Thursday, November 17, 2016

Again? Hallandale Beach City Commission grants ANOTHER deferral for Chateau Group LLC's twin 40-story retail/condo project on US-1 and Hallandale Beach Blvd.

All original photos on this page by me, South Beach Hoosier. (c) 2016 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.


UNStudio in The Netherlands and BC Architects are listed as architects of record for the project.

 Today I've got the latest installment of my regular series of blog posts about what's going on in Hallandale Beach with the Chateau Group LLC's Chateau Square project that would erect TWO 40-story buildings with a large retail and hotel complex at the corner of U.S.-1 and Hallandale Beach Blvd., which could actually make the city's notoriously-bad and gridlocked traffic even worse.
Especially during the annual invasion into southeast Broward County by tens of thousands of Canadians from Ontario and Quebec, known around here as "the season," which has just begun, as suddenly, like every year, nearly one-third-to one-fourth of every car you see in Hallandale Beach or Hollywood east of I-95 is from Quebec or Ontario.

On Wednesday night at 6:30 PM, after many months of delays, the Hallandale Beach City Commission was scheduled to debate the matter for the first of two required votes on the project that so many Hallandale Beach residents are gravely concerned about.

 Well, would you believe that last night, at a sparsely-attended public meeting of the 
Hallandale Beach City Commission, they voted to grant yet ANOTHER deferral for 
the Chateau Group LLC's proposed twin 40-story retail/condo project on US-1 and Hallandale Beach Blvd. 

By my count, this is at least the third deferral for this project of its first of two required readings by the HB City Commission.
After all these years of attending meetings at HB City Hall, and the routines that take place before and during the meeting, I should have guessed that something was amiss when I didn't see developer attorney Debbie Orshefsky working the room before the meeting started.
But I was busy talking to people myself, as usual.

No reason was given for the request for the deferral by the developer and no date was given as the next opportunity for Chateau Group LLC to persuade the community and its elected officials why they should change the rules for them in such an egregious way.
I'm already following up on what I'm hearing about the real reason for thems seeking the deferral, but can't share with you what I'm hearing - right now

As many of you know, last night was also longtime Hallandale Beach City Commissioner William "Bill" Julian's last meeting as a HB Commissioner, something that I have wanted to say and write for many, many years.
Rather deliciously, Julian made a motion to delay the swearing-in ceremony for newly-elected Commissioner Anabelle Taub, who convincingly defeated him, until December 7th. But he lost on the motion 4-1, so the big day remains Monday November 28th.

A day to finally breathe the sweet air of freedom that many of us thought -worried-

might never come! The end of the reign of Joy Cooper's Rubber Stamp Crew! :-)















The Gulfstream Park Race Track & Casino sign on the south side of Hibiscus Street, across from where the proposed project is situated.

 Even from a cursory look at the photos you can see how completely incompatible two 40-story buildings on that corner would be, and the disastrous effect it would have in a city where Hallandale Beach Blvd. is the ONLY East-West street that runs throughout the city, connecting the beach to I-95.
On a very intensive street that already receives THE lowest possible rating from FDOT.

Here's the Traffic study for the Chateau Square project 

It was NOT available to the public before or during the July 31 HB P&Z Advisory Board meeting, which means the public could NOT ask pointed questions about its finding to the developer, their attorney or traffic consultant during the meeting

 But now, whenever the meeting is finally held, you will have the numbers to use as you wish.
Based on what I heard at the meeting from the traffic consultant, the traffic numbers 
are very troubling and negative for HB residents and businesses who are looking at 
a much worse traffic/gridlock situation than even now, if the city allows something 
to be built as planned in the busiest place in the city -and at twice the current height 
limit.

And to quote myself, "the folks over at Gulfstream Park next door don't like it, either!"

Unless someone on the Hallandale Beach City Commission does something quite unexpected, and actually pushes back against this plan and proposes a reasonable compromise, with meaningful traffic remediation, this impractical plan may well become one of the final albeit GIANT nails in the coffin of this city's Quality of Life, and people's 
ability to move around in this city, which is already very difficult at more times of the day than one would think possible for the number of people living/working in the area.

I don't have to remind you that Mayor Cooper likely sees this project as further 
confirmation of her poorly thought-out ideas about development, where buildings 
and the revenue they generate for the city are more important than people or neighborhoods, which she has demonstrated time-after-time since she has been in office, despite the facts on the ground and the mood of the citizenry.
But when has she really ever listened to anyone else and changed her mind?

So, given everything that's happened of late, with the decisive defeats of pro-development Commissioner Bill Julian and Alex Lewy, longstanding members of Mayor Joy Cooper's 
Rubber Stamp Crew, where exactly are her developer friends and their plans for higher 
density projects near the FEC tracks, something that would actually be smart and which I and most other people in the area would support because of the proximity of the future Tri-Rail Coastal train? 
They are MIA, just like last year and the year before that and the year before...

No, unfortunately, it's going to take more than a few positive election results to turn Hallandale Beach around. 
But a good place to start is to kill any thought of making the city's busiest corner the home of two forty-story towers that would literally strangle the ability of residents and visitors alike to navigate their way in and thru the city.

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Monday, November 14, 2016

Controversial Chateau Square project -and its twin 40-story towers at U.S.-1's most-gridlocked intersection- to get first of two votes Wednesday by Hallandale Beach City Commission. Make your voice heard!

All original photos on this page by me, South Beach Hoosier. (c) 2016 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.

 This is the latest installment of my regular series of blog posts about what's going on in Hallandale Beach with the Chateau Group LLC's Chateau Square project that would erect TWO 40-story buildings with a large retail and hotel complex to be located at the corner of U.S.-1 and Hallandale Beach Blvd., which could actually make the city's notoriously gridlocked traffic even worse.
On Wednesday night at 6:30 PM, after many months of delays, the Hallandale Beach City Commission will have their first of two votes on the project.
As my blog has shown for nine years now, these are NOT exactly the sort of people you can allow yourself to give the benefit of the doubt, since they have managed so consistently to break nearly every vow and promise they've made about public accountability and public oversight over the past ten-plus years.

Which is to say, that they they are NOT the caliber of people you want deciding whether or not the city should allow TWO 40-story buildings, with a large retail and hotel complex as well- to be located at the SE corner of US-1 and Hallandale Beach Blvd., where so many businesses have come-and-gone and failed over the past 12 years, save The Knife Argentine restaurant, which continues to pack in local consumers and visitors there because they feature great food and customer service -the rarity in HB.

Hard to imagine that something could actually make that area WORSE, but based on what I've seen so far, it looks like this project, if approved, could very well make the city's infamous, gridlocked traffic even worse unless cooler heads and moderation prevail.

 Excerpt from May 26, 2015 South Florida Business Journal article by real estate reporter Brian Bandell
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2015/05/26/plan-for-1-237-units-at-diplomat-and-chateau.html  

 Chateau Group plans mixed-use project
Argentinian developer Chateau Group filed plans for a mixed-use project at 600 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. called Chateau Square.
Located on the 8-acre site just east of U.S. 1, the project would have 800 residential units, 280 hotel rooms, 166,352 square feet of commercial/retail space and 164,254 square feet of office space.
The property was acquired by 600 Hallandale LLC, an affiliate of Chateau Group, for $24.5 million in 2007. It currently has a retail building dating back to 1984.
The project was presented to the city in January with the following specifications:
http://chateau-square.com/wp-content/uploads/Chateau-Square_-01.2016_Architecture_201602011515020973-3.pdf

The Hallandale Beach Planning & Zoning Advisory Board meeting was held July 27th at Ingalls Park -because the City Commission Chambers were being rehabbed- and I attended it. For three-and-a-half hours...
Given how things are done in Hallandale Beach and its peculiar history with respect to development, it was hardly surprised that anyone leaving at 10 PM, like me, would be UNABLE to comment publicly on the biggest development issue of the year in this town, at a public meeting that had started at 6:30 PM.



All these months later, just as I said at the time to people in the room, I'm still dumbfounded that City of Hallandale Beach Director of Development Services Kevin Klopp allowed the meeting to start without either a TV camera to record the meeting if they could not broadcast it from that location, as they have done previously at other HB P&Z meetings I've attended held outside the HB City Hall Chambers, or, at least having the good sense to publicly explain why he and the city failed to do that, since they could have at least recorded the meeting for play back later on COMCAST for residents to watch or on the city's website for any interested party.

It seems to me that just because it's July doesn't mean the normal rules don't apply 
to transparency and public accountability.

Then on August 15, 2016 the South Florida Business Journal's real estate reporter Brian Bandell wrote the following about the project
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2016/08/15/commission-to-consider-10-major-development.html

 The 8.8-acre site at 600 East Hallandale Beach Blvd. could be approved for 726 high-rise units in two towers, 36 live/work units, 152,792 square feet of office space, 309,000 square feet of gross commercial/retail space and a 280-room hotel. The developer also was to create two openings onto Hallandale Beach Boulevard and one opening on Federal Highway.
The project was designed by UN Studio with BC Architects as the architect of record. The residential buildings would be 40 stories tall. The current zoning code allows for up to 15 stories in that area of the city.
UPDATE: Chateau Group VP of Development Esteban Koffsmon said the county item was deferred because the city most vote on the project before the county. The Hallandale Beach City Commission will vote on the Chateau Square site plan on Aug. 17 on first reading and, if that passes, on second reading in September. Then the plat approval and site plan could go to the county commission.
The city memo notes that only 137,384 square feet of the commercial space would be leasable. The live-work units would wrap around the parking garages. It would have 1,795 parking spaces, instead of the 3,161 normally required for the project of that size, because of a request for parking waivers.
Two media screens would cover the buildings.
Koffsmon said the residential units would be a mix of condos and apartments.
Chateau Group affiliate 600 Hallandale LLC acquired the site for $24.5 million in 2007.





















































The Gulfstream Park Race Track & Casino sign on the south side of Hibiscus Street, across from where the proposed project is situated.




UNStudio in The Netherlands and BC Architects are listed as architects of record

Even from a cursory look at the photos you can see how completely incompatible two 40-story buildings on that corner would be, and the disastrous effect it would have in a city where Hallandale Beach Blvd. is the ONLY East-West street that runs throughout the city, connecting the beach to I-95.
On a very intensive street that already receives THE lowest possible rating from FDOT.




Here's the Traffic study for the Chateau Square project 

It was NOT available to the public before or during the July 31 HB P&Z meeting. 

People who wanted to appear at the P&Z meeting in July or the first planned-then-postponed HB City Commission meeting on Chateau Square on August 17th, could have only relied on partially-submitted documents, but without being able to see video, would have no access to the answers given to questions posed to the developer, his attorney and the traffic consultant by the Board during the meeting

Based on what I heard at the meeting from the traffic consultant, the traffic numbers 
are very troubling and negative for HB residents and businesses who are looking at 
a much worse traffic/gridlock situation than even now, if the city allows something 
to be built as planned in the busiest place in the city -and at twice the current height 
limit.

And to quote myself, "the folks over at Gulfstream Park next door don't like it, either!"

Unless someone on the Hallandale Beach City Commission does something quite unexpected, and actually pushes back against this plan and proposes a reasonable compromise, with meaningful traffic remediation, this impractical plan may well become one of the final albeit GIANT nails in the coffin of this city's Quality of Life, and people's 
ability to move around in this city, which is already very difficult at more times of the day than one would think possible for the number of people living/working in the area.

I don't have to remind you that Mayor Cooper likely sees this project as further 
confirmation of her poorly thought-out ideas about development, where buildings 
and the revenue they generate for the city are more important than people or neighborhoods, which she has demonstrated time-after-time since she has been in office, despite the facts on the ground and the mood of the citizenry.
But when has she really ever listened to anyone else and changed her mind?

So, given everything that's happened of late, with the decisive defeats of pro-development Commissioner Bill Julian and Alex Lewy, longstanding members of Mayor Joy Cooper's Rubber Stamp Crew, where exactly are her developer friends and their plans for higher
density projects near the FEC tracks, something that would actually be smart and which I and most other people in the area would support because of the proximity of the future Tri-Rail Coastal train? 
They are MIA, just like last year and the year before that and the year before...

No, unfortunately, it's going to take more than a few positive election results to turn Hallandale Beach around. But a good place to start is to kill any thought of making the city's busiest corner the home of two forty-story towers that strangles the ability of residents and visitors to navigate their way in and thru the city.
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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Thoughts re #Entrepreneurs #Startups #Disrupt and ideas in South Florida and elsewhere: Bailey Roubos of Drone Hub Media and Rachel Zietz of Gladiator Lacrosse; online marketing of luxury real estate in Miami and South Florida

Thoughts re #Entrepreneurs #Startups #Disrupt and ideas in South Florida and elsewhere: Bailey Roubos of Drone Hub Media and Rachel Zietz of Gladiator Lacrosse; online marketing of luxury real estate in Miami and South Florida




For those of you who have asked since I tweeted my curious tweets of October 24th, above, no, I can't yet reveal the identity of the very successful New Jersey entrepreneur with interests on both U.S. coasts who recently visited Hollywood, and who spent many hours over several days asking me LOTS of pointed questions about the current Hollywood, Aventura and Hallandale Beach scene.
That includes questions about what I really thought about the local business environment, its general direction and any stories I'd heard about the amount of govt. red tape around here.

 As you might imagine, given what I have seen and shared with you here on the blog over the past nine years, and in many cases, tried to forget because it was so awful, I had to stifle the urge to laugh, since what he wanted was useful information and quality context.

 In this case, that even took the form of several personal tours of the area from State Road 441 to State Road A1A and everything in between, usually once a day, pointing out what was good, what was bad what was that rare great, and why that was necessarily the case.

 That also necessarily meant my pointing out the area's economic, transportation and Quality of Life problems that local politicians and bureaucrats have largely failed to solve or rectify, no matter what economic development consultants they hire to write a report and give some possible solutions.

 FYI: I highly recommend Chocolada, especially for breakfast!
I'd honestly forgotten how great it was finish off a terrific breakfast by dunking delicious cookies in coffee that tasted just right! Scrumptious!
Chocolada Bakery & Cafe, 1923 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood Florida (954) 920-6400 

http://www.hollywoodchocolada.com/
Last week, via my growing Twitter feed, @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth 
I wrote that I'd been spending some quality time conversing with a fascinating forward-thinking entrepreneur who was from Ontario -with some Hoosier roots- whose firm aims high, goes even higher!
Yes, coincidentally, just in time for "the season," the annual invasion into southeastern Broward County of tens of thousands of Canadians, 99% from Quebec and Ontario, who find our South Florida sand, surf and sunshine hard to resist at this time of the year.

 Well, that entrepreneur of whom I spoke is Bailey Roubos, co-founder of Drone Hub Media, a full service media company specializing in Aerial Cinematography, who was in Miami for what I can only describe as some fascinating projects, some of which I should be able to discuss with you in greater detail in the future.
Including the one that made my jaw drop upon hearing about it.






An early coup for Bailey and #DroneHub, mentioned in this Toronto Star story last year,
concerned a beautiful Luxury Cottage in Muskoka, Ontario, an amazing property on Lake Joseph that seemed almost tailor-made to have his company wow people around the world with the amazing views of the intangible qualities the property and area had to offer. 
To me, it looks like luxury AND peace of mind meets serene location. 
I'm ready to visit!


 Dan Cooper Group - Luxury Muskoka Cottage. Uploaded June 29, 2015

 Toronto Star
The high-flying new world of real estate. Some realtors take to the skies with drones to showcase special homes and woo buyers.
By SUSAN PIGG, Business Reporter
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
https://www.thestar.com/business/2015/09/23/the-high-flying-new-world-of-real-estate.html

Now for most of us in chaotic, traffic-gridlocked South Florida, that amazing property on an Ontario lake seems like a slice-of-heaven. But as Bailey explained to me, and as the record shows in the video they did below, marketing luxury real estate to someone who'd live in and is attracted to the lifestyle of Miami requires a different kind of vibe than someone who wants to live on a lake in Ontario. 
And trust me, Bailey knows all about what helps his clients sell luxury in a very competitive Miami real estate market, where he who hesitates... loses.

Miami's Finest in Luxury - Julian Johnston - Million Dollar Listing. 
Uploaded December 22, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_20ichV7I















Bailey Roubos, co-founder, Drone Hub, a full service media company specializing in Aerial Cinematography. @BRoubos, https://twitter.com/broubos

Canada (905) 246 - 8203
USA (605) 789 - 1383
Mailing Address: 6466 Brock Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada, L2J 1W2
Talking to someone as friendly, curious and genuinely creative as Bailey Roubos, who thinks so much outside-of-the-box, you can't help but notice that when you listen to him speak about his work/ideas, #tech #innovation, no matter how well-informed you think you are, you'll find yourself soon absorbing information and insight from him like a waterfall.
But I like that, since I'm the same way about subjects I'm passionate about.

My biggest regret of many conversations this week with him is that I didn't think to video-record it as the ideas flowed! 
I could have kicked myself for not having done so.
Next time I talk to him, trust me, I'll be sure to have cameras rolling so I can share his many ideas & insight with you here.

Some of you reading this in Florida know from personal conversations we've had and many more of you elsewhere via emails, that I've been planning for quite some time to start using my YouTube Channel in more creative and productive ways, and, to be MUCH more pro-active about using it on matters involving technology and innovation.

Maybe the most important lesson of my meeting Bailey Roubos is... #JustDoIt!
In the future, my plan is to interview and video-record interesting people I know and meet who are doing interesting things, whether in South Florida or elsewhere on my travels, for people to enjoy via my YouTube Channel and here on the blog.

 -----

 Emon Reiser's recent article about the just-completed deal between South Florida teenager Rachel Zietz's Gladiator Lacrosse company and DICK's Sporting Goods caught  my eye, and not just because the latter is one of my favorite retailers, or because I love watching high-quality lacrosse. 
(Or because DICK's is now located in nearby Aventura.)

 Somewhere in storage, I still have some DVDs in a box of recent NCAA Men's and Women's Lacrosse title matches, as well as of matches involving the Florida Gators and Northwestern Wildcats Women's Lacrosse teams. Over the past dozen years, I've become a big fan of what head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has done with Northwestern's dynamic program after watching lots of Wildcat games on The Big Ten Channel over the years. 
(And I used to live in beautiful Evanston, home of NU, as well as in next-door Wilmette.)

 Plus, for years I always watched the ACC Championship for both Men and Women on TV and taped the matches for my three nieces in suburban Maryland.
All three nieces played (or are playing) both Youth League as well as high school field hockey and lacrosse at a high level in the best and most-competitive state for it, Maryland.
The youngest one of them actually played for the varsity as a freshman and scored a goal in the 2016 Maryland State Girls Lacrosse championship, which her team won.
A team called the... Gladiators. 
Yes, the Glenelg Gladiators.

South Florida Business Journal
Teen CEO seals deal with Dick's Sporting Goods
Emon Reiser, Digital Producer - South Florida Business Journal
Nov 1, 2016, 5:00pm EDT
http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2016/11/teen-ceo-seals-deal-with-dicks-sporting-goods.html

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