Important development and gridlock hearings/meetings in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood today: Huge Oasis development project on Hallandale Beach Blvd. and Hollywood CRA mtg re Downtown Hollywood commuter train station

Important development and gridlock hearings/meetings in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood today: Huge Oasis development project on Hallandale Beach Blvd. and Hollywood CRA meeting re Downtown Hollywood commuter train station

Tonight at 8:30 PM the City of Hallandale Beach City Commision is schedued to come face-to-face with its future direction when it has the Second of two required hearings on the second incarnation of the HUGE Oasis project on Hallandale Beach Blvd. next to Gulfstream Park Race Track & Casino's northern entrance on Hallandale Beach Blvd., which first came up ten years ago.

I attended those meetings, too, where then-state Senator Steve Geller represented the developer. At the time it featured two very large buildings as well, but seemed to be set back farther from the sidewalk so didn't seem quite so... looming, and featured a not-unattractive office and retail building in front of a residential condo.

Not fantastic, per se, but certainly much better than what HB usually has presented before them in terms of looks of proposed buildings and projects.

That was then.

Well, this new proposal has the buildings side-by-side, and what seems to me to be closer to the road and both large buildings will be residential, which means ... MORE cars on F-rated HBB.

This is a time-certain agenda item at 8:30 PM

But then you know how time certain things are in HB, so, get there earlier!

.

Details of agenda at https://hallandalebeach.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=592866&GUID=B5114189-6BF2-452D-A547-CCC162818747&Options=info&Search=

I plan on being at the Hollywood CRA meeting at 10 AM that will feature what's being called an "Updated Presentation" by Dana Little, Urban Design Director, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, regarding The Station Area Master Plan. 

That is to say, what's what with where the Hollywood Blvd. area commuter train station may be located and other useful information about what will completely transform Downtown Hollywood and US-1 once a commuter train is up and running, whether that's the Tri-Rail Coastal that I've championed forever, or something that's the creation of Brightline, not my favorite people these days, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/989981873278541824

who seem very much to want to elbow SFRTA out of the picture entirely, and with it, some real public accountability and oversight. 

Not that the local South Florida news media is asking too many hard questions about that, though it's been low-hanging fruit for MANY MONTHS. 

I spoke with Dana Little and his associates a few months back at an informal meeting on the train station project for just under an hour at the Littman Center.

I was very surprised and angry that there were ZERO fliers and or sandwich boards on US-1 and in the downtown area, inc. on store fronts, about the meeting, just as there were none regarding the Young Circle meetings last year that I felt were preposterous on so many levels.

Very, very curious that.

Last I heard, the downtown train station will be on FEC tracks between Dixie Highway and N. 21st Avenue between Taylor and Fillmore streets, 4-6 short blocks north of Hollywood Blvd., in part because the city owns much of the land in that vicinity and can control what happens.

(Yes, the same Fillmore Street I lived on off US-1 for a few months after Thanksgiving until last month.)

I will also be at the Hollywood City Commission meeting scheduled for 1 PM, 

https://hollywoodfl.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=601173&GUID=2AADE51C-CED5-4380-A514-DA81597966C1&Options=&Search=

with some time afterwards to catch my breath, grab something to eat, write some clever and informed words on what I saw and then head over to Hallandale Beach to see what sort of turnout there is for the Oasis project, which will likely be the largest development project coming before the HB City Commission for the rest of the year.

Coincidentally, coming just as many of the city's best-informed citizens and part-time residents have fled for northern climes before the heat and humidity hit us like a hammer for the summer.
Like my friend and fellow civic activist Csaba Kulin to name but one.

Just as happened with the meetings regarding The Related Company's Beachwalk project a few years ago.

Sure, there's nothing at all curious about that.

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5:45 PM Update

I've included a link to Google Maps here, right above my friend and fellow Broward civic activist Csaba Kulin's comments so that those of you who don't go by this site on Hallandale Beach Blvd. very much -the only east-west street that connects A1A to I-95 in HB- could et some useful perspective for what an unmitigated disaster this could be unless the developer and Gulfstream Park reach an accord so that construction crews entering and exiting the site spend a minimum amount of time on HBB.

It's time for Gulfstream Park to actually BE a good neighbor instead of just talking about it, having gotten their way years ago when they got the clueless city to approve their three employee dorms/apts.RIGHT WHERE Hibiscus Street should have been extended east from US-1 down to behind the Publix on 14th Avenue many years ago, so that local traffic, esp. Three Islands residents, could avoid HBB instead of being forced onto it, with ZERO 

alternatives.

Item is scheduled to come up at 8:30 PM tonight.

Photo: https://goo.gl/maps/tLbTMf75uY52

Map https://goo.gl/maps/etYNT7QAV8o

---

 Mayor London, Vice Mayor Lazarow and Commissioners,

What one hand gives the other hand takes it away.

On one hand you have done a great job fixing N. E. 14th Avenue. Narrowed the roadway to reduce speed, added a bicycle lane and created a lovely landscaping.

We are very happy about it. Thank you.


On the other hand you are about to approve the Oasis (1100 East Hallandale Beach Blvd.) with its flawed traffic proposal. Exiting the property you have to cross three (3) lanes of traffic to get to N.E. 14th Avenue and ether make a U-turn or turn left into N.E. 14th Avenue. It does not make any sense.

If you allow this to happen you just created a major problem for the next 100 years.


During the last 10 years no better solution has been found than this? There must be an effort made by the developer to come to an agreement with Gulfstream to allow an exit to Gulfstream Boulevard and N.E. 8th Avenue. It will cost money but otherwise the residents will suffer.

In my opinion when FDOT installed the dividers on Hallandale Beach Boulevard they significantly reduced the utility and value of that property.

The Oasis owners are sophisticated investors, they should have known this fatal flaw in this property.

Now you are facing no win situation tonight. Either the developer or the residents will be upset with you.

You can explain to the residents when you will be knocking on doors this summer.  

Sincerely,

Csaba (Chuck) Kulin 

---------

Dave 

HallandaleBeachBlog@gmail.com

Hallandale Beach Blog: 

http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies

YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/user/HallandaleBeachBlog 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbbtruth/ 

Snapchat: SoBeHoosier

Jubilant! Liam Gallagher's best day of the year! Watches his Man. City beat Man. United, take over top of Premier League in global telecast seen by 650 million, tweets about meeting Maradona, and then crashes press conference

Manchester City FC video: TUNNEL CAM: Man City 1-0 Man United Behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium. April 30, 2012. http://youtu.be/90xoWo5Eah8
At 17:06, Diego Maradona and his daughter and grand-son arrive to see son-in-law Sergio Agüero...



City1 Utd 0 Liam Gallagher, Hey Jude. April 30, 2012.
http://youtu.be/mm8gLIS4ygA


My biggest fear when I woke up Monday morning was that the scheduled torrential downpours in South Florida would come during the broadcast of the Manchester Derby on ESPN at 3 p.m., and absolutely ruin things, since I have DirecTV and I lose reception during those sort of heavy end-of-the-world thunderstorms we get down here.
Or that Manchester would have similar weather during the match in this, the wettest April in recorded history.





Fortunately for me, everything happened before and after in my corner of South Florida and City won a fabulous game.
Well, at least one team I root for actually wins!



Liam Gallagher crashes the post-match press conference at Manchester City. 
"The league top, how about that?" April 30, 2012.
http://youtu.be/dGBbbwRpNzc


"Maradona shakes the hand of God!" 
Photo at: http://twitter.com/#!/liamgallagher/status/197082620566319104/photo/1
http://twitter.com/#!/liamgallagher



Oasis - Wonderwall (Live at Jools Holland 2000)
http://youtu.be/vmybmVNjfbI


I'd have posted all this all sooner, as well as posts about the FA's Roy Hodgson vs. "people's choice" Harry Redknapp public debate over the manager of the English National Team, but the perpetual downpours we've had down here of late have played havoc with my access to the AT&T server, rendering me frustrated.
More on this very soon, though, as it's the burr under everyone's saddle there.


-----
http://www.youtube.com/user/mcfcofficial


http://twitter.com/#!/liamgallagher


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

Mini-review of April 16, 2008 HB City Comm. mtg.

Wednesday April 16th, 2008

11:45 p.m.



Just got back from spending four hours at the Hallandale Beach City Commission meeting.


They took a breath and a break at 11:30 after a long night and that was my cue to come home.


Am currently watching ABC News' Nightline's review of the Clinton-Obama debate, which I'll probably watch in its entirety some other time on C-SPAN, and will soon be rewinding my videotape that caught tonight's new episode of longtime TV favorite Criminal Minds., which I LOVE! http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/


Don't mind telling you, I was greatly concerned when it became clear that the wonderful Mandy Patinkin was leaving the show, but what better way to try to replace a great character on a show that requires great ensemble skills than getting a great and talented professional like Joe Mantegna, who makes everyone look better -just like Dan Marino and Michael Jordan.

See http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/ , http://www.mandypatinkin.net/cd.html and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001505/ )


Given those wonderful skills, the show's producers were genius casting his character as someone who'd previously been a 'lone wolf' while creating the BAU team at Quantico.
That's right -casting against type!


Some times, it really works!


Not that I don't still find myself singing or humming Patinkin's particular versions of great American standards, since I went thru two copies of his great eponymous album while living in D.C., often listening to it over and over -and over -while walking, running or biking along The National Mall on way over to Reagan National Airport or Arlington National Cemetery.
See http://www.mandypatinkin.net/cdmp.html


Will have more to say on Thursday about the HB City Commission meeting, including fireworks in afternoon session, and some other things, but these are the two main points I wanted to leave you with until manana:


1.) For the presentation on the Oasis project on the 11oo block of East Hallandale Beach Blvd., Joseph Geller filled-in and took over first-chair for brother Senator Steve Geller who was still up in Tallahassee.


2. The Oasis project passed the city commission's first reading, along with an amendment by Comm. Keith London that would ensure that the project's flex units would revert back to the city if there were no progress on the ambitious project within 48 months of pulling the first permit for phase one, which will be the five-story retail and commercial office development along HBB -153,000 square feet- and the four-story garage behind it.


The 27-story residential building, which would border a future and absolutely necessary S.E. 2nd Street, will be the second phase.


This particular amendment is the city learning the painful lessons of The European Club on HBB and Three Islands, which failed colossally and is still an empty and ugly area eyesore after all this time.


Judging things by a PowerPoint presentation, of course, is no way to judge anything so large.
What I saw actually looked pretty good, but...

That particular lesson was learned the hard way by current and former members of the Hollywood City Commission -Comm. Richard Blattner?- who lamented out loud two weeks ago tonight, when comparing how great Radius looked on Young Circle -on paper and against the city commission wall- and the sad current reality, where it creates a canyon effect, albeit a curved canyon. See http://www.radiuscondo.com/ and

http://localism.com/article/186587/Desperately-seeking-a-Seller-Radius-Condo

Well, it's not like there weren't critics of Radius, witness the very last breaths of Beth Dunlop's impassioned 2004 column in the Herald, "Razing of history may bust Hollywood's boom" which pondered whether the City of Hollywood would be as wise and prescient as the hard-working man who had founded the city decades ago, Joseph Young.

The excerpt below comes from the smart, savvy and civic-minded folks at Balance Sheet Online, a Hallandale Beach Blog linked fave since Blog Day One.
http://www.balancesheetonline.com/bdunlop.htm

CAMPED OUT
When Radius opened its sales office, potential buyers camped out overnight to be first in line -- reminiscent of old photos of the 1920s land boom. Radius has great slogans -- ''Once you've gone round, you'll never be square again'' and ''Don't be square. Live the circle.'' -- but perfectly unexceptional architecture, blocky buildings on the usual podium, with a half-hearted tower at the corner where Tyler Street and Federal Highway meet Young Circle. It does not set any standard.
And those standards are all-important.

Downtown Hollywood could fulfill the vision of Young, or it could end up looking just like another suburban office park. The first step is to stop the Great Southern project cold and determine to preserve the city's tiny historic core; without it, there's no identity. The second step is to exact high standards of design for every new building that will line the rest of the circle, making sure that each one contributes rather than detracts.

Young's ''City Beautiful'' endured the tribulations of the decades, and today, it's still possible to see his dreams and ambitions in three dimensions, as a city. But now we're in a new boom, and far too little seems sacred any more, putting the ideals that created Hollywood, created Florida, at risk. Wouldn't it be a crime if it is this boom that leads to the real bust?

Which reminds me, I wonder if that Starbucks downstairs on the U.S.-1 side finally opened yet?

Must check that out in the next day or so when I see if all that junk on the northeast Circle opposite the Radius, south of the Papa John's, has been cleaned up after all these months of it festering and mocking eager visitors to the Arts Park.