temporary building moratorium on
Central
Beach was lifted with the Hollywood City Commission’s
recent approval of a proposed master plan and zoning
guidelines drafted by architect, urban designer and
consultant Bernard Zyscovich.
Two public hearings held in December capped an 18-month
moratorium on building permits initiated by city leaders to
create a blueprint for future development. The mayor and
commissioners also approved a set of zoning guidelines that
address the goals of the master plan. A series of workshops and
Town Hall meetings were held to gauge the opinions of beach
residents and businesses.
Mayor Mara Guilianti said the master plan was designed to
preserve height and density limits and to foster
tourism-oriented commercial development. “I’m extremely happy
the way it turned out,” she said. “We preserved the essential
character and scale of the central beach, while providing
opportunities for new hotels and other hospitality offerings.”
She said the new regulations should encourage the replacement of
aging hotels while preventing overdevelopment. “We don’t want to
become another Aventura or Sunny Isles Beach,” she said.
After receiving input from the community, the city tightened
some of Zyscovich’s recommendations, Guilianti said. While
Zyscovich would have put conditions on future large projects
(often called “planned unit developments”), the city agreed to
prohibit them altogether, and restrictions were placed on the
construction of pedestrian walkways over smaller streets. An
overhead walkway was constructed a few years ago to connect the
Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa on the beach to the Diplomat
Landings parking/retail complex on the west side of A1A, but
their use on smaller residential streets on the beach could
foster a sense of privatization, Guilianti said.
Zyscovich said one goal of his plan was to preserve the scale
and character of Central Beach, which he called “a very unique
place.”
“There is a history here,” Zyscovich said, comparing the city to
other South Florida beaches, with “one high-rise after another.
“We have some of the most beautiful natural resources within a
very short place.”
Another goal, he said, was the development of a “green beach”
that would encourage energy conservation and
environment-friendly building materials.
The past year has been an eventful one for the beach. The city
declared historic an area that includes the recently renovated
Hollywood Broadwalk, and imposed a 50-foot height limitation and
a temporary moratorium on building permits to allow city
planners time to hammer out a master plan. Since then, several
meetings have been held with residents and property owners.
Commissioner Cathleen Anderson, whose commission district
includes the beach, said she was pleased by the plan and the
feedback from the community. She said she didn’t feel that new
guidelines would discourage investment or redevelopment in the
area. “People have been investing in
Hollywood
for years,” said Anderson. “The best is yet to come.”
Several residents of the Quadomain condo complex have questioned
city officials about their commitment to the 50-foot height
limitation, particularly since the owners of the nearby
Driftwood have sued the city over the height limits under the
Burton-Harris Act, which allows property owners to seek
compensation for an unfair infringement of property rights. “We
fear overdevelopment and loss of quality of life” if the
Driftwood owners prevail, said Don Urquhart, president of the
Quadomain Condominium Association.
Zyscovich said no plans call for changing the 50-foot height
limit, but Commissioner Anderson cautioned that the outcome of
the Driftwood lawsuit is uncertain. “We would uphold [the
limitation], but it’s in the courts,” she said.
Zyscovich also noted that the Quadomain, located just south of
Iris Terrace, is outside the scope of his study.
Zyscovich recommended simplifying the approval process for
renovations of historic properties so that owners need not seek
a variance. He also supported creating an “active mix of
ground-level retail, restaurant and hotel uses along the
Broadwalk,” but noted that the Florida Building Code requires
that structures east of the Coastal Construction Control Line
must locate all habitable floors 19 feet above ground level.
“This requirement severely discourages significant building
renovations and encourages new buildings, which will alter the
existing spatial relationship of the Broadwalk and its adjacent
buildings and jeopardize the unique character of the
beachfront,” he wrote in his report to the city.
Guilianti said the city plans to encourage the building of
centralized “parking nodes” that would lessen the need to devote
large portions of relatively small lots for parking, with
shuttles taking guests to various sites. She added that the city
is drafting zoning guidelines that would encourage the
preservation of historic properties and the elimination of
blighted conditions. “We hope to be able to create and encourage
developers to build smaller boutique hotels,” she said.
Beach resident Bob Lieberman said he was encouraged by the
process the city used to solicit feedback from affected
residents. “I can live anywhere I want, but I chose to live on
Hollywood
Beach because there’s nothing else like it, and I’m encouraged
that the city wants to preserve that character and lifestyle,”
he said.
