Reading this article about a hideous high rise on the ocean makes my grateful that some of our St. Johns County Commissioners ask developers to consider waiving Live Local Act rights. What do you reckon?
From South Florida Sun Sentinel:
Hollywood gives final nod to 30-story Live Local project on public land at beach
A proposed luxury tower that triggered a lawsuit and six years of heated debate has gotten its final green light from the Hollywood commission, more than six years after the developer pitched the plan to build a 30-story condo on taxpayer-owned land at 1301 S. Ocean Drive.
In the years since, opponents have come out in force against the project — and did so again during a marathon meeting that started at 1 p.m. Wednesday and ended shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday.
But in the end, Hollywood commissioners approved Portofino Hollywood, a controversial Live Local project slated to rise on taxpayer-owned land at the beach.
“This has been years of division,” Vice Mayor Traci Callari said before the 6-1 vote. “And yet here we are at 3:40 a.m. in the morning — and common ground has still not been reached. Today I’m making the decision to vote (yes) and move forward because six years has been a long challenging time. It’s time to just move forward. And I guess the courts will make the final decision.”
Commissioner Caryl Shuham cast the lone “no” vote, citing a number of objections, including the height of the building.
The 30-story tower is slated to rise 375.4 feet high.
Cat Uden, a longtime resident who has opposed the project from the beginning, spoke up again Wednesday night.
“In 2021 and 2022 when I spoke publicly about this project, I called it a monument to greed. And it still is,” she said. “This is not a good deal for this city. It’s a good deal for the developer. You’re adding a 30-story condo tower in a spot that currently has no condos. This is a 99-year lease and one day it will be an island.”
Four years ago, commissioners approved a 99-year ground lease at the site, which includes the city-owned Harry Berry Park and a community center.
A lawsuit filed in Broward Circuit Court in June argues the deal violates the city charter and requires voter approval by referendum.
The lawsuit lists the city of Hollywood and Miami-based Related Group as defendants in a case that could dictate what happens to the land.
“The issues pending in that lawsuit are yet to be adjudicated,” said Sydney Satz, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “This is something that will ultimately have to be decided by a judge.”
The next hearing is set for Oct. 28.
Keith Poliakoff, attorney for Miami-based Related Group, argues the lawsuit will not succeed in blocking the project.
“It has been fully approved by a 6-1 vote of the commission,” he said. “While anyone has a right to challenge any approval, the courts almost always side with the municipality.”
Related Group now plans to build 126 luxury condos and 84 workforce housing apartments and hopes to break ground within the next 18 months once the lawsuit is resolved, Poliakoff said.
The developer had planned to build a 27-story tower with 111 luxury condos, but earlier this year added workforce housing under the Live Local Act, effectively bypassing local density and height restrictions.
An amendment to the state’s Live Local Act that took effect in July allows developers to build workforce housing on government land in a bid to tackle the state’s shortage of affordable housing.
Commissioners approved the change in May.
“This has been a six-year journey to get to this point,” Poliakoff said. “We’re absolutely thrilled that this issue can be placed behind us. We’re excited for the groundbreaking and the future opportunities this new development will have in store.”
As part of the deal the developer made with the city, Related Group has agreed to build a new community center on the city’s dime.
Original plans for a two-story community center that would have been 20,000 square feet have changed. The plan now is to build a four-story, 15,000-square-foot community center with a roof deck.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
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