Hollywood Seeks Developers for Oceanfront Community Center on City Land

The city wants a modern project with public amenities to replace an existing 20,000-square-foot community center.

In South Florida, where oceanfront development sites have been scarce for years, developers have a chance to build on a 4-acre parcel in Hollywood.

The city is asking developers to submit proposals for a mixed-use project that includes a community center with parking and other public amenities as well as private uses.

The site on the barrier island near downtown offers views of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean between Azalea and Bougainvillea terraces at 1301 S. Ocean Drive.

A 20,000-square-foot community center with the Hollywood Beach Bernice P. Oster Branch library, public parking, restrooms and park are on the site.

The city wants to link up with a developer in a public-private partnership, a mechanism which the private partner covers the upfront cost and develops and manages the project.

The city is looking for creative proposals for a project that fits into the surrounding area while developing the property to its full potential, according to a news release from CBRE Group Inc., which is marketing the site on behalf of the city.

“Hollywood recognizes the significance and impact redevelopment of this site can achieve and is looking to attract a qualified investor/developer to … create an iconic project for visitors and residents to enjoy,” Lee Ann Korst, Southeast regional manager for CBRE’s public institutions and education solutions team, said in a statement.

Korst and CBRE senior vice president Larry Genet are leading the marketing.

The developer gets a “clean slate” site to develop a modern project with beach access and amenities, Genet said.

“The goal is to ensure a vibrant and accessible oceanfront development with a modern and vibrant beach culture and community center,” Genet said in a news release.

The city opted to solicit development proposals after receiving an unsolicited plan, which under state law requires the city to disclose the submission and open up the city-owned site to other developers.

The Broward County Property Appraiser’s office lists a market value of more than $5.5 million, an amount that normally is lower than true market value.

Proposals are due 3 p.m. Aug. 24 at the city clerk’s office at 2600 Hollywood Blvd.