ALERT FROM HOLLYWOOD RESIDENTS:
Public participation meeting on April 25th, 2023, at 6:30 PM.
1301 S. Ocean Drive (Hollywood Beach Community Center)
Open to the public. Make your voices heard! You do not have to be a resident of Hollywood to attend the meeting.
(If you are a Hollywood voter, you can sign the official referendum while you're there).
Take action from home:
Protect our public space, sunny beach, sea turtles, and our beautiful, mature dunes. Please ask the Broward Planning Council to vote NO on the 1301 S Ocean Dr land use amendment. Comments may be submitted at any time via email PlanningCouncil@broward.org
The City Manager has transmitted a Land Use Amendment application to the Broward County Planning Council, asking for permission to add density to 1301 S Ocean Drive (asking for permission from the county to change "community, recreation, and open space" to "medium high residential.")
Subject: 1301 S Ocean Dr.
If you live in Hollywood or Broward County, please state that in your email. Thank you!
If the Broward Planning Council were to add this to an upcoming agenda, the public would be able to go in and comment on this item.
Map of proposed amended areas: https://www.broward.org/PlanningCouncil/Documents/PC23_2draftMaps.pdf
Email current list of Planning Council members: planningcouncil@broward.org, rgbrowardorg@gmail.com, acastillo@ppines.com, Michelle.Gomez@tamarac.org, drosenof@bigdogcsi.com, rex.hardin@copbfl.com, tdigiorgiojr@gmail.com, dhorland@plantation.org, robert.breslau@stiles.com, fbrunson@cityofwestpark.org, brionb@nova.edu, denise.b.fernandez@gmail.com, mryan@sunrisefl.gov, eastonkh@gmail.com, nrich@broward.org, allen.zeman@browardschools.com, bblakeboy@broward.org, amaurodis@wsh-law.com
or send a letter USPS addressed to 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 307, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Examples of letters from the public are here: https://www.broward.org/PlanningCouncil/Pages/PendingBCLUPAmendments.aspx
Possible legal implications: https://welovehollywoodbeach.com/f/legal-questions-surrounding-project
Another attorney weighs in: https://welovehollywoodbeach.com/f/more-high-profile-groups-coming-out-against-the-project
3 acres of this public land has deed restrictions for "open space, park, recreation, and public purpose." The President of the Hollywood Historical Society, Clive Taylor, states that the land was given to the city 47 years ago with the promise that this land would remain open space to the public in order to allow a variance of higher density for The Summit condominiums on the neighboring property.
The City wants to allow the developer to eliminate Azalea Terrace.
Note the following: Harry Berry is not included. This is because that acre is controlled by the Dept of Environmental Protection and the Department of the Interior (the acre was purchased with Land and Water Conservation Funds (federal funds) for the purpose of public recreation). The acre includes Harry Berry Park and the small parking lot on A1A/Azalea Terrace. The City is not allowed to make any changes to that acre without applying for a "conversion of use" from the federal government. The City did not tell anyone that this land was LWCF funded. They hoped that nobody would find out. Luckily, a resident brought this to the DEP's attention early in the process. As long as that acre remains federally protected, the park and parking lot will be public.
Commissioner Shuham and the City Manager have admitted that we do not need to allow this condo in order to make improvements to public facilities here. Residents are now concerned about the City getting a bad deal, saying that after looking over the Ground Lease and Comprehensive Agreement, it appears that the City (taxpayers) will be paying for too much. Vice Mayor Shuham stated that it's a "good deal for the developer, a bad deal for the City."
Most residents feel that entering into a 99 year legal relationship with a condo association at 1301 will be risky, and could be a nightmare for the City for 99 years.
It is not clear that the proposal is consistent with standards set forth in the Florida’s Public - Private Partnership Act, §255.065.
The Broward Planning Council will consider many factors when deciding if this Land Use Amendment is appropriate. For example, enjoyment of the beach and public access, dark shadows over the sandy beach, water, sewer, solid waste, and drainage demands, schools and hospitals, emergency services, public use of recreation and open space, the City's preservation of green space, impact on dunes, traffic and roadways, vacating Azalea Terrace, how it will affect mass transit, areas of concern on the property, threatened and endangered species of plants and animals, nesting sea turtles, sea level rise, soil, beach access, current zoning/height restrictions (Bougainvillea has much shorter buildings and if 1301 wasn't public property, it would have a restriction of 65 feet), hurricane evacuation (shelters, roadways, fuel), developer's history of public meetings with all of the residents of Hollywood, flooding, impact to dunes, established character of the beach, compatibility with our City's beach master plan, etc.