At a community forum last month, new Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Director Jorge Camejo gave a detailed presentation of several ongoing beach projects of particular interest to Hollywood residents, including the Margaritaville project, parking and traffic congestion, and the beautification of the City. In addition, Mayor Peter Bober also updated residents on the Mirador Motel Property.

Sponsored by the Hollywood Beach Civic Association, hardly a vacant chair was available at this well-attended forum that took place at the Hollywood Beach Cultural Center with a lively question and answer session that followed.

Camejo addressed the anticipated Margaritaville Hotel and Resort, a 349-room hotel complete with pools, restaurants, entertainment and a new parking garage. The hotel is expected to be a LEED Silver green building designation, and the structure will span from A1A to the Broadwalk between Johnson and Michigan Streets. Margaritaville developer Lon Tabatchnick, who was present at the meeting, said construction will begin March 2012. Camejo said an objective of the CRA is the continued investment in capital improvements encouraging economic development. With Margaritaville being built, Camejo believes the willingness of foreign investors to invest in new projects and in real estate will dramatically transform the area and have a “ripple effect” on Hollywood Beach.

Camejo singled out the historic Hollywood Beach Resort as a specific landmark that has tremendous potential.

“This structure is an under-realized value,” he said. “The Mayor and Commissioners have identified the building as a priority for investment. The future appears bright for the Beach community. We are targeting specific industries for tourism and cruise lines. Hollywood Beach is rock solid, and in 10 years from now, we’ll look back and say I remember when.”

The CRA wants to ensure the Beach accommodates residents while also preserving the value for future investors. Camejo said they need to find a balance between the natural coastline, historical preservation and redevelopment. Another matter discussed was parking and traffic congestion. Camejo said no other parking facilities are planned besides the garage for the Margaritaville Resort.

“At the midpoint along A1A, the Hollywood Beach Resort parking garage is not utilized,” he said. “We are working with the property owner to create more signage in order to let the public know this is a parking facility.”  

The audience also saw details of street-end beautification. The idea is to streamline and eliminate the urban clutter, thus making the streets congruent with the overall feel of the newly renovated Broadwalk. The City has completed placing street brick pavers and creative mosaic installations on some street ends, and they are replacing lighting poles with ones sensitive to the sea turtle nesting on the Broadwalk.

“The first phase is being completed between Cleveland and Grant Streets,” Camejo said. “The next phase is undergrounding of utilities and streetscape beautification from Minnesota to Tyler Streets between A1A to the Broadwalk.”

Another purpose of the CRA is to get rid of slum and blight, Camejo said. Although Mayor Peter Bober was hesitant to speak in detail regarding the Mirador Motel Property adjacent to the Summit Condominium because the City is currently in litigation with the owner of the property, he didn’t appear to admire the motel building. 

A quick rundown of the Mirador Motel Property: The original zoning code stated the developer could build up to 150 feet high. However, in 2004, the Commissioners voted to change the property zoning specifying that a building could not be built higher than 65 feet. As a result, the owner of the property became frustrated, felt misled and sued the City.

 “We are currently working on a plan that will call for the demolition of the building,” Mayor Bober said. “Our City Attorney is working on an agreement with the owner, and we are in the process of how to resolve this litigation as soon as possible that is fair and reasonable and get the best deal we can. I feel we have a terrible case. We took someone’s value and diminished it.”

The public forum reaffirmed the commitment from Mayor Peter Bober, Hollywood Commissioners and Camejo that the aesthetic appeal of Hollywood Beach is an enormous resource for residents, tourism and business.

Do you have questions about the future development of Hollywood’s Downtown and Beach? E-mail them to brett@hollywoodgazette.com and your answers may appear in next month’s issue.

Beachcombers strolling past Magnolia Terrace on Hollywood Beach will encounter more than the crisp, blue ocean and rainbow-colored beach umbrellas. They will also see rows of people situated on mats or towels undulating in unison under the gentle guidance of yoga instructor Tiffany Weber while Eastern music and burning incense fill the air.

They are participants in Hollywood Beach Yoga, the latest activity on the Beach that is quickly gaining popularity among an eclectic and loyal following. They come together on the Beach for an hour of inspiration and exercise and to share a sense of community all for no cost. Participants can make a donation if they wish. 

A recent graduate of the Aananda Yoga Teacher Training located in Ft. Lauderdale, Weber was inspired to establish the Hollywood Beach Yoga movement in response to her perceived need for a place where people from all walks of life can benefit from the healing powers of yoga. She envisioned an opportunity where participation is not limited to an individual’s financial disposition. Her desire was to establish a yoga practice where no one is turned away because of his or her inability to pay. Everyone is welcome at Hollywood Beach Yoga.

“Hatha yoga dates back to the 15th century in India,” Weber said. “It was developed to purify the body prior to entering a deep state of meditation. It is practiced to promote physical and mental health, and it induces a profound sense of well-being.”

Rita Regev, a Sunny Isles real estate executive, is an avid participant and big supporter of Hollywood Beach Yoga. She uses the yoga classes as a tool for managing stress and bringing balance to her life. 

“The morning sessions prepare me for my hectic days with increased energy and a sense of spiritual well-being,” she said.

Although information about the classes can be found on meetup.com, much of its explosive growth is attributed to word-of-mouth as new participants share their positive experiences with friends and co-workers. For example, Abelina Cardona heard about the spiritual get together through a co-worker. She likes to attend the evening sessions to unwind after her busy work day at a local branch of a major bank.

“Tiffany’s yoga sessions provide me with the perfect outlet to detoxify from work and escape from life’s distractions,” she said. “I feel cheated every time I miss a class.”

Classes meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. at 2501 S. Ocean Drive.

For more information, contact Tiffany Weber at 954-551-9265 or visit http://www.meetup.com/Hollywood-Beach-Yoga/events/17235366/#comments.

The Hollywood City Commission unanimously approved the Margaritaville Land Lease at the Jan. 19 City Commission meeting, bringing Hollywood one step closer to containing a $130 million tourist attraction complete with a 349-room hotel, public pools, restaurants and a new parking garage.

Funding for the project, as stated in the 99-year lease agreement, will come from a variety of sources, including the EB-5 Investor Visa Program, a federal program that offers green cards to foreign nationals and their immediate family members to invest in a project that creates a minimum of 10 American jobs. The EB-5 project will consist of $75 million of the project’s funding. Additional funding will come from $10 million in developer equity and a $10 million loan from the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency to be repaid in 10 years at 5 percent interest.

The 300-page lease also sets the foundation for the creation of a Community Development District, an independent board with the sole purpose of raising $30 million for the construction of the public portion of the 1056-space parking garage. Six-hundred spaces will be public.

Developer Lon Tabatchnick will pay the City $20,000 a month during construction, which is scheduled to begin March 1, 2012, according to the lease agreement, and the City will be paid $500,000 a year, with a 3 percent increase annually, once the hotel is operational.
Additionally, the lease states that any changes to the previously approved site plan will require approval from the City Commission through an amendment, giving the City a lot of control over the appearance and layout of the project, said City Attorney Jeffrey Sheffel, who presented the terms of the lease to the City Commissioners.

The Margaritaville Resort is scheduled to open in March 2014.

“I have never worked with a municipality in any state that put forth the effort of working through the evenings, through the weekends, and through vacations to get (a project) right,” Tabatchnick said. “The whole goal was to get it right. This document has to survive 99 years, and we all worked really hard.”

For more information about the terms of the lease, visit the City of Hollywood website at www.hollywoodfl.org.

Hollywood Beach resident Bob “Bikebob” Lieberman likes creating smiles — first as a toy company executive and most recently as the founder of Bikes 4 Kids, a volunteer organization that collects, fixes and redistributes used bicycles.

Lieberman, 58, served as the unofficial “Creator of Smiles” for Matchbox Toys before becoming a business life coach through his marketing company, It’s a Shore Thing, which assists professionals who want to grow their businesses. An avid bike rider and environmentalist, Lieberman launched Bike 4 Kids last September and has since delivered nearly 200 bicycles to wheel-less children and homeless adults.
Dozens of volunteers help out by putting up posters in storefront windows and handing out business cards. Collectively, they are known as Bikebob & Friends. It’s a simple premise: People call Lieberman to pick up their unwanted or unneeded bicycles, which ultimately get a “second life” with a new owner. Bikes needing repairs are delivered to the Bicycle Spot in Oakland Park, which does all the work for free.
But the vast majority of donated bikes are in good, even “pristine,” condition, according to Lieberman, who has collected bicycles valued as high as $400.

“They need a little air in the tires, need cleaning, a little TLC,” he said.

The idea for the donation program “grew out of a green interest,” said Lieberman, a member of Hollywood’s Green Team Advisory Committee for the past two years. Bikes 4 Kids’ first bicycle recipient was a 14-year-old local boy, the son of an unemployed single mother, who wanted to ride with Bikebob & Friends in the annual Candy Cane Parade on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in December but didn’t own a bike.

“I gave him my $1,000 mountain bike, I gave him a helmet and I gave him a lock,” said Lieberman. “That was bike one, by me.”

Since then, Bikes 4 Kids has distributed “second-life” bikes not only to children but also to some homeless adults through the Jubilee Center in Hollywood. Some recipients are referred through organizations that assist the needy, while others call Lieberman after seeing one of his posters.

On one particular occasion, Lieberman delivered bicycles to four siblings.

“The looks on their faces — it was like we gave them cars,” he said. “I felt like Oprah.”

Bikes 4 Kids is for all kids — not just the disadvantaged.

“If a child asks for a bike, I don’t care who they are, they get one,” Lieberman said. “So it’s not just based on need; it’s based on want.”

To raise awareness for Bikes 4 Kids and celebrate Hollywood’s eco-friendly attitude, Lieberman has organized Hollywood Bike Day from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. The fourth annual informal gathering of bicycle enthusiasts will feature a bike parade along the Broadwalk, beginning at the south end near the Summit Towers Condos and ending at North Beach Park at Sheridan Street. Anyone is welcome to join the leisurely paced procession at any point along the route. Riders should wear a helmet and bring drinking water, sunscreen and “a smile or two,” Lieberman said. The slogan for the day, “Forever Young,” not only refers to the youthful exuberance experienced by bike riders of all ages but also recognizes Hollywood and founder Joseph Young, who purchased the first parcel of land that would evolve into the present-day city back in February 1921.

Not coincidently, February is also Heart Healthy Month. In addition to the “empowerment to be free” that Bikes 4 Kids gives children in the community, Lieberman said he volunteers his time to the project because he knows firsthand the healthy benefits of regular bike riding.

“I was very ill. The bicycle helped me recoup in saving my life,” he recalled.

These days, “Bikebob” can be seen in his yellow Bikes 4 Kids T-shirt pedaling along the Broadwalk, where he logs 10 to 15 miles a day, and spreading the word about Bikes 4 Kids and Hollywood along the way.

“Some people call me the Mayor of Hollywood Beach,” Lieberman said.

And like a true ambassador, the Brooklyn-born “Creator of Smiles” is inspiring other people in cities across the country to start their own Bikes 4 Kids program. He also has plans to organize an annual Bike Day in area elementary, middle and high schools that would allow older students to swap bicycles they’ve outgrown for bigger rides and pass along their too-small wheels to the younger children.

“It’s really grassroots. It’s little by little,” Lieberman said.

For more information on the Hollywood Beach Bike Parade or to donate or receive a bicycle, call Lieberman at 954-593-8501 or e-mail him at shorething401@aol.com.