Can development and historic Downtown #HollywoodFL co-exist?
Current public pushback against possible demolition of a historic Hollywood Bank Bldg. to make way for the Soleste Hollywood project, makes one wonder whether it can or not
* The Blogger blog template is acting strange today and seems to arbitrarily changing some of my text and making it all capitalized instead of showing it as I wrote it..
This hasn't happened to me in a number of years but unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to fix it, having already tried five times, and even moved the page and reposted it.
But each result is the same. It looks like it's just a glitch I'm stuck with today. :-(
I first heard about this proposed project on the NW corner of Hollywood Blvd. & N. 20th Avenue from seeing the Technical Advisory Comm. agenda on the Sunshine bulletin board at Hollywood City Hall well over a week ago, then got confirmation of it late last Thursday afternoon.
Current public pushback against possible demolition of a historic Hollywood Bank Bldg. to make way for the Soleste Hollywood project, makes one wonder whether it can or not
* The Blogger blog template is acting strange today and seems to arbitrarily changing some of my text and making it all capitalized instead of showing it as I wrote it..
This hasn't happened to me in a number of years but unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to fix it, having already tried five times, and even moved the page and reposted it.
But each result is the same. It looks like it's just a glitch I'm stuck with today. :-(
I first heard about this proposed project on the NW corner of Hollywood Blvd. & N. 20th Avenue from seeing the Technical Advisory Comm. agenda on the Sunshine bulletin board at Hollywood City Hall well over a week ago, then got confirmation of it late last Thursday afternoon.
That is to say, while everyone in town was still very irate about Broward County's self-evident lack of appropriate disclosures of important info to the City of Hollywood re the 911 Emergency Services radio antenna tower at West Lake Park.
I have spent lots of hours writing about that and had planned on posting an update earlier this week, but I've held off on that because of the pending lawsuit between the City of Hollywood and Broward County, where, in my opinion, the county will have many questions to answer from a judge that I don't think any reasonably fair judge is going to be very satisfied or happy with.
Last Friday, Brian Bandell of the South Florida Business Journal had the story, one of three he did yesterday about Hollywood. It's the subject of the second one, regarding the Sun Trust Office Building, at 2001 Hollywood Blvd., where it was once the Hollywood State Bank, opening on February 4, 1924 and founded by Joseph W. Young, Hollywood's founder and first mayor.
But it is now also the site of the projected Seleste Hollywood project, a 350-unit mixed-use development that's got everyone talking.
And depending upon when you talk to them, firmly on one side or the other of the argument.
Or, as is typical in many parts of South Florida, on both sides of the issue, wanting to be on the side of the angels while being on neither side.
Miami-based Estate Investments Group has proposed its first project in Hollywood. Check out Soleste Hollywood https://t.co/79tDSLwCdo pic.twitter.com/uhuMTgqLli
— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
10-story building with apartments & live/work units proposed in downtown Hollywood https://t.co/7Ygj8jGOvC @HallandaleCRA pic.twitter.com/0UORlxma0D
— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
My 3rd story today on big project in downtown Hollywood: Retail strip could be replaced by 180 apartments with live/work units https://t.co/bb5mULhtSy pic.twitter.com/yPw2c9buW1
— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
According to docs filed with the city, the developer is projecting to be finished in April of 2022.
I received this email, below, written by Hollywood Historical Society Vice President Clive Taylor early Saturday night from a friend and fellow Hollywood civic activist who is par of the group in town behind many worthwhile efforts, Friends of Hollywood Florida Inc.
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofHollywoodFlorida/
I've deleted most of the dozens of people who were recipients of it prior to my receiving it from a friend. It appears exactly as written, with no changes or corrections made to it.
The architect for Seleste Hollywood, Modis Architects, LLC of South Miami, has renderings at its website: http://www.modisarchitects.com/portfolio/soleste-at-hollywood-blvd/
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Clive Taylor <clive_taylor@bellsouth.net>
To: Josh Levy <jlevy@hollywoodfl.org>; Caryl Shuham <cshuham@hollywoodfl.org>; Peter Hernandez <phernandez@hollywoodfl.org>; Dick Blatner <rblattner@hollywoodfl.org>; Tracy Callari <tcallari@hollywoodfl.org>; Kevin Biederman <kbiederman@hollywoodfl.org>; Linda Sherwood <lsherwood@hollywoodfl.org>; Wazir Ishmael <wishmael@hollywoodfl.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2019, 12:10:34 PM EDT
Subject: Possible Demolition Historic Hollywood Bank Building
Good Morning Mayor, Commissioners, and City Manager,
It's ironic the National Trust is celebrating Historic Downtowns as we contemplate losing yet another important component of our own Historic Downtown.
We are the only city in Florida listed on the national register as having an intact historic downtown and our downtown is designated a historic district.
Despite this important fact we have allowed developers to slowly chip away at our history in the very heart of our city, our Historic downtown.
I used to be very proud of the fact that we had this designation and the fact that so many of our early structures are still standing.
But I am now getting despondent at our future.
We are losing most of the Great southern and just recently the city approved the demo of a very important Bayard Lukens structure on Hollywood Blvd in downtown.
The city's own guidelines state that in the historic district demolition is only to be considered as a last resort if no other options are available to save the structure.
The building now being considered for demo was the financial heart of early Hollywood.
Opening in 1924 it provided much needed capital to new investors and residents moving to the new city.
It was until very recently the oldest continually operating bank site in the county.
This bank never closed during the depression.
It was designed by Rubbish & Hunter the same firm that designed many of Hollywood early structures including the Young Mansion.
Many buildings have been lost over the years and many visitors and residents respect and want to celebrate our unique historical heritage.
When you travel or visit a new city ask yourself would you like to see the new section or would you like to visit the historic district?
One day our city will not have a historic district to visit and that's a very sad thought for the residents of Hollywood and to the memory of our Founder Joseph Wesley Young.
Think about that when you consider what's happening to our history while you are in office.
Remember that fact when you visit the historic south beach district or the biltmore hotel or the breakers or any other area that had to fight hard to keep these treasures standing.
I am not anti growth I welcome the new development coming to our city bringing new residents for business to enjoy but not at the expense of our history.
Joe Young laid out his dream city "Hollywood by The Sea" almost 100 years ago. These are his buildings, his legacy, our legacy, please don't allow this to happen while you've been elected to represent the residents the city.
The Hollywood Historical Society erected a bust of our founder on Young Circle which states" his vision and courage created this city" it's ironic he's looking right down Historic Hollywood Blvd business district and in the distance is city hall where the politicians developers and employees will decide yet again if another one of his buildings gets torn down.
Clive Taylor
VP Hollywood Historical Society
-----------
Subsequent to my receiving this letter written by Clive Taylor, which generated an intense response and amount of attention via emails and text messages criss-crossing by civic activists and regular citizens on various Social media platforms, including the one that I don't use, Facebook, came news about this item being on the agenda for this past Monday's Techanical Advisory Comm. meeting.
I knew from an email from Brian Bandell over the weekend that the developer had requested that the item be pulled from the meeting, which it was.
(I attended the meeting and found out lots of interesting things about other development projects in the city, including an out-of-the-box plan for something on Tyler Street, but that will have to wait for another blog post.)
For what it's worth, there are many well-connected and deeply-involved people in Hollywood civic affairs who believe that there has been MORE public misinformation posted to Facebook than ever before regarding matters of interest to Hollywood citizens and business owners, especially since before last year's GO Bond issue vote in November.
These same people lament that people whom they believe ought to know better, are simply playing emotional games in their postings to Facebook rather than relying on facts, logic and reason because... well, it's easier.
Much easier than making sound arguments for or against an issue.
Which only makes me wonder if these same people know how hard it was for me for years to be telling the truth over-and-over when the South Florida news media largely ignored the corruption and incompetency going on at Hallandale Beach City Hall when it was in the firm grasp of shallow, thin-skinned Mayor Joy Cooper and her Rubber Stamp Crew, who thought nothing of lying on the record in front of TV cameras and their own cameras in the Commission Chambers.
There was far more than a quorum of elected officials and high-paid bureaucrats there who consciously and consistently lied behind-the-scenes and in front of people's faces, who'd even deny things that they themselves had previously said or done and knew were not true at the time because they'd already been given the actual facts by their own staff, consultants or by Broward County or the State of Florida.
And still these officials would lie and deny what they knew or what was self-evident...
That's how deep the public corruption and antipathy to the public was there.
In case you need a reminder, consider this, via a series of tweets today by me re the situation in Hallandale Beach in 2010, precipitated by something a reporter at Washington, D.C. area NPR affiliate wrote about something in... yes, Sweden, which I'd written about nine years ago on these pages
@nicolegelinas @FixMetroMDT @transitmiami @MPOErica
I 1st became aware of #Hastighetslotteriet, or Speed Camera Lottery, in 2010: Our friend, Hastighetslotteriet: The fun theory works in #Stockholm 🇸🇪, but NOT in #HallandaleBeach, #RedLight Camera Central https://t.co/7FAHFrFvmK
— HallandaleBeach/HollywoodBlog (@hbbtruth) September 19, 2019
Reminder of what #transportation in #HallandaleBeach #FL was like in 2010: revenues💰 over public safety. Meanwhile, ex-mayor Joy Cooper waits for her Nov. trial on multiple felonies.@Susannah_Bryan @lbarszewski @BrittanyWallman @caitielee0917 @Buddynevins @CBSMiami @RedBroward pic.twitter.com/27fJvDseuw
— HallandaleBeach/HollywoodBlog (@hbbtruth) September 19, 2019
----
From my blog post of SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2010
Our friend, Hastighetslotteriet, or The Speed Camera Lottery: The fun theory works in Stockholm, but NOT in Joy Cooper's Hallandale Beach, Red-light Camera Central
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-friend-hastighetslotteriet-or-speed.html
Dave
David B. Smith
Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.
Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://
Instagram: https://www.
I have spent lots of hours writing about that and had planned on posting an update earlier this week, but I've held off on that because of the pending lawsuit between the City of Hollywood and Broward County, where, in my opinion, the county will have many questions to answer from a judge that I don't think any reasonably fair judge is going to be very satisfied or happy with.
Last Friday, Brian Bandell of the South Florida Business Journal had the story, one of three he did yesterday about Hollywood. It's the subject of the second one, regarding the Sun Trust Office Building, at 2001 Hollywood Blvd., where it was once the Hollywood State Bank, opening on February 4, 1924 and founded by Joseph W. Young, Hollywood's founder and first mayor.
But it is now also the site of the projected Seleste Hollywood project, a 350-unit mixed-use development that's got everyone talking.
And depending upon when you talk to them, firmly on one side or the other of the argument.
Or, as is typical in many parts of South Florida, on both sides of the issue, wanting to be on the side of the angels while being on neither side.
Miami-based Estate Investments Group has proposed its first project in Hollywood. Check out Soleste Hollywood https://t.co/79tDSLwCdo pic.twitter.com/uhuMTgqLli— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
10-story building with apartments & live/work units proposed in downtown Hollywood https://t.co/7Ygj8jGOvC @HallandaleCRA pic.twitter.com/0UORlxma0D— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
My 3rd story today on big project in downtown Hollywood: Retail strip could be replaced by 180 apartments with live/work units https://t.co/bb5mULhtSy pic.twitter.com/yPw2c9buW1— Brian Bandell (@SFBJRealEstate) September 13, 2019
I received this email, below, written by Hollywood Historical Society Vice President Clive Taylor early Saturday night from a friend and fellow Hollywood civic activist who is par of the group in town behind many worthwhile efforts, Friends of Hollywood Florida Inc.
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofHollywoodFlorida/
I've deleted most of the dozens of people who were recipients of it prior to my receiving it from a friend. It appears exactly as written, with no changes or corrections made to it.
The architect for Seleste Hollywood, Modis Architects, LLC of South Miami, has renderings at its website: http://www.modisarchitects.com/portfolio/soleste-at-hollywood-blvd/
From: Clive Taylor <clive_taylor@bellsouth.net>
To: Josh Levy <jlevy@hollywoodfl.org>; Caryl Shuham <cshuham@hollywoodfl.org>; Peter Hernandez <phernandez@hollywoodfl.org>; Dick Blatner <rblattner@hollywoodfl.org>; Tracy Callari <tcallari@hollywoodfl.org>; Kevin Biederman <kbiederman@hollywoodfl.org>; Linda Sherwood <lsherwood@hollywoodfl.org>; Wazir Ishmael <wishmael@hollywoodfl.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2019, 12:10:34 PM EDT
Subject: Possible Demolition Historic Hollywood Bank Building
Good Morning Mayor, Commissioners, and City Manager,
It's ironic the National Trust is celebrating Historic Downtowns as we contemplate losing yet another important component of our own Historic Downtown.
We are the only city in Florida listed on the national register as having an intact historic downtown and our downtown is designated a historic district.
Despite this important fact we have allowed developers to slowly chip away at our history in the very heart of our city, our Historic downtown.
I used to be very proud of the fact that we had this designation and the fact that so many of our early structures are still standing.
But I am now getting despondent at our future.
We are losing most of the Great southern and just recently the city approved the demo of a very important Bayard Lukens structure on Hollywood Blvd in downtown.
The city's own guidelines state that in the historic district demolition is only to be considered as a last resort if no other options are available to save the structure.
The building now being considered for demo was the financial heart of early Hollywood.
Opening in 1924 it provided much needed capital to new investors and residents moving to the new city.
It was until very recently the oldest continually operating bank site in the county.
This bank never closed during the depression.
It was designed by Rubbish & Hunter the same firm that designed many of Hollywood early structures including the Young Mansion.
Many buildings have been lost over the years and many visitors and residents respect and want to celebrate our unique historical heritage.
When you travel or visit a new city ask yourself would you like to see the new section or would you like to visit the historic district?
One day our city will not have a historic district to visit and that's a very sad thought for the residents of Hollywood and to the memory of our Founder Joseph Wesley Young.
Think about that when you consider what's happening to our history while you are in office.
Remember that fact when you visit the historic south beach district or the biltmore hotel or the breakers or any other area that had to fight hard to keep these treasures standing.
I am not anti growth I welcome the new development coming to our city bringing new residents for business to enjoy but not at the expense of our history.
Joe Young laid out his dream city "Hollywood by The Sea" almost 100 years ago. These are his buildings, his legacy, our legacy, please don't allow this to happen while you've been elected to represent the residents the city.
The Hollywood Historical Society erected a bust of our founder on Young Circle which states" his vision and courage created this city" it's ironic he's looking right down Historic Hollywood Blvd business district and in the distance is city hall where the politicians developers and employees will decide yet again if another one of his buildings gets torn down.
Clive Taylor
VP Hollywood Historical Society
-----------
Subsequent to my receiving this letter written by Clive Taylor, which generated an intense response and amount of attention via emails and text messages criss-crossing by civic activists and regular citizens on various Social media platforms, including the one that I don't use, Facebook, came news about this item being on the agenda for this past Monday's Techanical Advisory Comm. meeting.
I knew from an email from Brian Bandell over the weekend that the developer had requested that the item be pulled from the meeting, which it was.
(I attended the meeting and found out lots of interesting things about other development projects in the city, including an out-of-the-box plan for something on Tyler Street, but that will have to wait for another blog post.)
For what it's worth, there are many well-connected and deeply-involved people in Hollywood civic affairs who believe that there has been MORE public misinformation posted to Facebook than ever before regarding matters of interest to Hollywood citizens and business owners, especially since before last year's GO Bond issue vote in November.
These same people lament that people whom they believe ought to know better, are simply playing emotional games in their postings to Facebook rather than relying on facts, logic and reason because... well, it's easier.
These same people lament that people whom they believe ought to know better, are simply playing emotional games in their postings to Facebook rather than relying on facts, logic and reason because... well, it's easier.
Much easier than making sound arguments for or against an issue.
Which only makes me wonder if these same people know how hard it was for me for years to be telling the truth over-and-over when the South Florida news media largely ignored the corruption and incompetency going on at Hallandale Beach City Hall when it was in the firm grasp of shallow, thin-skinned Mayor Joy Cooper and her Rubber Stamp Crew, who thought nothing of lying on the record in front of TV cameras and their own cameras in the Commission Chambers.
There was far more than a quorum of elected officials and high-paid bureaucrats there who consciously and consistently lied behind-the-scenes and in front of people's faces, who'd even deny things that they themselves had previously said or done and knew were not true at the time because they'd already been given the actual facts by their own staff, consultants or by Broward County or the State of Florida.
There was far more than a quorum of elected officials and high-paid bureaucrats there who consciously and consistently lied behind-the-scenes and in front of people's faces, who'd even deny things that they themselves had previously said or done and knew were not true at the time because they'd already been given the actual facts by their own staff, consultants or by Broward County or the State of Florida.
And still these officials would lie and deny what they knew or what was self-evident...
That's how deep the public corruption and antipathy to the public was there.
In case you need a reminder, consider this, via a series of tweets today by me re the situation in Hallandale Beach in 2010, precipitated by something a reporter at Washington, D.C. area NPR affiliate wrote about something in... yes, Sweden, which I'd written about nine years ago on these pages
@nicolegelinas @FixMetroMDT @transitmiami @MPOErica— HallandaleBeach/HollywoodBlog (@hbbtruth) September 19, 2019
I 1st became aware of #Hastighetslotteriet, or Speed Camera Lottery, in 2010: Our friend, Hastighetslotteriet: The fun theory works in #Stockholm 🇸🇪, but NOT in #HallandaleBeach, #RedLight Camera Central https://t.co/7FAHFrFvmK
Reminder of what #transportation in #HallandaleBeach #FL was like in 2010: revenues💰 over public safety. Meanwhile, ex-mayor Joy Cooper waits for her Nov. trial on multiple felonies.@Susannah_Bryan @lbarszewski @BrittanyWallman @caitielee0917 @Buddynevins @CBSMiami @RedBroward pic.twitter.com/27fJvDseuw— HallandaleBeach/HollywoodBlog (@hbbtruth) September 19, 2019
----
From my blog post of SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2010
Our friend, Hastighetslotteriet, or The Speed Camera Lottery: The fun theory works in Stockholm, but NOT in Joy Cooper's Hallandale Beach, Red-light Camera Central
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-friend-hastighetslotteriet-or-speed.html
Dave
David B. Smith
Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.
Instagram: https://www.
Travel Massive: https://
