Revitalization Plan in Place for Hollywood Beach Real Estate

By Mary Damiano

Imagine a day when you never have to leave that pristine stretch of South Florida real estate known as Hollywood Beach.

Hollywood city officials are looking forward to a time when the beach will be more self-contained and offer more shopping and dining options for both residents and locals. Included in the plan are more condominiums in Hollywood along the beach so more people will be to enjoy the stunning views and laid-back lifestyle beach dwellers enjoy.

To make their dream of beach revitalization come true, Hollywood officials hired Bernard Zyscovich, a Miami-Dade architect, to come up with a plan, which was unveiled this week. The plan calls for new developments along the beach to adopt the city’s vision by adopting eco-friendly activities in designs while maintaining Hollywood’s vintage beach-town vibe. Retail stores, restaurants with more outdoor seating and a historic section are also included in the plan, which would increase the number of condos for sale in Hollywood.

The plan also calls for the use of hidden parking garages, more valet services and less open parking spaces. City officials also envision a trolley service to eliminate the need for driving in the beach area, and so the real estate in Hollywood would not be cluttered with cars.

Developers of Hollywood condos will also be allowed to build beyond the current 50-foot height cap if they buy adjacent land and develop it for public use. The plan effects a major chunk of the area known as Central Beach, from Iris Terrace, which is south of Hollywood Boulevard, to just north of Sheridan Street.

In that same area, Hollywood officials have also given the tentative okay for a developer to increase the size of the Hollywood Grande hotel-condo. The original plan for Hollywood Grande called for 148 units in several building between three and five stories tall. The proposed expansion would add 59 more condos and could increase the height of the buildings to seven stories.

The developer will meet with Zyscovich to discuss how the Hollywood Grande expansion will fit in with the city’s new vision for the beach. The city will make their final decision on the expansion in mid-December on the number of Hollywood condos that can be included.