Hollywood Beach is opening the door to beachfront towers despite resident pushback.
City commissioners voted 5-2 Wednesday to establish a Hollywood Beach Overlay District, which allows taller buildings in six new development precincts, each with its own set of standards and lasting up to five years.
The changes pave the way for a redevelopment of the historic 398-key Hollywood Beach Resort, which BH and Related Group have under contract. It’s within the Hollywood Beach Resort Precinct, which caps heights to 340 feet between Harrison Street and Tyler Street. Another 150 feet of height will be available through a historic rehabilitation incentive program, bringing the max height to 490 feet.
The Central Beach Commercial Precinct will allow a height limit of 180 feet, and the North-Central Beach Residential Precinct will permit up to 150 feet.
All other precincts — North Beach, South Beach Residential and South-Central Beach Residential — will allow buildings up to 200 feet. Other beachfront areas were not upzoned.
The overlay also adds density-bonus programs. A Tourism Incentive Density Entitlement gives the city a pool of 2,300 hotel rooms that commissioners can dole out to projects, allowing developers to build up to 350 keys per acre in some areas. And a Flexibility Unit Program creates a pool of 500 additional residential units, which developers can apply for.
“What we’re doing today is not just creating something,” said commissioner Kevin Biederman. “It’s controlling our destiny.”
It’s a destiny some residents don’t like the look of. Dozens of speakers packed the council chambers Wednesday, arguing the overlay district will lead to overdevelopment, putting Hollywood’s infrastructure and character at risk, Axios reported.
“This is a takeover of Hollywood Beach for wealthy people,” one resident said. “Access for the middle class will be gone, and the high-rises will be on steroids.”
Developer Gordon Deckelbaum said the city “will never recover” from the development boom and “loss of character” the overlay district could create. Hollywood Beach’s skyline has historically been low-rise, with most developments limited to a height of 65 feet.
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