You may be surprised to learn that a couple of world-class design professionals are included among those who have submitted proposals to develop the Johnson Street property on Central Beach. This is quite exciting!
| This article is based entirely on information the developers presented to the staff evaluation committee on Oct. 14. Neither the Balance Sheet nor its editors have any connection to any of these developers and we had no knowledge about any of the proposals until they were unveiled at the staff evaluation meeting. |
Four development teams responded to Hollywood’s request for proposals in the first phase of a two-phase process. One proposal, submitted by Loveland Development Co., has Arquitectonica on its team as lead architect. And another proposal, from Shefaor Development, includes Edward Durell Stone Associates (EDSA) as landscape design architects. These are both award-winning, internationally recognized design firms truly capable of putting Hollywood on the map in a new way.
In addition, Nick Mastroianni, of Allied Capital & Development, has teamed up with Bernard Zyscovich to recycle a somewhat scaled-down version of the Marriott resort previously designed for the site but never built. And local developer Lon Tabatchnick has brought in Margaritaville Enterprises to create a 12,000 sq. foot Margaritaville Cafe along with what would be Tabatchnick's and Margaritaville's first resort hotel.
All four proposals call for a hotel on the property. Two of the proposers would build a hotel of about 250 rooms (Shefaor and Loveland) while the other two would be larger (350 rooms). But public use is a requirement too and it is here that the proposals differ most.
A new bandshell or amphitheater is part of every proposal, and each speaks of some additional public benefit. Our favorite is Shefaor, the only one to really emphasize the public component of the development, "more public space, less built environment." The Shefaor proposal speaks of a "public water garden," pools and a water slide. Loveland would provide a community meeting room and what they call a "Lazy River" winding around the property. A Loveland graphic showed a bright blue curving waterway with people floating in it.
The Allied proposal designed by Zyscovich would widen the broadwalk along the property to create a public plaza where people could congregate, reminiscent of Mallory Square in Key West. Public use under Margaritaville's proposal would consist of a "Great Lawn" on what is now Johnson Street where people could relax while viewing bandshell events.
All of these development concepts will be subject to rigorous review at Phase 2 of the RFP process, which will include market studies, financial commitments, detailed plans, and other requirements necessary for a successful project.
The task of this committee was to determine whether each development team had the financial ability and experience to complete the project. They were to grade each proposal with a simple PASS/FAIL recommendation which will be forwarded to the City Commission.
City Staff Evaluation PanelLorie Mertens-Black, Parking & Green Team |
Barry Abramson, a consultant hired by the city to assist in the evaluation and selection process, advised the staff committee on its role. He noted that all four developers were obviously experienced and able to do the project. He said it was a good idea in the second phase of the process to have three or four qualified proposals to choose from.
We were very disappointed to hear the committee rule out the Shefaor proposal, recommending only three developers to the City Commission which will have the final say. In disqualifying Shefaor, committee members did not question the developer's experience or financial capability, but some seemed to focus on its redevelopment concept, objecting to possibilities for "modular retail" similar to Miami's Bayside, a water slide constructed above the garage, and renovating the existing garage rather than replacing it. Were they were aware that this proposal featured one of the world's best known landscape architectural firms? Did they value the fact that Shefaor's was the only proposal that emphasized the importance of continuing the tradition of public activity on the property that has existed since Joseph Young donated it to the city in the 1920s?
At its regular meeting on Nov. 4, the City Commission will decide whether to ask all four developers to proceed to the next phase of the development process, or only some of them as recommended by the staff committee. It appears that Hollywood has sparked the interest of some world-class design professionals -- something that hasn't happened recently to the best of our knowledge. To rule Shefaor out now, as the staff evaluation committee recommends, before the developers have even left the starting gate, seems short-sighted at best. We strongly urge the City Commission to give the go-ahead to all four proposals.
Article written by Sara Case with assistance from Marla Dumas. Both Marla and Sara attended the staff evaluation meeting on October 14.
October 18, 2009
