re Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort project - Special City of Hollywood CRA/City Comm. meeting re Margaritaville at 5 pm on Wednesday; re Hollywood's South Park Road Redevelopment (HIAD)

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re Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort project - Special City of Hollywood CRA/City Comm. meeting re Margaritaville at 5 pm on Wednesday; re Hollywood's South Park Road Redevelopment (HIAD)

There is a Special City of Hollywood CRA/City Commission joint meeting re Margaritaville at Hollywood City Hall on Wednesday on May 29th at 5 p.m.

http://agenda.hollywoodfl.org/cache/00001/234/AGEN%2005-29-13%20Joint%20Special.pdf

Last week's community meeting was another masterful production by Hollywood City Manager  Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark, with more than enough info to fill everyone in on what's what and what's been changed, with a well-produced Power Point presentation that answered and anticipated every conceivable question or concern with facts, not idle speculation or theories.

The City Manager's Office had 4 separate stacks of document handouts in the lobby for the public to grab on their way in, including a copy of new agreement; in total, weighing about 20 oz or so.

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/index.aspx?nid=650

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/documentcenter/view/2587

There almost might've been too much information to process, something that you could never say was the case in Hallandale Beach. 

Plus, they had a stash of three separate kinds of cookies in the lobby with a TV monitor set up for any possible overflow. Now that's planning.

Well, the cookies were grabbed and eaten, but the TV wasn't needed, as there were probably about 90 people in total inside, with a few empty seats near most of the usual familiar faces.

All but one current Hollywood City Commissioner was present in the chambers along with former Commissioners Fran Russo and Beam Furr.

From my perspective, someone who in the past had been dis-satisfied with various aspects of both Margaritaville's plan as well as the long-ago rejected Hard Rock proposal, it may've been the best single day thus far for the Margaritaville project and Lojeta developer Lon Tabatchnick.

Hollywood CRA Director Jorge Camejo, City Attorney Jeff Sheffel, Planning Dept. head 

Jaye Epstein and the city's hospitality consultant all spoke from dais when CSR wasn't connecting-the-dots down near the lectern with a mixture of both precision and humor.

It was clearly Lon Tabatchnick's best day at Hollywood City Hall in a long time, as he was up on the dais with the others, in a polo shirt instead of a suit, and from where I sat, with my video-camera rolling, he seemed much more relaxed and focused than in the past, and not nearly so anxious as he has sometimes appeared to be, given the investment of time, energy and money he's made.

Perhaps it was a turning point.

Coincidentally, there was an interesting photo-filled article in The Daily Mail today on Jimmy Buffet and the Margaritaville empire he and his team have created:

The Daily Mail
Welcome to Margaritaville: How Jimmy Buffett's four-minute song about being drunk and lazy became the most lucrative song in the world and spawned $100MILLION empire 
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 00:44 EST, 27 May 2013 
UPDATED: 00:47 EST, 27 May 2013
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331498/Welcome-Margaritaville-How-Jimmy-Buffetts-minute-song-drunk-lazy-lucrative-song-world-spawned-100MILLION-empire.html

Channel 10, Miami
Commission to vote on revised Margaritaville agreement 
New agreement adds Starwood Capital to the project  
Published On: May 28 2013 12:54:25 PM EDT
http://www.local10.com/news/commission-to-vote-on-revised-margaritaville-agreement/-/1717324/20327872/-/2pjlhpz/-/index.html

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*Separate issue: 

As I've said previously said to people around town, the place where the City of Hallandale Beach actually thinks it'll be charging its alternative energy vehicles for the foreseeable future is a facility in Hollywood located on Park Road & Pembroke Road -across the street from the Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Orangebrook Golf & Country Club- that'll be gone as soon as Hollywood can get rid of it, the South Park Road Redevelopment (HIAD)

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So what's HB's back-up plan for when this facility disappears?

Good question.

In none of the HB City Commission meetings that I've personally attended or watched online in the past year or so on the subject of the city purchasing alternative energy vehicles, have I once heard former City Manager Mark A. Antonio and current CM  Renee Miller -or any of her three highly-paid assistants- say one word about the future reality of that Park Road site that HB intends on using to refuel its new vehicles.

Each time I hear it brought up I honestly wonder if the highly-paid help at HB City Hall even knows.
And each time, I'm convinced they don't, because they speak in such smug and oblivious tones. 

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/quick_topics/publications/wc/brownfields/resolutions/BF061102000_RES.pdf

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/DocumentCenter/View/1962

Tell me, when have you ever seen anything like this level of detail in HB for constructive suggestions for all the various empty lots and city/CRA-owned parcels in HB?

I mentioned this meeting last year on th blog but was unable to attend it:

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/important-meeting-tonight-at-hollywood.html

The Department of Community and Economic Development is holding a public meeting regarding the South Park Road Redevelopment Site, formerly the Hollywood Incinerator Ash Dump, on Monday, October 22, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, Room 219.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for has announced funding availability to carry out cleanup activities at a specific brownfield sites. The City of Hollywood is interested in applying for a grant for the purposes of cleaning up environmental concerns on the South Park Road site.
This public meeting is the first step in moving forward with the potential redevelopment of this site and discussions will include funding availability and process and community support of grant efforts to address existing environmental concerns. Community participation is essential in City projects and your feedback during this public meeting is encouraged.
All interested groups or individuals are invited to attend this public meeting. If you are interested in providing feedback and are unable to attend, you may send your comments via e-mail to dbiederman@hollywoodfl.org. For additional information about this meeting contact the Department of Community and Economic Development at 954.921.327

Update re Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort; Community Meeting/Q&A at Hollywood City Hall re proposed changes to the project's lease & related documents is Thursday at 6 p.m.; What are Starwood Capital and Lon Tabatchnick/Lojeta up to now?

Received a helpful head's up yesterday from a well-informed and plugged-in reader in next-door Hollywood about a timely update on the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort; with a community meeting/Q&A scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm at Hollywood City Hall regarding the various changes to the project's lease and related documents.

This morning I officially received the news from the City of Hollywood, below:

What are Starwood Capital and Lon Tabatchnick/Lojeta up to now?
Hmm-m...

Seven weeks ago, thanks to The Balance Sheet Blog,  the conscientious “eyes and ears” of Hollywood, we knew the following: http://balancesheetblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/margaritaville-2/

I attended that semi-contentious meeting at Hollywood City Hall (and recorded it) and I think it's fair to say that even among the Margaritaville supporters in the chambers and within the general public as a whole, there is definitely growing resistance to letting this little melodrama play itself out much longer, as was made clear by the not-so-sanguine comments of Comm. Peter Hernandez towards the end of the meeting.

This was not at all helped by what in my opinion appeared to be the general evasiveness of some of the Starwood Capital team members present in their responses, as they seemed more tight-lipped than you would think they'd be at a public meeting involving something that the Hollywood community is so emotionally and financially invested in -and for good reason, too.

That's especially true given the history of this project and the fact that Starwood Capital and their new pal Lon Tabatchnick were asking for something from Hollywood's elected representatives, NOT giving them something to make the medicine go down faster.

Some of the Starwood Capital folks almost seemed genuinely upset that the City Commission wanted more specific answers from them than they were prepared to give, but then I saw this phenomena all the time on Capitol Hill, too, where well-prepped people hit a wall after a while, and became increasingly disconnected to the larger picture.

Specifically, that happened more frequently than you'd imagine it would at Congressional hearings I attended in the 1990's held by what was then called the House Telecomm. & Finance Subcommittee, under then-Chair John Dingell involving the U.S. financial services industry, some of which were both highly-publicized and highly-controversial.

As of today, I don't know with certainty who'll be speaking on Thursday -besides, likely, Hollywood City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark, whom as regular readers of the blog know, I'm a big fan of- but I genuinely hope that we hear the answers directly from Starwood and not from Lon Tabatchnick's attorney, or from a hired-gun PR whiz.
Guess we'll all find out soon enough...

The community meeting is NOT being called "As The World Turns," but you can be excused for thinking that it ought to be after all this time, with yours truly at 99% of those public meetings from the beginning.

View this in your browser

The City of Hollywood will be holding a Community Meeting to review the proposed changes to the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort Lease and related documents along with a question and answer period on Thursday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall (Room 219).

The Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort is proposed for construction on an approximately 5 acre parcel of city-owned land between Johnson Street and Michigan Street on Hollywood Beach.

The Community Meeting will be followed on Wednesday, May 29th at 5:00 p.m. with a Joint Special City Commission/CRA meeting.  This meeting will also be held at Hollywood City Hall (Room 219). City and CRA Staff will present the proposed changes to the City Commission. Representatives from Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, LLC, including Starwood Capital, will also be in attendance. 

For questions, please contact the Office of the City Manager at 954.921.3201.

------
Later...

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Developer tweaks Margaritaville contract with Hollywood
By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
5:38 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2013
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/hollywood/fl-margaritaville-hollywood-update-20130521,0,2186680.story

Important public forum on the proposed Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort is scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 4th at 6 p.m. Chief among topics will be whether the Hollywood CRA should increase their investment in the Lon Tabatchnick project on Johnson Street and the Broadwalk from $10 million to $23 million

Important public forum on the proposed Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort is scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 4th at 6 p.m. Chief among topics will be whether the Hollywood CRA should increase their investment in the Lon Tabatchnick project on Johnson Street and the Broadwalk from $10 million to $23 million

I received the communication below from the City of Hollywood this morning about an important subject that I've written about dozens of times on this blog the past few years, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with pleasant surprise. 

In an election year, with 5 of the 7 incumbents in Hollywood running for re-election in November, you simply can't underestimate how important this meeting may prove to be to the future of the city and the beach, depending upon not only the turn-out, but the tenor and direction of the debate as well.

Don't kid yourself -what Hollywood's elected officials are proposing is nothing less than doubling-down on their original bet with CRA dollars, from $10 million to $23 million.
Is this a wise and reasonable decision based on the facts on the ground, or is it going past the point of what is prudent under the current circumstances?

If you live anywhere in the area, you owe it to yourself to come see the presentation in-person and get the facts undiluted, and then hear Hollywood taxpayers ask questions and make the case for or against doing this, one day before the Hollywood City Commission meets as the CRA and votes on the matter at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

View this in your browser

Public Forum on Proposed Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort

A public forum to review proposed changes to the development agreement and ground lease

between the City of Hollywood, Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and

Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, LLC is scheduled for Tuesday, September 4, 2012

at 6:00 p.m., Hollywood City Hall, Room 219, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard. 

This meeting comes in advance of a special joint meeting of the Commission and CRA Board

set for September 5, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. in which the Commission will consider an amendment

to the existing agreement that updates the timeline for the construction of the project, details

new financing plans and provides additional revenues to the city that have been

negotiated with the developer. The Commission, in its role as the CRA board, will also

consider a new compensated funding agreement that increases the CRA's investment in the

project.  

All interested residents are invited to attend.

For more information and history on the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort project, see http://www.hollywoodfl.org/index.aspx?NID=650

3D animated depiction of the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort is at
http://www.hollywoodfl.org/mediacenter.aspx?VID=9

Tuesday morning's meeting in Hollywood on the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort Project on Johnson Street & The Broadwalk

WPLG-TV/Channel 10 (Miami, FL) reporter Roger Lohse talks to Hollywood developer Lon Tabatchnick and Weston businessman Joseph Sloboda about the practical effects of the U.S. government's EB-5 Visa program, and how it allows American business projects to get critical financial backing from foreign investors. Tabatchnick credits this program for allowing his proposal for the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort on Hollywood Beach to move forward.

2011. http://youtu.be/wgRjfU-LjHI

I feel the need to publicly preface this news about a Tuesday morning meeting regarding the Margaritaville Resort/Johnson Street CRA project on Hollywood Beach with a few words about something that dozens of my friends and I are in complete agreement on, having seen this sort of episode be repeated FAR TOO MANY TIMES this past year with the City of Hollywood's announcement email list, which we are all on.

Think of it as constructive criticism.

Like me, my friends in SE Broward are NOT real crazy about receiving meeting announcements that are sent out -for the first time- 18 hours before the meeting starts.

It's just like the Miami Herald's own well-known penchant for writing about morning government meetings taking place that day in THAT morning's Herald, instead of days in advance, if not the day before.

I won't be able to attend this meeting, otherwise, I'd film it and place some of the more interesting excerpts here on the blog and on my YouTube Channel, which, I hasten to add, will see a huge change in focus in the coming new year.

Positive tangible changes.

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City of Hollywood, Florida

Office of the City Manager

REVISED

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 5, 2011

Contact: Raelin Storey

Director Public Affairs & Marketing

Phone: 954. 921.3098

954.812.0975 (cell)

Fax: 954.921.3314

E-mail: rstorey@hollywoodfl.org

Upcoming Meeting on Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort Project

December 6 at 10 a.m.

HOLLYWOOD, FL - On Tuesday, December 6 at 10 a.m. members of the Hollywood Beach Community Development District 1 will meet at Garfield Community Center, 300 Connecticut Street (2nd floor of City Parking Garage). In addition to other business items, the members will review the proposed assessment for the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort development needed to fund the public parking component.

(This assessment will not apply to other properties in or near the redevelopment site.)

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Wednesday, December 14 update by Lon Tabatchnick to the City Commission will be held at a later date to be determined.

For more information, contact the Office of the City Manager at 954.921.3201.

For media inquiries, please contact Raelin Storey, Public Affairs Director at 954.921.3098.

# # #

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Official City of Hollywood website for the Johnson Street RFP/Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort Project:

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/html/johnsonstbeachrfp.htm

http://youtu.be/JdgkCkp0Wf0

http://www.youtube.com/user/josephsloboda

"Come Monday, it'll be alright..." - Australia's TEN News Thursday network newscast on Jimmy Bufett's fall in Sydney and reactions of fans

Gabrielle Boyle of TEN News on Jimmy Buffett's concert accident in Sydney and interviews eyewitnesses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu5n-dMmXvM

Above, from Thursday network newscast. Below, from Wednesday's first reports of the incident.

SKY News Australia

Story at: http://video.theaustralian.com.au/1767604031/Buffett-injured-after-concert-fall



Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0---Q97pG4

Personally, I'm not a Jimmy Buffett fan, and I even wasn't in favor of the Margaritaville Resort being selected over Planet Hollywood for Hollywood Beach, where I was for a few hours this afternoon, but there's no denying that this song is one of the most iconic songs of the past 50 years, in part because EVERYONE thinks they can sing this song well.

And at the 2:15 mark, the combination of lyrics and instruments become genius.

See also: http://www.youtube.com/user/ten

Next step in Hollywood Beach's Margaritaville Resort project on Johnson Street is Special Mtg. of Technical Advisory Board on Monday at 10 a.m.

I received an e-mail reminder about this important meeting on Monday about Hollywood Beach's Margaritaville Resort project on Johnson Street from the City of Hollywood a few days ago, and had meant to post this earlier so those of you who are late to this issue can make arrangement to see and hear what's what for yourself.
That includes 95% of the South Florida news media, but who's counting?


A larger version of the photo I snapped at one of the Hollywood City Commission meetings of the projected look of the complex, above, is here:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2VkaJkg0DxNcGGZF3catOo2bqiGk53Upu-gy8K2qnbCw9hyodtQrkxs3okxfWrpRaTHpULhoWRMbFjZdeUkrfExd63bFDwCqye7hrfxHam7CJ5fIQzRSJKKusoaU_rIwEYn2WPY_BWRM/s1600/032.JPG


That photo accompanied my April 7, 2010 post: Margaritaville unanimous choice of Hollywood City Commission for Johnson Street project over Planet Hollywood
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/margaritaville-unanimous-choice-of.html



This particular photo, which would feature the plane near The Broadwalk, can be seen in larger format at:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49owJx8lADsLsRV58XsdG-PL4NmbwzdR0BtRS0D7VEhoNiMCkSr9OpNhqmK8LDWKXxsbaiPnzdMTgifhJxxzEXlnN8jsSV0TNj0sUs-h8JewvLGIPTOOgmSxIbwVeSY4dfXPKWjBErRH1/s1600/034.JPG


To catch up on what's been going on thus far, officially, go here:
http://www.hollywoodfl.org/html/johnsonstbeachrfp.htm


My own version of the past on the Johnson Street project is here:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Margaritaville%20Resort
and here http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Margaritaville%20Resort

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http://www.hollywoodfl.org/wkcalendar/calendar_city.htm

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING

Monday, October 18, 2010 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Hollywood City Hall
2ND FLOOR – ROOM 215,
2600 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA

AGENDA

A. TAC MEMBER INTRODUCTION,

B. FINAL SITE PLAN REVIEW,

1.FILE NO.10-DP-59
APPLICANT: City of Hollywood/ Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, LLC.,

LOCATION: 300 Johnson Street/1112 N. Ocean Drive (Generally located north of Michigan Street, south of Johnson Street, east of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Atlantic Ocean)

REQUEST: Final Site Plan Review for a 349 room hotel including restaurant, retail, banquet hall, swimming pools, and associated public/private parking garage

C. OLD BUSINESS None,
D: NEW BUSINESS None

Legal description for each of the above petitions is on file in the Department of Planning and Development Services.
Two or more members of any other City board, commission, or committee, who are not members of this committee, may attend this meeting and may, at that time, discuss matters on which foreseeable action may later be taken by their board, commission, or committee.
Persons with disabilities who require reasonable accommodation to participate in city programs and/or services may call the Office of the City Manager five business days in advance at
(954) 921-3582 (voice).
If an individual is hearing or speech impaired, please call 1-800-955-8771 (V-TDD).

Margaritaville unanimous choice of Hollywood City Commission for Johnson Street project over Planet Hollywood

Tonight, around 7:20 p.m., following a two-hour meeting featuring lots of discourse about remaining true to founder Joseph Young's ideals as well as concern over aspects of financing for both bidders, the Hollywood City Commission voted 7-0 for Margaritaville Resort's proposal at Johnson Street on Hollywood Beach, leaving Planet Hollywood second in a two-horse race.

The city will now begin a 90-day period of exclusive negotiations with Margaritaville's principals aimed at creating a dynamic presence at the Central Beach area that has seen so many failed proposals over the past few decades.

If negotiations reach a deadlock in 90 days, the city will contact the group that was more formally known as the Ocean Resort and Village by Planet Hollywood and begin negotiations with them aimed at getting something up as soon as possible.

I should have photos and video of tonight's meeting here Thursday morning.

Community Forum on Johnson Street Redevelopment Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall

I will be writing and opining about the Johnson Street RFP
at Hollywood Beach over the weekend,
http://www.hollywoodfl.org/purchasing/pdf/RFP-4212-09-IS.pdf
along with some photos and video, having put it off since
last week's formal pitches to the Evaluation Committee,
but wanted to post this now as a reminder of this very
important event on Monday, since I received this email
this afternoon from Hollywood City Hall.

See the city's excellent website for the Johnson Street RFP
at http://www.hollywoodfl.org/html/johnsonstbeachrfp.htm

I also encourage you to read Sara Case's comments at her
excellent Balance Sheet Online website,
http://www.balancesheetonline.com/ and click the Bigger Not
Better link on the left to see her comments from October 18th.

Sara and I both attended last week's presentation and
much- preferred the Planet Hollywood presentation
to the Margaritaville one, even though there were
some aspects of it that we wish would be modified.


City of Hollywood, Florida

Office of the City Manager

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 12, 2010

Contact: Raelin Storey

Public Affairs and Marketing Director

Phone: 954.921.3098

Cell: 954.812.0975 Fax: 954.921.3314

E-mail: rstorey@hollywoodfl.org

Community Forum on Johnson Street Redevelopment

Monday, March 15, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall

HOLLYWOOD, FL – The City of Hollywood will host a Community Forum on the redevelopment proposals under consideration for the Johnson Street site on Hollywood Beach on Monday, March 15^th at 6:00 p.m. in Room 219 at Hollywood City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard. Residents will hear presentations on two different redevelopment proposals: Margaritaville at Hollywood Beach and Ocean Resort and Village by Planet Hollywood.

Last summer the City of Hollywood issued a two-stage Request for Proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of the nearly 6 acres of city-owned land located at Johnson Street and A1A on Hollywood Beach. This RFP was developed after numerous community meetings to gather input from Hollywood residents and business owners about their ideas and priorities for this important beachfront site.

The stage II proposals were due on February 18, 2010. Two development teams submitted proposals: Margaritaville at Hollywood Beach, LLC and Hollywood Beach Partners, LLC for Ocean Resort and Village by Planet Hollywood. These proposals, along with the video of the Stage II Evaluation Committee proceedings, can be viewed on the City’s website, www.hollywoodfl.org, by clicking on “Johnson Street/Beach RFP” under Hot Information.

The Community Forum will provide an opportunity for the public to hear from both development teams and ask questions about each team’s project plans. These public comments, along with the evaluation committee’s recommendation and consultant reports will be forwarded to the City Commission members for their review and consideration in preparation for the April 7^th regular City Commission meeting. At that time, the City Commission will discuss the proposals, take additional public comments and be asked to authorize staff to begin negotiations with one or both development groups.

For additional information, please contact Raelin Storey, Public Affairs Director at 954.921.3098.

Hollywood's Johnson Street Beach Project Evaluation Comm. to hear Developer Presentation and Consultant Findings on Thursday morning at City Hall

I'll have more comments here later tonight about this
matter but wanted to post this basic info before 6 p.m.
just in case it caught someone's attention who had
forgotten it was scheduled for Thursday.

My comments follow the press release about Thursday's
very interesting foray into planning, economic development
and public policy, Hollywood-style.

It's the next step in a process of getting something in place
over at Johnson Street and State Road A1A that is appealing
and captures the imagination of both tourists and Hollywood
residents alike, creates jobs, is aesthetically attractive if not
iconic -and F-U-N!

FYI: The Margaritaville Casino Resort project in Biloxi,
Mississippi, backed by Harrah's Entertainment, is currently
on hold
http://www.grandcasinobiloxi.com/casinos/grand-biloxi/casino-misc/margaritaville.html

See what their Orlando complex looks like:
http://www.universalorlando.com/Citywalk/Restaurants/jimmy_buffett_margaritaville.aspx
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The Evaluation Committee meeting for Johnson Street Beach Stage II Detailed Development Proposals has been scheduled for Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall, Room 219. The public is invited to attend, but not speak at this meeting.

The meeting will be taped and later aired on the Government Channel 78 and also on the City's website at www.hollywoodfl.org. RSVP's are not required to attend either meeting.

A Community Forum has been set for Monday, March 15, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall, Room 219. Developer presentations to the public followed by a
Questions/Answer session. Refreshments will be served.

Please be advised the "Cone of Silence" remains in effect preventing Developers from communicating with Members of the City Commission and most City Staff.

The March 4, 2010 Evaluation Committee Meeting sequence was determined as follows:

Margaritaville Resort at Hollywood Beach, LLC

Presentation from 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Consultant Reports and Question/Answer session from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Lunch Break 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Hollywood Beach Partners, LLC

Presentation from 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Consultant Reports and Question/Answer session from 1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Evaluation Committee will begin deliberations and rankings at 3:45 p.m.

The March 15, 2010 Community Forum Agenda:

1. Introduction and Opening Comments

2. Oral Presentations from Proposers:

Hollywood Beach Partners, LLC

20 minute presentation

20 minute question and answer session with the Public

Margaritaville Resort at Hollywood Beach, LLC

20 minute presentation

20 question and answer session with the Public

3. Adjournment

We look forward to seeing you at these very important meetings!

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And this related bit of news from Terry Cantrell, President
of the Hollywood Lakes Section Civic Association

http://www.hollywoodlakes.com/

NEXT HLSCA MEETING:
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010.
Time 7:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Beach Community Center,
1301 S. Ocean Drive.

Guest speaker: Asst. City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark
on the Johnson Street Beach project and other important issues.
Refreshments will be served.
For info, call 954-923-1940.

Free parking.

ALL RESIDENTS are always WELCOME!

----------
I hasten to add that Terry Cantrell has been a great friend
to the concerned citizen taxpayers of Hallandale Beach even
while we have been sold-out by our own mayor and
Commissioners Ross and Sanders and most of the
Hallandale Beach business establishment, such as it is,
led by HB Chamber of Commerce head Patricia Genetti,
a woman who has continually spoken publicly in favor of the
Diplomat's absurd and incompatible proposals for turning
this small ocean-side city into a pinball machine, with multiple
towers towering over residential neighborhoods and plunging
them into near-permanent darkness, while their thousands
of additional cars make the current gridlock even worse.
As if that was possible.
But we all know it is.

Here's the statement put out by HLSCA

-Lakes Residents:

The Broward County Planning Council heard the Diplomat Golf and Country and City of Hallandale Beach request for a land use change to Local Activity Center (LAC) on Thursday and voted 12 to 4 to approve the plan despite the Council's Staff recommendation of denial. The plan consists of 950 new condo units in a number of high rise buildings (from 20 to 27 stories) spread out along the perimeter of the existing golf course. The golf course would remain as is. In addition, a new hotel would be built for approximately 500 rooms. The HLSCA as well as many Hallandale Beach residents and condo associations urged the Planning Council to deny the application due to incompatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods as well as a potential increase in traffic and congestion. The Planning Council vote of approval is based upon the applicant working with the City of Hallandale Beach to further refine the plan by lowering the building heights and creating a workable traffic plan. The plan will ultimately come before the Broward County Commission for final approval in late March.

It should be noted that the City of Hollywood Dept. of Planning and Development also supported the Planning Council's Staff recommendation of denial. The HLSCA thanks our City's Staff for their support. They recognize that this project, if and when if ever gets built, will, indeed, increase traffic through the Lakes neighborhood. Currently, many Hallandale Beach residents use the Lakes streets to cut through to the north as no one wants to drive on the very congested Hallandale Beach Blvd.

The HLSCA would like to recognize the well organized United Condo Association of Hallandale Beach led by Luis Paredes for all their hard work on this issue. They are truly a force in Hallandale Beach and deserve respect and admiration for strongly advocating on behalf of their membership and all the residents of Hallandale Beach.

We will continue to monitor this project as it, hopefully, morphs into an acceptable development that will not negatively impact the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Stay tuned....

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