Hollywood commissioners voted to delay new developments on the beach with a moratorium that could last to the end of the year.
BY TODD WRIGHT
twright@MiamiHerald.com
Developers eyeing Hollywood beach were officially put on notice by city commissioners Wednesday.
If they want to build on the beach, they'll have to wait a while.
In front of a commission chamber packed with beach business owners and residents, commissioners voted 5-1 Wednesday to put a six-month freeze on new projects on the beach.
Commissioner Keith Wasserstrom voted against the measure. Commissioner Sal Oliveri recently had back surgery and did not attend the meeting.
No projects already approved would be affected.
The moratorium on building permits won't be official until the city's planning and zoning board gives its recommendation, which could be two months from now.
But the stay may effectively start in a few days because the city will not accept new applications for building permits, City Attorney Dan Abbott said.
NEW GUIDELINES
Commissioners said they expect to lift the moratorium after city consultant Bernard Zyscovich submits development guidelines and recommendations for the beach in August.
Under the proposal, developers would still be allowed to submit building plans for the permit and review process and get approvals, but they would risk having to overhaul the expensive plans if they don't meet Zyscovich's recommendations.
If the commissioners expect developers to wait around while the city crafts plans for the beach, they are sadly mistaken, said Oscar Rivera, who represents Hollywood Grande, a development that would be impacted by the freeze.
The $47 million condo-hotel already has its building permits for the first phase of the project, but recently submitted plans for a second phase.
''It could cripple the entire project. It would be a huge, huge loss to my clients and their investment in this beach,'' said Rivera, speaking of the moratorium's potential impact.
The city's decision was met with mixed reviews by supporters of the moratorium, many of whom thought the city should be doing more to prevent overdevelopment of the beach. Several people said the freeze should be as long as three years.
''I'm less than thrilled. They need to do traffic studies, sewer impacts and much more than the consultants study,'' said Cynthia Greene-Eason, president of the Condos of Hollywood Beach, a coalition of condo associations. ``I don't think six months is going to mean anything to stop further growth on the beach.''
HEATED DEBATE
During the three-hour debate, developers and beach business owners went toe-to-toe with beach residents.
Opponents of the freeze argued any delay in construction on the beach would cost developers millions of dollars because of the rising cost of materials and labor. Business owners feared the moratorium would scare developers away fromthe beach.
Beach residents replied that the city needs to gauge the impact of the projects already approved, particularly traffic congestion.
Several condo owners claimed the beach was losing its ''village-style'' character, which is what attracts tourists and developers to the area in the first place.
''I don't know if they threw us a bone or not,'' Greene-Eason said, ``but we'll take what we can to save the beach.''
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