City has $189M wish list

Voters will decide if Hollywood should borrow the money

HOLLYWOOD – It’s a wish list that will cost $189 million, but Hollywood voters will have the final say on whether City Hall can borrow the money.

Hollywood plans to hold a special election in March 2019 — at a cost of $240,000 — to ask residents to back a borrowing plan that would take 25 years to pay back.

The wish list includes: A four-story police headquarters, which would cost an estimated $63 million.

Renovating two city-owned golf courses, Orangebrook and the Hollywood Beach Golf Course, at cost of $38 million.

Building public sea walls along the Intracoastal for $12.5 million.

Millions also would go toward resurfacing roads, building sidewalks and burying power lines.

For a home with a taxable value of $200,000, the increase in property taxes would be about $144 a year for 25 years, city officials say.

“The city has had decades of deferred improvements and a [general obligation] bond is one way of financing those improvements,” Mayor Josh Levy said. “The idea is to put a menu of important opportunities before the voters.”

Hollywood isn’t the only Broward city pursuing a new station. Fort Lauderdale may also seek approval from voters in March to borrow millions of dollars, including to pay for a new police headquarters.

Hollywood commissioners are expected to vote in December on whether to hold a special election in March. The general obligation bond would be the only question on the ballot.

Projects would be grouped into four categories, with the police station in one category and parks and golf course upgrades in another, Levy said. Neighborhoods and streets would be another and sea walls could be a fourth.

On Nov. 6, Broward voters will decide whether to approve a penny sales tax to pay for countywide transportation improvements. If it passes, $52.8 million in projects would come off Hollywood’s wish list.

Hollywood’s police station was built in the 1970s at 3250 Hollywood Blvd. when the agency was much smaller, city spokeswoman Raelin Storey said.

The new station would be up to 120,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the current station, Storey said.

A parking garage with up to 450 spaces would be built nearby, on city-owned land south of the current location.

“We would shift [the station] south to a parking lot and driving range on Orangebrook,” Storey said. “Because of the age of the

building, we’re seeing problems with the plumbing, air conditioning and electrical system. We’ve done several repairs to the roof. We’ve

had mold issues. And the elevators break down.”

If voters approve the borrowing plan, the current police station could be torn down to pave the way for a commercial office tower and shops, Storey said.

City leaders envision transforming Orangebrook into an 18-hole championship course and an 18-hole par-three course. The cost to taxpayers: $25 million. The 18-hole Hollywood Beach Golf Course would also get $13 million in upgrades.

A 23-acre nature preserve with walking paths and bike trails would be part of the Orangebrook makeover. City officials have also talked about having a hotel built near the golf course clubhouse.

Hollywood commissioned a study from the National Golf Foundation that claims the money would be a good investment despite a steady decline in players.

“They did feel the investment would be enough to [make] the course profitable,” Storey said. “We could be well-positioned to be a competitive course as the market shrinks.”

SUSAN STOCKER/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Hollywood has outgrown its police station and needs a new one, city leaders say. The new one would cost $63 million.