Housing project aims for ‘something new’
CRA’s Hallandale City Center proposal to address long-neglected area of town
A $16.7 million project is proposed for Hallandale Beach’s “most blighted area,” according to the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
Known as the Hallandale City Center, the 4-acre, mixed-use project would feature 89 rental apartments and 8,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, including a small grocery store. A pedestrian bridge would be built over the FEC railroad tracks to create a “pedestrian-friendly city,” said Greg Chavarria, assistant city manager.
The 89 apartments would be two-bedroom, two-bathroom units; most would have the rent set at $1,375, according to Glendon Hall, the CRA’s economic development manager. Fourteen apartments would be set aside for affordable housing, with rents at about $1,100, Hall said.
The site is at the northwestern corner of Foster Road and West Dixie Highway. Foster Road is the main thoroughfare that cuts through the northwest.
The CRA had asked developers for proposals for the area, and the Hallandale City Center won the bid earlier this year.
“It brings something new. It brings progress. It brings new commercial, residential options for the community,” Chavarria said.
The developer, Claudia Penas, is preparing the application for rezoning and site plan approval, according to the city.
“Hallandale City Center LLC aims to bring to the city of Hallandale Beach a leading worldwide approach to affordable housing production commonly known as the ‘Vienna Model,’ she said. “Unlike traditional affordable housing development models, where construction costs are the main priority, the Vienna Model has four equally essential pillars: Architectural Quality, Environmental Considerations, Social Sustainability and Economic Costs.
“This has resulted in beautiful, yet affordable housing projects that are assets to the public realm.”
Construction could begin as early as the first quarter of 2019, according to city records. The only tenant on the site, Signature Auto Body, moved out in July, according to Hall.
Once a vibrant artery in the heart of the black community, the Foster Road strip — now dotted with empty lots — has been awaiting revitalization for decades. It’s also been a tinderbox of debate: In 2000, then Mayor Arnold Lanner said spending city money on the northwest community is like “pouring money down a rat hole.”
The median annual income for the majority of the residents of northwest Hallandale Beach range between $27,542 and $30,720, Hall said.
“It brings something new. It brings progress. It brings new commercial, residential options for the community.”
Greg Chavarria, Hallandale assistant city manager
Since 2012, the Hallandale Beach CRA has spent $6 million in acquiring the land — made up of 13 parcels — that make up what’s called the Foster-Dixie Site.
Previous efforts for that spot have failed. In 2014, a commercial and residential project — 50 apartments and 12 townhomes — was scrapped after the developer couldn’t get financing, among other issues.