October 3, 2008 photo by South Beach Hoosier New Notice sign advertising the meeting on the 15th.
Well, I ended up having LOTS of problems posting Naming Names Herald-style -Beach One Resort Hotel in Hollywood Passes Round One a few hours ago, as I lost it a couple of times during the Hurricanes-Seminoles ballgame when very strong area storms knocked out the electricity hereabouts momentarily.
I was literally sick at the thought of having to completely re-arrange those photographs again in the laborious way Blogger forces you to do so.
Plus, I completely lost the draft which explains why I titled that post the way I did.
So, long story short... look at Breanne Gilpatrick's Thursday Herald article on the approval, so far, of the Beach One Resort project at 4111 S. Ocean Drive, i.e. on State Road A1A and Hallandale Beach Blvd., and tell me what's missing from her story?
Go ahead, I can wait.
Are you back?
You have a project that everyone describes as "beautiful," and yet she never mentions the name of the architect who actually designed it, or the name of the developer who hopes to turn it into an iconic reality.
This, in an area that's positively drowning in ugly buildings and developers who throw up schlock and take curtain calls -even when nobody is applauding.
Or the Miami Megaplan.
As mentioned, it's been reduced by 10 floors to be in proportion with the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa down the block and is absolutely gorgeous, resembling a ship's bow.
To answer the first part of the question, it's been designed by world renown architect Carlos Ott, who developed the original concept for the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai, http://www.burj-al-arab.com/ , a hotel which Hollywood Comm. Patty Asseff mentioned on Wednesday that she had stayed at earlier this year.
He's also doing the Jade Beach down on Collins Avenue and 170th Street and the Jade Ocean, also in Sunny Isles.
At the Sept. 11th Development Review Board hearing in Hollywood, Mr. Ott looked and talked exactly like you'd imagine an architect with his particular background would look, too: dignified, well-dressed and precise.
Almost more like a veteran character actor deep in his character than a real architect.
Or so I thought at the time. http://www.mosaico21.com/onlinemosaicoxxi/english/design/carlosottstory.htm
For the record, the name of the developer is Edgardo DeFortuna the president of Miami-based Fortune International Realty. See this article on his background.
I should mention here that even the neighborhood critics along A1A who attended that meeting on the 11th acknowledged -and not at all grudgingly- that the design is positively breathtaking.
Still, they couldn't resist the opportunity to say publicly how truly ugly and oversize The Beach Club condos south of the Hallandale Beach Water Tower are, especially in comparison.
This is the old version and height, not the new one, but you get the general idea. http://200.124.202.19/ott/ott.html
Also, as noted previously here, keep in mind that the rendering doesn't show The Sian in between it and the Westin., since it's intended to be an aerial comparison of relative height, not actual physical proximity.
The next time this project will come up for review is the second City Commission reading, on Wednesday October 15th at 1 PM.
To see the portion of Wednesday's hearing on Beach One Resort, complete with Power Point presentation, go to http://www.hollywoodfl.org/Media/Archives/ccm100108/ccm100108_Indexed.pdf and click the blue line on # 23.
PO-2008-20 - Ordinance First Reading - An Ordinance Of The City Of Hollywood, Florida, Waiving The 10 Acre Minimum Acreage Requirement For A Planned Development; Changing The Zoning Designation Of The Property Generally Located At 4111 South Ocean Drive From C-1 (Commercial Low Intensity) To PD (Planned Development District); Allocating Up To 238 Bonus Hotel Density Rooms From The "Hollywood Beach Hotel Room Pool"; Approving The Planned Development (PD) Master Development Plan For The Subject Property (Hereinafter Known As "Beach One Resort Planned Development Master Plan"); And Amending The City’s Zoning Map To Reflect The Change In
