Hollywood Station, a future development on the southwest corner of Dixie Highway and Hollywood Boulevard just west of the Floroda East Coast railroad tracks, is doing brisk sales.

''We chose Hollywood because we felt it was one of the most progressive cities in South Florida,'' said Richard Lamondin, president of Coral Gables-based Cornerstone Premier Communities, which is building the project. ``They want development. They are willing to work with developers.''

The location, adjacent to downtown, was a big plus, Lamondin said.

''A lot of people are looking for the urban environment,'' he said.

Construction is slated to start next year.

FOREVER YOUNG

Developer Chip Abele, a managing member of Southern Facilities Development, is slated to build Young Circle Commons above the historic Great Southern Hotel at 1858 Hollywood Blvd. He plans to restore portions of the structure that Hollywood founder Joseph Young built.

Abele proposes to build up to 19 stories with about 200 condominiums and 25,000 square feet of commercial space on the site.

He also plans to build at least 400 condominiums on the Young Circle block where the Townhouse Apartments, Greyhound bus station and a Texaco gas station sit now.

On Hollywood beach, the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa led the way for the projects that have sprung up along State Road A1A.

The redevelopment projects include:

Aessotariq · December 20, 2004

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...le/10410483.htm

SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO

ALL THAT GLITTERS

THE SEMINOLE TRIBE IS ADDING RESTAURANTS, CLUBS AND SHOPPING

[email protected]

BY ROBERTO SANTIAGO

Last year, only hard-core gamblers with a tobacco fixation hung around U.S. 441 off Stirling Road in Hollywood, and they were usually found inside the old Seminole Indian casino.

The original casino is still there, but closer to Griffin Road, a new mega-casino that looks as if it was lifted from the Las Vegas strip stands tall. And it is not necessarily for the retired, bingo-loving smoker.

The new $270 million, 24-hour-a-day Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which opened in May, recently attracted model Anna Nicole Smith partying in a poolside cabana by its faux beach and water slide. Even Mickey Rourke was spotted ringside enjoying a few rounds of live boxing broadcast by ESPN.

Celebs from Alicia Keyes to Paris Hilton are expected to be frolicking late into the evening when multimillion-dollar nightclubs Pangaea, Gryphon, and Passion open at the adjacent Seminole Paradise entertainment complex.

''We expect to offer a little something to everyone,'' said Buster Baxley of the Seminole Tribe, who oversees Seminole Paradise.

The Seminole Paradise, located outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, offers restaurants such as Tequila Ranch, a Mexican bistro that has a mechanical bull ride; Tatu, an Asian fusion restaurant that promises ''the best sushi'' in Broward; the Blue Point Ocean Grill, offering exotic cocktails and seafood; the Jazziz Bistro, offering American fare with jazz and blues music; and the Park Sports Club, a huge sports bar with more than 100 screens.

AND SHOPPING, TOO

Shops include Jack Gallery, which sells pop art from illustrator Al Hirschfeld to painter Rafal Olbinski; clothing stores such as Lillie Rubin, White House/Black Market, Cache and Funky Fish; and others, such as Sunglass Hut, Marine Treasures, Karma Men's Salon, Scentsual Perfumes & Handbags and Beliza Fine Jewelry.

The nightlife also has become more adult and upscale. The Pangaea lounge and Gryphon dance club is geared for the VH1-crowd: men and women in their late 20s through early 40s, offering world and house/trance music.

A wilder and trendier MTV meets BET crowd is expected at the Passion nightclub. It features hip-hop, house, and dance mixes -- along with an all-male strip show for the ladies called Tabu. The club will host special events during the week, including a salsa and a non-alcoholic college night.

GAMBLING TOPS

But the draw to the Seminole casino remains gambling. To deal with the three-hour wait at the poker tables inside, a large poker room is opening near the nightclubs.

''By New Year's Day, everything will be set up here,'' according to Seminole casino chief James Allen, who said 5,000 additional parking spots are being constructed to accommodate the expected 20,000 people a day who will stop by the casino complex.

A LITTLE CULTURE

And there is even a little bit of culture and family fun -- of sorts.

The Seminole Okalee Indian Village & Museum offers Seminole history and culture, along with a mini-zoo and even live alligator wrestling.

Max Osceola of the Seminole Tribe said a good time is guaranteed for all.

''We've been taking care of lost tourists since a guy named Columbus showed up in 1492,'' he said.

bobliocatt · December 21, 2004

Hollywood is one of those South Florida cities that gets overlooked a lot. There's been a lot of redevelopment in downtown over the last couple of years. I went to a couple of clubs/bars there, about two years ago and really enjoyed myself.

sunshine · December 21, 2004

Any pics of it?

streetscaper · December 22, 2004

On my way to North Broward about last summer month ago and decided to stop by Hollywood to see what the buzz was about (20 minutes south of DT FTL and 2 or 3 miles from the beach)

I went on a weekday but this place is indeed booming...and will continue to soar ever more as more condos and shops and restaurants flood the area! What I like about Hollywood most is that mainstream retail has not penetrated the area....I wouldn't exactly say that it's quaint...but it's unique...too bad I couldn't stay and take pics...but I got a few snapshots here and there)

I really liked this building

This place is rather ecclectic....(keep in mind, I havn't nearly covered the whole dowtnown area)

Aessotariq · December 22, 2004

Good stuff, street!

There is a beautiful office building on Hollywood Blvd located in Presidential Circle, west of I-95, east of US 441 (SR 7). It houses a Suntrust bank. It's two buildings joined by an atrium with a rotunda. The exterior is a blue glass, and at night the lighting on the building is extraordinary.

Visit this site for more pictures: http://www.studiolo.org/Hywd-PresCircle/PresCircle.htm

Aessotariq · December 22, 2004

The news just doesn't stop...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/bro...la-news-broward

Hollywood Harbor to be part of port

By Robert Nolin

Staff Writer

Posted December 22 2004

HOLLYWOOD

FLORIDA SKYRISE ORDER · December 24, 2004

I used to live in Hollywood during my 10 year stint in South Florida; just like Fort Lauderdale to the North, Hollywood was asleep and suddenly awoke in the early 2000's. I always thought that the area around Young Circle was being severely under used. Now this area is booming and skyscrapers, though low to mid rises, are on the drawing boards or defying the virgin sky in Hollywood.

Though this City will never rival Hollywood California, unless an Earthquake scares everyone there to Florida, it has so much potential, and this potential is now materializing into a concrete vision that is very beautiful, appealing and fun!

FLORIDA SKYRISE ORDER

wolfdawg54 · December 24, 2004

Surprisingly, I have never been to Hollywood. I usually am on my way to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. It looks rather vibrant and I will travel down there when I get the opportunity.

Brickell · February 22, 2005

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/st...tml?t=printable

'Transit village' to rise in Hollywood

A developer has entered a 99-year lease for 18 acres to develop a "transit village" along Tri-Rail tracks in Hollywood. The area is to feature market-rate housing, retail stores, office buildings and a charter school.

Station Side Village Associates, an affiliate of Pinnacle Housing Group of Miami, is leasing the property from the Florida Department of Transportation.

The company did not give lease terms, but said it envisions providing both community facilities and encouraging public transportation use.

Michael Wohl, partner at Miami-based Station Side Village Associates, said he believes the project to be one of the first such public-private partnerships in the southeastern United States.

"We believe that this will be a highly successful venture, providing badly needed housing and support services, from stores and offices to a school, all in a location conducive to the routine use of public transportation services," he said.

The project is to be built on an FDOT park-and-ride lot at Sheridan Street and the CSX railroad tracks. Those tracks, like the full, 72-mile Tri-Rail route from Miami to West Palm Beach, are being double-tracked for increased service.

The project will retain 793 parking park-and-ride spaces, down from the current 804 spaces. For the added features, Wohl said he expects to invest more than $100 million over five years of development.

Rick Chesser, FDOT District 4 secretary, called this type of project necessary to grow public transportation use in South Florida.

"This project could succeed in keeping hundreds of cars off of I-95 daily," he said. "Many of the families living at Station Side Village will enjoy the cost savings of owning and operating fewer cars without sacrificing quality of life. In turn, the public transportation system and environment will also benefit."

Wohl said the details of the project are not yet final. He said his company plans to work with FDOT, the city o

Urban_Legend · February 22, 2005

I like the idea of having a charter school at the transit village. It will help students get to school. I'm glad I go to a charter school in a downtown area, near many bus routes.

Aessotariq · February 25, 2005

Vote brightens future for Hollywood's blighted areas

By John Holland

STAFF WRITER

Posted February 25 2005

Hollywood won initial approval Thursday to drastically revamp its zoning along U.S. 1, the first in a series of steps designed to bring the prosperity of downtown to the blighted areas surrounding it.

The Broward County Planning Council overwhelmingly voted to let Hollywood expand the area designated as downtown to about 1,400 acres from 619 acres. Supporters hailed the change as a way to bring commercial and residential development to the U.S. 1 and Dixie Highway corridors that have been left out of Hollywood's recent boom.

"What we're doing is trying to spread the wealth, because it doesn't do us any good to have one beautiful area surrounded by others that are struggling,'' Mayor Mara Giulianti said. "The public is excited about this, and frankly so am I.''

According to the proposal, the new downtown area will stretch from just south of Sheridan Street to Pembroke Road on the Hallandale Beach border. The change gives the city greater flexibility in deciding which property can be residential or commercial, and will allow 3.38 million square-feet of commercial development and 1.5 million square-feet of office space.

The plan still must get approval from the state and the full county commission.

While filled with pages of technical, legal and zoning issues, the provision essentially allows Hollywood to expand the number of units in its Community Redevelopment Area, which is currently at capacity.

But opponents are concerned that the new provisions will be used to give the CRA all of the new commercial and residential units, leaving nothing for the surrounding areas. While Giulianti and Hollywood officials promised that wouldn't happen, they refused to say what percentage of the new units would be given to the CRA.

Residents asked the Broward Planning Council to delay the vote until the city provided specifics about its intensions.

"We have no guarantees that anything would be directed to the corridor,'' said Hollywood resident Sara Case. "We need a test amendment to put some real numbers into this and make sure they are outside of the CRA. We need some help here.''

Several residents were also afraid that they would lose their homes under eminent domain as the city sought pricier development. Giulianti and city Planning Director Jaye Epstein said they couldn't promise anything, but said the city has never taken any property occupied by its owner.

But it has tried.

Four years ago, Giulianti supported a plan that would have taken the homes from about 100 beachside residents and given the oceanfront property to developer Michael Swerdlow so he could build luxury condos and an International Swimming Hall of Fame. The plan died after revelations about the swimming group's poor financial condition became public.

Link to article

bobliocatt · February 28, 2005

Great pics, I can't believe I missed seeing them for so long. Downtown is certainly booming. About two years ago, I went to a nice looking reggae bar in downtown. Up to that point, I didn't even know Hollywood had a real downtown.

Aessotariq · February 28, 2005

They're done a really good job with their downtown signage. You can see some of what I mean at the City of Hollywood's website. If I were to move to Broward, this is one of the few places I would want to live.

Brickell · February 28, 2005

my sentiments exactly. It's got some old town charm and classic houses. It's very similar to coral gables in many ways (at least in design, not price). A lot of my co-workers live up in that area. I couldn't take the commute.

Aessotariq · March 17, 2005

Posted on Wed, Mar. 16, 2005

HOLLYWOOD

Casino decision time coming

BY JERRY BERRIOS

[email protected]

After years of wishing, hoping and finger-crossing, Hollywood city commissioners are finally poised to decide who will develop the historic Casino property at Johnson Street and the beach.

The finalists are: Atlantica, a condominium-hotel whose developer promises to pump millions of dollars into the city and Community Redevelopment Agency coffers; Hollywood Place, a five-star Orient Express hotel with a condo-hotel component on adjacent property; and Marriott Ocean Village, Resort & Spa, which would work with the developer's other nearby Marriott hotel, between Taft and Carolina streets.

Each proposal includes retail, restaurant and parking elements.

The six waterfront acres are the most prized property on Hollywood beach.

''The property is vital to the economic stability and future of the city of Hollywood,'' said Commissioner Cathy Anderson, who represents the beach.

``A coastal community in South Florida relies on tourism.''

Once commissioners choose a developer, the city manager and city attorney will have three months to negotiate a lease with the company before a final vote on June 15.

Anderson said she was leaning toward the Ocean Village proposal.

At 14 stories, it would be smaller than the other two. Plus, its developer, Ocean Properties, is a family-owned business with a great track record, Anderson said. Commissioner Sal Oliveri also favors that proposal because of its size.

Commissioner Fran Russo said she was giving the Atlantica condo-hotel idea serious thought. Colonial Development Group, its developer, is not asking for incentives from the city, and Russo likes that.

''We don't have to put out any money,'' Russo said.

The Cordish Company wants to build Hollywood Place, a project that could turn Johnson Street into a promenade and bring in national names such as Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Cordish has also developed Seminole Paradise, an entertainment complex at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Stirling Road and U.S. 441.

The developer of a fourth proposal, the Hollywood by the Sea Resort Plaza, withdrew its plan in January.

Commissioners have been poring over consultant reports on the proposals.

Commissioner Peter Bober said deciding on the Casino property developer could be the most important decision he makes on the dais.

On Wednesday, he said, he wants to make sure the city gets the best deal it can, so he will look for the developer who will put out more money, need fewer incentives and decrease the height and number of units.

''Any one of these projects will change the character of the beach,'' Bober said.

Link to article

bobliocatt · March 22, 2005

This sounds big. Out of the three, with the limited knowledge I have, I'd rank Atlantica over the others, because the developers aren't asking for city incentives.

Aessotariq · May 5, 2005

Hollywood approves 326 condos near Young Circle

Plan includes space for retail and offices

By Shannon O'Boye

Staff Writer

Posted May 5 2005

Hollywood

Urban_Legend · May 5, 2005

^I can't wait to see Young Circle in a few years. Hollywood is really booming!

Aessotariq · May 19, 2005

HOLLYWOOD

65-foot height cap on horizon

City commissioners moved to slash the maximum height of new buildings on eight blocks of Hollywood beach.

BY JERRY BERRIOS

[email protected]

In a surprise move that will significantly restrict development on Hollywood beach, commissioners Wednesday voted to cut the maximum height of new buildings from 150 to 65 feet in an eight-block area.

The tentative approval drew cheers from about 100 gleeful residents in the City Commission chambers for the three-hour discussion. The measure requires a second vote slated for June 15.

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