Thursday, February 20, 2020

#HollywoodFL civic activists and Historic Preservation advocates are on the warpath. Feel betrayed by Hollywood officials after the 95-year old Great Southern Hotel is demolished without any public notice. To many Hollywood residents, city's decision seems awfully "convenient," given the widespread dissatisfaction with developer and the glacial pace of construction on Block 40



Once Upon a Time... 

 I attended last Tuesday afternoon's City of Hollywood Historic Preservation Board meeting at Hollywood City Hall at 3:00 pm, walking into the Commission Chambers a minute or two after it started because I had looked -in vain- out in the lobby for a written copy of the agenda to peruse.
I had so many things on my mind that I had left the house for the meeting before checking the city's website to see if that pertinent info was there.

 I say that because with no agenda available in the lobby, I and most of the public in the room got completely blindsided when, after some long and heated discussions about some proposed changes  to two city residential properties -including a beautiful house on N. Southlake Drive that last sold for $12.5 million- the dumbfounding news that was spoken aloud sometime after 4:15 pm about the demolition that very morning of the historic Great Southern Hotel, in the city's historic Downtown area, located on Block 40, directly across the street from the west side of Young Circle.
A building constructed in 1924 during Hollywood's infancy.

 And, a building that I have personally taken DOZENS of photos of over the past 16 years since I returned to South Florida from Washington, D.C. to look after my late Dad, following his quadruple heart operation.
And then later, following his Stroke in 2010. 😔😔

What little that was left of the actual Great Southern Hotel, the facades that were supposed to be incorporated into real estate developer Charles R. "Chip" Abele's project, were demolished specifically at the urging of City of Hollywood Chief Building Dept. head Dean Decker because of his and his Dept's "safety" concerns.
Yes, when you say "safety," you'd be surprised what usual procedures. protocols, and seats of power and responsibility seemingly don't apply.

 Maybe you'd even be surprised to find out that, as was stated obliquely at the Hollywood Historic Preservation Board meeting, the city's Building Dept., if they use the magic words "public safety," seemingly has the unfettered power to do things that even the elected Hollywood City Commission can not legally countermand.
Like the Building Dept.'s demolition order, something that other stakeholders in the city can not contest or at least take to court because the whole reason things were done the way they were Tuesday was to prevent interest groups from finding out and getting involved in a legal fashion.
@SFBJRealEstate MT @Susannah_Bryan Landmark #HollywoodFL hotel built in 1924 was leveled today. Developer #ChipAbele says he cld not save it despite earlier promises to do so.
Here’s my last story on the plans to bring a new project to downtown ⁦@cohgov. https://t.co/tjqPs7Lb2o

— HallandaleBeach/Hollywood Blog (@hbbtruth) February 11, 2020


Earlier in the day Decker had urged developer Chip Abele via a letter written earlier today to demolish it ASAP, and he explained his reasoning for the decision. 

 My September 21st, 2016 blog post with info and context about Abele and his company getting approval from the Hollywood City Commission for his Block 40 project is here:

Hollywood developer Chip Abele's years-long effort to launch #YoungCircleCommons project in Downtown Hollywood, across from The ArtsPark, w/a #HiltonHotel, clears hurdle as Hollywood City Comm. unanimously approves requested changes
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/hollywood-developer-chip-abeles-years.html 

It's been a long road for Abele, often the subject of biting criticism by the public at myriad meetings held at Hollywood City Hall and at various civic association meetings throughout the city that I've personally attended, both before and after I left Hollywood for 9-10 months to travel in August of 2018
That would include the Civic Associations here in the city for Hollywood Lakes, Park East, Hollywood Hills, North Central, the Downtown, Parkside, Royal Poinciana one, to say nothing of the one known as United Neighbors. I go to 4 or 5 of these a month, though some conflict with one another.

Back in 2008 our friends over at the South Florida Business Journal were writing,
Great Southern Hotel developer plans to move ahead in Chapter 11
The redeveloper of Hollywood's Great Southern Hotel, which has stood up to hurricanes, rancorous litigation and the housing meltdown, says it will continue to pursue the project as it works through Chapter 11.
Coral Gables-based SFD@Hollywood LLC filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy on Tuesday. The filing attorney was Thomas M. Messana of Fort Lauderdale-based Messana Weinstein & Stern, P.A.
In an e-mail Thursday, Messana said the filing followed a failure to resolve a dispute over the delivery of 25,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor of the proposed building.
SFD will pursue strategic alternatives on the project, but still intends to develop Youngs Circle Commons, the e-mail said.
Charles R. "Chip" Abele signed the filing as managing member of the limited liability corporation. Other managing members listed in state records are Jose R. Boschetti and Maurice Cayon.
The project called for restoring portions of the Great Southern with 19 stories of mixed-used space that would include 239 condominiums, 25,000 square feet of retail and a parking garage.
Assets and liabilities are each listed as totaling between $1 million and $10 million. Unsecured creditors range anywhere from $89,797 due to Broward County for 2007 property taxes to a $42.46 charge owed to Miami-based 60-Minute Courier.
A 2007 suit was heard in the 4th District Court of Appeal, with Friends of the Great Southern claiming that the city of Hollywood had violated its own building code by approving the partial demolition of the Great Southern Hotel. Directors of Friends of the Great Southern were Richard Vest, William Young and Rene Tewksbury. The city prevailed in the suit.


Earlier in 2008, there was this news in the Sun-Sentinel re the eminenet domain lawsuit between the city and the Mach family that owned the property on the southwest corner of Harrison and S. 19th Avenue, that has looked like this for years



Eminent domain ruling reversed
Ihosvani Rodriguez Staff WriterSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 27, 2008
A state appeals court has decided to support the city's controversial attempt to take a family's downtown property and use it for private development.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled 3-0 to overturn a Broward judge's 2006 ruling that said the city cannot take the Mach family's business property and give it to a powerful developer, according to the decision released Wednesday.

The Mach family has owned the 2,900-square-foot building on Harrison Street since 1972. The building houses the family's hair salon and several other businesses.

The city's downtown Community Redevelopment Agency has been fighting since 2005 to use eminent domain to obtain the property and transfer it to developer Charles "Chip" Abele for a $100 million project, a 19-story condo and retail tower called Young Circle Commons.

"This is very disappointing, obviously," said family spokesman David Mach, "but there's a 99 percent probability we will be appealing."

The Machs could ask the appeals court to reconsider, or, try to take the case to the Florida Supreme Court.

The appeals court panel ruled that Broward Circuit Judge Ronald J. Rothschild should have deferred to the redevelopment agency's 2005 finding that the property is vital to downtown redevelopment plans. Instead, he ruled that testimony during a 2006 trial showed the city and Abele didn't need the building to complete the project.

Attorneys for the city argued the land would be used as part of a traffic flow plan that would enable the developer to preserve the facade of the 1920s-era Great Southern Hotel as part of the Young Circle Commons project.

Such historic preservation is an acceptable reason for government to take private property through the process of eminent domain, the appeals court said in its ruling.

The abandoned hotel, now owned by Abele, is immediately north of the Mach building on Harrison Street. Development planners said the only viable place to build an entrance to the tower's garage is on 19th Avenue. But that would require razing the hotel's western wall-or, building the entrance farther south, on Mach's property.

Appeals court Associate Judge Lisa Davidson, who voted with the majority, said the city should take no more than the 17 feet Abele said he needs for the 30-foot-wide garage entrance.

The Florida Legislature in 2006 prohibited cities from using eminent domain for private redevelopment. But the new law doesn't apply to the Mach case because the city had already started eminent domain proceedings.

The city promised Abele in 2004 that if the developer could not buy out the Machs, it would take the building via eminent domain. Under the agreement, the city will purchase the Mach property through eminent domain and Abele will reimburse the city.

Redevelopment director Neil Fritz said in a statement Wednesday that Hollywood intends to "live up" to the deal with Abele. If the "appeals court decision prevails, we would ultimately transfer the property to the developer to allow the project to be built."

Abele has said he once offered the Machs $1.2 million, but they refused. On Wednesday he acknowledged the housing market is in the doldrums, but said he still wants to move forward with his plans.

"The window of opportunity to build condos has been shut until the markets recover," said Abele, "but this doesn't mean the project won't be built some day."

Mach said Wednesday he is optimistic the city commission, which doubles as the redevelopment agency's board, will back off.

"I have some faith in the new Hollywood government that they will do the right thing and protect the rights of its citizens," he said.


Reminder: Abele and his company also did the 25-story Hollywood Circle condo and retail project on Block 55 that now includes the new-ish Publix Supermarket, The Circ Hotel and its various restauarants, plus ground floor retail on the block northeast of Young Circle.

City Attorney Douglas R. Gonzales also spoke at great length at the Historic Preservation Board meeting chaired by my friend, Hollywood Lakes Civic Association President Terry Cantrell, one of the most involved and best-connected person in the city.

To say the least, most of the asembled public did not quite believe what they were hearing, even if they already knew what had taken place hours before.

Frankly, if I'd known the subject of the Great Southern Hotel was going to come up, I'd have brought my camera tripod with me to film the whole discussion, as I have hundreds of times over the years in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, and then placed the video here on the blog for you to draw your own conclusions, after reading my thoughts.

 Why film it? 
Because those Hollywood Historic Preservation Board meetings are neither televised or recorded for the public to watch or review.

My own sense of things, based not only on what I observed during the meeting and immediately afterwards out in the lobby, when several people I know were very upfront and vocal with their criticisms of the city's decision, right to Decker's face, as well as what I've heard/received via emails and text messages is the following.
The smartest, most-involved, and most socially-adept #HollywoodFL civic activists I know and respect are... on the warpath against the city and its elected officials because they see this decision as a very personal betrayal. 
In an election year.

 They are irate about this matter for many reasons but if I had to narrow it down to two, I'd say that it's because, to them, it seems more than a bit "convenient" that this 95-year old building has been demolished:
a.) on the same day that Hollywood city official contacted the owner, and, 
b.) on the very same day the city of Hollywood posted this information to the city's website:

 Update on Block 40 Construction in Downtown Hollywood
https://hollywoodfl.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=728

 Posted on: February 11, 2020

Update on Block 40 Construction in Downtown Hollywood

Block 40 update
In late January, as construction crews were performing work to brace the portions of the former Great Southern Hotel to be preserved, the crews and on-site engineers observed issues with the structural integrity of the building, and notified the City of these concerns. The City’s Building Division reviewed reports from four different engineers and field inspections. The preponderance of evidence found significant deterioration of the structure or structural parts making the building unsafe per section 116.2.1.2.2 of the Florida Building Code. Due to the determination that the historic north and west facades of the former hotel were unsafe and posed a significant threat to public safety, a modification of the existing demolition permit was issued this morning and demolition of the unsafe structure was completed earlier this afternoon.
The City consulted with an Engineering firm that inspected the building, interviewed on-site construction contractors, reviewed all prior engineering reports and conducted strength testing of the building’s structural components. The concrete masonry of the former hotel was found to be in disrepair with core drilling tests yielding compression rates of 1320 to 1580 PSI. For commercial structures, 3000 PSI is the minimum requirement. The level of deterioration necessitated immediate attention to address a severe life safety hazard. The perimeter of the construction site was secured to allow for the demolition of the remaining structure.
In 2012, the City of Hollywood approved plans for the redevelopment of the site of the former Great Southern Hotel at the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Young Circle. The redevelopment plan is for a 19-story, mixed-use development with 166 upscale residential units and a 103 room hotel along with a restaurant and approximately 9,793 SF of retail and office space. The approved plans preserved and incorporated the north and west facades of the former Great Southern Hotel, originally constructed in the 1920s, as well as some interior features.
The development team has informed the City that they are committed to reconstructing the historical elements previously planned to be preserved as shown in the approved designs. They have also worked to save elements from the original construction with the goal of incorporating them into the new building where feasible.

Great Southern Hotel, Hollywood, Florida 
Uploaded June 28, 2012 by Dan Watson YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJp2KTDPhT8&feature=youtu.be
-----



See also the rueful comments of my friend Lynn Smith, the President of the Downtown Parkside Royal Poinciana Civic Association, from whom I received the following excerpt of a letter last Friday.


Downtown Parkside Royal Poinciana Civic Association
P.O. Box 223697, 
Hollywood, FL 33022
https://www.facebook.com/DPRPCA/

 -----
Dave
David B. Smith


Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/ 
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Thursday, February 6, 2020

Strongly urge you and your #art-loving, #culture-going and #golf-playing friends to attend tonight's important 6:30 pm Hollywood Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Master plan Community meeting @ David Community Center, 108 N. 33rd Court


Strongly urge you and your  #art-loving, #culture-going and #golf-playing friends to attend tonight's important 6:30 pm Hollywood Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Master Plan Community meeting at the David Community Center, 108 N. 33rd Court, near Offerdahl's Off-The-Grill.
There's plenty of nearby parking

Last week I saw the renderings of the proposed addition to the Arts & Culture Center on Harrison Street and heard the architect and Center Director Joy Saterlee speak about them in some detail at the GO Bond Oversight Board meeting at City Hall.

As you may recall from some of my blog posts and widely-circulated emails last year, I have LOTS of issues with how the Parks Dept. is handling things, esp. public engagement. 
Or rather the lack of it as it concerns many matters, with how badly the Hollywood Beach Golf Course's future has been handled by city bureaucrats -both before and after last year's vote- being perhaps the best example of this.

In my opinion, knowing many facts that others don't, an advantage gained from simply attending all the Evaluation Comm. meetings concerning it, often being the only member of  the public present, it's been wholly inadequate to what was and is necessary for the public having the best possible final result that the community can use, enjoy, and take pride in.

Plus, it raises lots of serious questions about the city's longtime Evaluation Comm. process and whether or not incumbent vendors have an unhealthy advantage in the process, even when they have a demonstrated track record of NOT fulfilling their past promises to the city in a timely fashion.
That is to say, a real lack of public accountability -and punishment.

In ways that I never have before in the 16 years since I returned to the area from Washington, D.C., I have seen some legitimate areas of public concern re genuine conflicts of interest within City Hall's bureaucracy and the Eval. Comm. process, and it came with respect to the future use, purpose and design of the Hollywood Beach Golf Course.
Things that made me shake my head at what I was seeing and hearing.
Concerns that I have already shared with some of you in private.


I'll be expanding upon this in the coming days with a fact-filled blog post that lays out my concerns.
As usual, full of photos and in this case, self-evident examples of how the city and its bureaucrats
seem to be performing in ways that I believe shortchange not only the larger community, but,
specifically, the very target audience for whom the improvements are being made -golfers who
actually pay to use the golf course. I won't get into all my concerns here, but suffice to say, why does it seem like that their concerns are secondary to so many other area groups?

I'll see you at the meeting!

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