Zyscovich Plan for Downtown Hollywood to be Unveiled March 10

Having attended all of Bernard Zyscovich's previous preliminary forums, meetings, workshops in Hollywood, now we will finally see  what Zyscovich's ridiculously creative brain has been working on for so long, and see whether having tasked one of the nation's great urban planners to design a cure for what, in part, ails Hollywood -a sense of disconnectedness and lack of 'place'- as well as whether or not the South Florida business community actually has the sense to take advantage of his prescient, dynamic vision and simple  common sense and knowledge of human behavior. Common sense which in my opinion will seem even more obvious and self-evident if approved, once there's a commuter train running on the FEC line in downtown Hollywood connecting it to downtown Miami and to downtown Fort Lauderdale and points north. I urge you NOT to miss the chance to see for yourself someone who really can connect the dots in interesting and unusual ways that few people can. Zyscovich's vision, if properly applied, with any luck will be the accepted norm for South Florida years from now.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Lisa Liotta, Deputy Director
City of Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency-Downtown District
Office: (954) 921-3016
lliotta@hollywoodfl.org

PUBLIC MEETING ON PROPOSED DOWNTOWN HOLLYWOOD
MASTER PLAN – TUES., MARCH 10

Hollywood, FL - The Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)-Downtown District invites the public to attend a public forum for the presentation of a proposed Downtown Hollywood Master Plan from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 in the City Commission Chambers (Room 219) in City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard.

Bernard Zyscovich of Zyscovich, Inc., urban planners and architects, will present the Downtown Master Plan and preliminary zoning recommendations for the area bounded by Monroe Street on the south, Fillmore Street on the north, 16th/17th avenues on the east and 22nd Avenue on the west. The presentation will include specific recommendations for the entire area including the properties around Young Circle and a proposed North Downtown Office/Mixed Use District. The meeting will be an opportunity for the public to review and provide input on the plan prior to its consideration by the City's Planning and Zoning Board and the City Commission.

This public meeting is the eighth public forum organized by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)-Downtown District regarding redevelopment in Downtown Hollywood and the Regional Activity Center east of Interstate 95 since April 2003. The process began when four panelists reviewed proposed developments for the Young Circle area. Mr. Zyscovich moderated that panel and has worked with the (CRA)-Downtown District to conduct additional forums to ensure public participation in zoning recommendations and design guidelines for the Young Circle/ArtsPark area. Subsequent forums provided public input into redevelopment objectives for the Federal Highway corridor and the Regional Activity Center, introduced the proposed North Downtown Office/Mixed Use District, and presented the scope of the proposed Downtown Master Plan.

For more information, call Neil Fritz, Executive Director, Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)-Downtown District, at 954-921-3016.

The Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was created under the authority of Florida's Community Redevelopment Act of 1969. The CRA's mission is to encourage economic development through the use of tax increment financing by funding development, special projects and enhanced services that address areas of community concern. The Downtown District was established in 1979 to promote Hollywood's central business district including Historic Hollywood Boulevard, Young Circle and nearby residential neighborhoods. The Downtown District is approximately 580 acres and extends from 22nd Avenue on the west to generally 17th Avenue on the east, Johnson Street on the north and Washington Street on the south.

Thoughts on the Hollywood Moratorium That Wasn't

My comments follow the Herald articles by Breanne Gilpatrick.
Six days later, the Sun-Sentinel has still never mentioned the issue of the proposed building moratorium or the Hollywood City Commission meeting.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/breaking-news/story/796479.html
Miami Herald
Hollywood to discuss downtown building ban
By Breanne Gilpatrick
December 2, 2008

Hollywood will consider putting the brakes on the high-rise developments sprouting up near Young Circle Wednesday, with a proposed temporary moratorium on downtown building until commissioners approve a development blueprint commissioned several years ago -- but never ratified.

The moratorium, which will be discussed at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, would stop the city from issuing building permits to construct new buildings or expand old ones in the portion of downtown that runs from Fillmore Street south to Monroe Street and from 22nd Avenue east to 16th Avenue.

If approved, the proposed building ban would likely last until at least next spring, and would exclude any properties used for government offices or educational facilities.

In 2006, commissioners imposed a similar moratorium on beach development, while approving new height limits and landscaping and open space requirements for new projects along the coast. That ban lasted about 18 months.

Critics say the downtown moratorium is too broad and would hurt economic growth downtown. But some commissioners say the city also needs to consider how major projects will affect their hopes of drawing visitors to Young Circle.

''Our objective is to make sure that buildings that are going to be in Young Circle for the next 50 years conform with the vision that we have for the city,'' Mayor Peter Bober said.

Several years ago, commissioners asked Architect Bernard Zyscovich to draft a Downtown Master Plan for the area surrounding Young Circle, where the city and Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency have spent millions on renovations. Zyscovich completed that plan in 2004, but its zoning regulations were never adopted.

Since then, commissioners have signed off on major downtown projects that have exceeded the height regulations and zoning limits included in that plan.

Most recently, commissioners voted 4-3 in favor of a 22-story apartment tower and office complex off Young Circle, known as ArtsPark Village, even though Zyscovich and some residents said the project was too dense for the area. Wednesday's City Commission meeting will start at 1 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard.
The moratorium discussion is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/798324.html
Miami Herald
Hollywood commissioners reject downtown development moratorium
By Breanne Gilpatrick
December 3, 2008


Hollywood commissioners unanimously rejected a proposed development moratorium Wednesday that would have put the brakes on the high-rise projects sprouting around downtown.

Supporters of the proposed moratorium said it would allow the city to use the economy-induced development lull to revise and adopt a downtown master plan architect Bernard Zyscovich completed in 2004 for the area near Young Circle. That development blueprint has yet to be ratified by the city.

But during two hours of debate, commissioners said the moratorium would hurt growth downtown and punish developers who have tried to work with the city to revise their projects. They also said the moratorium was cobbled together without an adequate study to research its impact.

''We are trying to bring our downtown to life,'' Commissioner Linda Sherwood said. 'And the word moratorium says `Uh-uh, don't come. We're going to make it very hard for you.' ''

The moratorium, which would have extended into next spring, would have included the portion of downtown that runs from Fillmore Street south to Monroe Street and from 22nd Avenue east to 16th Avenue. It generally would have stopped the city from issuing building permits for the construction of new buildings or the expansion of old ones, if those projects exceed the density limits allowed by the city's current zoning rules.

Commissioners imposed an 18-month moratorium on beach development in 2006, while approving new height limits and landscaping and open space requirements for new projects along the coast.

Since the city's downtown master plan was completed in 2004, commissioners have signed off on major downtown projects that have exceeded the height regulations and zoning limits included in that plan.

In other business Wednesday, commissioners reversed a decision made last month and opted to privatize trash pickup -- following resident complaints that the proposed plan to keep the service in-house would have eliminated bulk trash pickup and raised fees.
The privatization plan, which was originally proposed to fill a budget gap, will take several dozen city employees off the payroll.
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By the way, since I've forgotten to mention it in the past, the public library next to the
Hollywood Beach Community Center, was one of my old stomping grounds when I first came down here from D.C., and stumbled upon it completely by accident.
That is also where I first heard about Sara Case and then later, her great website, Balance Sheet Online. http://www.balancesheetonline.com/
Sara has a slightly different p.o.v. from me about Young Circle, but as always, she had some very interesting stuff on the site well in advance of last Wednesday's City Commission.
http://www.balancesheetonline.com/cra.htm

Before I get distracted by the comments about Young Circle, I wanted to mention, in case you didn't already notice, that I added this video to my site about two weeks ago, as I've always loved this film's energy and spirit:
Olivia Olson "All I Want For Christmas Is You" from Love Actually (2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkihOkI_7eM

Sadly, another year I'm NOT one of Barbara Walters' "Most Fascinating People"
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Watched last Wednesday's Hollywood City Commission meeting live via computer, rather than going up there and good thing, too, in retrospect.

They had quite an embarrassing situation developing there, as after about two hours, it was apparent there was really no STRONG support for having a building moratorium, especially after Hollywood business people who usually disagree with each other, actually agreed that it was bad idea.
Hollywood Planning Director Jaye Epstein admitted under questioning that he thought it was a bad idea, too.

Which begs the question about how the staff report came out, huh?

Mayor Peter Bober was not at all pleased with things at the end, even though he admitted during the course of the meeting that he supported the idea, in theory, behind a temporary building moratorium, which I also can appreciate.

Though it was supposedly announced two weeks ago, most people seemed to know nothing about the issue being on the commission agenda until Tuesday's Herald story, including me, and I
receive the advance notice email about meetings from the city

A few friends and acquaintances of mine, who are usually very on top of things up there, were also caught flat-footed until I shared the news with them.

They have an interest in it because first and foremost, they want the general area to be better and more inviting, and to have more attractions/amusements of the sort that attracted them to Hollywood in the first place.

But they also have kids attending the Hollywood Charter School, a double A-rated school that's currently located on the property that's gotten the most attention.
The school itself has always been a key part of the puzzle of the SE corner of Young Circle, but a piece that Comm. Fran Russo in particular has long seen as the biggest obstacle to getting that area developed quickly and the way she believes it ought to be done.

I refer to theses women collectively by shorthand as "Dynamic Hollywood Charter School Moms, Inc."

(I sent one of them an email about it before I went to last Wednesday's Hallandale Beach City Commission meeting, whose big issue was who would get the city's lobbying contract: Ron Book, Corcoran and Associates, Larry Smith...
A post on that subject will be forthcoming this week once I re-think some more notes I took at the meeting.)

So, getting back to first getting word of the agenda, Downtown Hollywood CRA Director Neil Fritz admitted under cross-examination that he didn't find out about it until the day before.

Speaking of cross-examination, an attorney for one of the property owners affected by the proposal objected right away to the usual waiving of quasi-judicial procedures for the meeting, which explains a lot and was my first hint that it would be somewhat of a circus atmosphere.
And I was not disappointed on that score.

People took advantage of the opportunity to play Perry Mason Jr. by cross-examining each other with more leeway than you'd normally expect or see at other commission meetings.
Naturally, as you'd expect, a few people went a bridge too far, and were reproached by property owners' attorneys, who metaphorically cold-cocked their testimony, which elicited chuckles from the crowd.

My sense of things, having gone to all but one of the Zyscovich forums held in Hollywood on the
zoning and creative re-thinking that needs to take place, was that lots more people than usual said that Bernard Zyscovich needs to finish his work on zoning sooner than the expected March/April,
even past supporters of his.

Understandably given the economic realities of the current economy and real estate in South Florida, Bernard Warner, the head of WSG, said that they'd have major financial problems with Block 55 (SE corner of Young Circle) if the moratorium was put in place.

In the first hour of the hearing, when it seemed to be stuck-in-the-mud looking for traction, Comm Patty Asseff commented that she felt like she was wasting her time be being there, and that if things didn't get moving forward, she'd consider taking an early exit.

Much later, Comm. Linda Sherwood called out a few fervently anti-build types with numbers purporting to show that they rep only 33% of the group they said they were speaking for, which made me laugh.
She really zinged 'em!!!

My overwhelming sense of things is that as far as the Hollywood commissioners are concerned, the tail (Zyscovich) had been wagging the dog (the city) for long enough.
But in the end, that's the Commission's own fault, of course.

I also thought I'd mention that the city's online connection had lots of problems over the course of the two hours, which is unusual, since it's usually close to excellent.

There were lots of frustrating frozen images on the screen for 2-3 minutes, even while I could hear the audio.
But even the audio seemed more muddled and inaudible more frequently than usual, perhaps because so many hand-held mikes were being used for public participation when there was cross- examination.

"Zyscovich Plan" meeting in Hollywood on Thursday @ 5 p.m.

Looking south-east from the center of the ArtsPark at Young Circle, Hollywood, FL.
Pictured, left to right, the former HOME Bldg. and the Hollywood Bread Bldg.
June 1, 2008 photo by South Beach Hoosier


Looking due south from the center of the ArtsPark at Young Circle, Hollywood, FL.
June 1, 2008 photo by South Beach Hoosier.

This looks to be a very interesting meeting, given all the things pro and con that have been said over the past few months about the need to formally implement the Zyscovich Plan, as was noted more than a few times at the eight-hour Hollywood City Commission meeting in early April on the fate of the SE corner of Young Circle, pictured above.

Meanwhile, two weeks from now...

http://www.miamiherald.com/516/v-print/story/554624.html
Miami Herald
Downtown Hollywood plans up for discussion
June 2, 2008

Hollywood commissioners this month will once again tackle downtown development issues -- debating whether to adopt height limits and new architectural guidelines for a key portion of downtown.

But while many of Hollywood's new commissioners campaigned on promises to kick-start the city's struggling downtown and reform its besieged community redevelopment agencies, most efforts have stalled.

In May, commissioners rejected a plan to have the directors of Hollywood's downtown and beach CRAs report to City Manager Cameron Benson.

Mayor Peter Bober, Vice Mayor Dick Blattner and Commissioner Heidi O'Sheehan voted in favor of the proposal, saying it would increase financial oversight.

But others said Benson already has enough work and didn't think the change would help.

Next, commissioners will discuss downtown redevelopment guidelines proposed five years ago for Young Circle by architect Bernard Zyscovich.

The workshop is at 3 p.m. June 17 at Hollywood City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Blvd.

-- BREANNE GILPATRICK

Reader comments are at:
http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=46321.1&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm

Trouble continue apace at Hollywood's Young Circle, to the tune of $16.5 Million

Continuing the pattern of years of mismanagement and lack of direction -and these are just the problems the city knows know about now!
It will be a very bad day when Hollywood city manager Cameron Benson & Company see what I've got on the blog soon about a self-evident life and death matter the city continues to ignore right next to the Arts Park at Young Circle.
This, despite my having gone to City Hall in person some nine weeks ago to spell it out in detail to a city employee, even to the point of making a diagram so there was no confusion.
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South Florida Sun-Sentinel
FORECLOSURE MAY SOCK HOLLYWOOD IN ITS WALLET PROJECT'S COLLAPSE COULD COST PUBLIC $1.6 MILLION
April 21, 2007
John Holland, Staff writer

Two cornerstone buildings in a project aimed at turning Young Circle into a center of art and culture have gone into foreclosure, leaving taxpayers on the hook for at least $1.6 million in mortgages.
The Young Circle Garage, bought with an $800,000 loan from the city three years ago, goes on the auction block May 17, and the Hollywood Bread Building is being foreclosed while owing at least $800,000 to the city, according to court records. The city never obtained first mortgages, meaning Hollywood is last to be paid if any money remains when the properties are sold.
City officials are negotiating with another developer to take over the project before the auction, but the property owned by HART District Ltd., which covers the entire southeast corner of Young Circle, has been on the block for almost a year without any takers, according to city records.
Community Redevelopment Agency Director Neil Fritz said Friday the city may have to come up with more financial incentives to lure a developer willing to repay the loans and still build a project in line with the city's vision of downtown.
The default by HART ends what city commissioners have called the most mismanaged and ill-conceived project ever approved by the CRA Board, which is comprised of the mayor and City Commission.
Three years ago, in their desire to transform a decrepit slice of downtown into an arts district, commissioners gave HART and its president, Gary Posner, a $7 million package of loans and grants to build a charter school, playhouse and center for the performing arts. Posner bought the entire block between Van Buren and Young Circle, going heavily into debt as South Florida real estate prices soared, county records show.
Although Posner had never undertaken such a large project, the city never conducted any studies to see if he had the financial and technical ability to make it work, commissioners admitted later.
Only the charter school was completed; HART missed every other construction deadline, according to city records. HART repeatedly defaulted on loans and still owes a total of $3.5 million to the city, all of it secured with second or third mortgages on other HART District properties.
Posner would not comment when reached by telephone on Friday, but in the past he blamed rising real estate costs and a lawsuit involving the garage for his troubles.
If Fritz finds a developer before next month's deadline, Hollywood will recoup its loans and the foreclosure problems become moot. If not, the city has to hope some money is left over after all other creditors are paid from the sale price.
"We're perfectly aware of every single deadline and every single foreclosure, and I'm cautiously optimistic that someone will take over Block 58," Fritz said, adding he no longer calls the corner "the HART project". "It's up to the strength of the market to say how much the properties will go for if they are sold (at auction)."
"The worst case scenario is you lose all your money," Fritz said. "But we've taken steps to strengthen our collateral position in the last year, and, depending on the interest in the market, I believe we'll be protected."
The project has been troubled from its inception, beginning when the city helped HART buy the Young Circle Garage from a man who didn't even own the property. After years of lawsuits, HART was awarded the garage and the city took over a third mortgage.
In March, The Hollywood Bread Building, Inc., which sold the building to HART and retained a first mortgage, filed to foreclose, naming Hollywood as owner of a secondary mortgage.
According to court records, Hollywood gave HART an $850,000 loan to buy the Bread Building on Feb. 1, 2004. Posner never made any payments on either loan, according to the foreclosure lawsuit.
In January, after a South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation outlined years of problems and misspending on the HART District project, City Commissioner Cathy Anderson called for an outside audit, but none of her colleagues backed the plan. Friday, Anderson said she opposes giving money to induce a new buyer."

I will not spend another penny on the HART project," Anderson said. "We've spent plenty already."

John Holland can be reached at jholland@sun-sentinel.com or at 954-356-4516.
Copyright 2007 Sun-Sentinel Company