Old incinerator site may be worth millions

HOLLYWOOD – It was once a dumping ground for toxic incinerator ash. And now it’s for sale.

For 56 years, Hollywood has been the owner of the sprawling 30.5-acre parcel that housed an incinerator from 1958 to 1973.

The long contaminated site — once known as the Hollywood Incinerator Ash Dump — could be transformed into a top-notch industrial zone or a bustling neighborhood with hundreds of apartments surrounded by shops and restaurants.

It all depends on who buys the land.

Commissioners are holding a special meeting at 2 p.m. today to rank three developers who want to build on the parcel.

“This is the start of who to go to the dance with,” Mayor Josh Levy said. “I hope we find a partner that will give us a great result on the property.”

Whoever develops the site will need to clean it up first, a job that could cost anywhere from $5 million to $10 million.

But that doesn’t mean the city is going to agree to a land giveaway, Levy says.

Levy argues the land is worth $13.3 million minus the cost of cleanup and he’s adamant that developers pay fair market price.

In December, four builders responded to requests from the city for ideas on what they would do with the property. Two proposed a mix of apartments and shops and two proposed an industrial complex.

But the offers were so low, commissioners asked them to come back in February with their best and final price. One of the commercial developers has since dropped out of the running.

Commissioner Peter Hernandez said Tuesday he believes the land is worth $15 million.

“That’s why I was adamantly against voting in December,” he said. “Those were not realistic offers. That’s valuable land.”

The parcel, declared a hazardous site by federal regulators in 1985, sits south of Hollywood Boulevard, west of Interstate 95 and extends south to the corner of Park Road and Pembroke Road.

Hollywood bought the land in 1963 and filled the rock quarry on site with trash and downed trees, then topped it with ash from the incinerator.

Hollywood officials have been talking about selling the property since 2008.

After years of delay, they’re getting closer, but not without a bit of drama.

In December, four commissioners — Dick Blattner, Traci Callari, Linda Sherwood and Caryl Shuham — made it clear they wanted to rank the developers that night instead of waiting until February.

Sherwood fumed at the prospect of a delay, saying she was worried the builders were going to change their minds about developing the long-vacant parcel.

“You’re making it so developers don’t want to come to Hollywood,” she said in an exasperated tone.

After hours of spirited debate, commissioners agreed to ask the

builders to come up with a better price for the city-owned land. Blattner cast the lone dissenting vote.

The delay worked. ImmoCorp Ventures increased its $1 million offer to $2.6 million. The company estimates cleanup will cost $10 million.

Bridge Development, the commercial builder, has increased its $3.5 million offer to $6 million.

Park Road Development LLC, ranked number one by city staff, initially wanted the land for free. The developers are now offering to pay either $1 million or $3 million, depending on whether Hollywood leases the public works compound currently on the site. They anticipate spending $5.35 million on cleanup.

Resident Tom Ungleich says he’d like to see the city go with the highest bid.

“I think they need to get as much cash out of it as they can,” he said. “They should not be offering a sweetheart deal. I just hope they do the right thing.”

Levy and other commissioners said they liked the idea of building more apartments and shops.

But Hernandez prefers creating an industrial zone.

“The gridlock we have now is terrible,” he said. “Imagine another 1,000 cars on those roads. And the tax base is greater and calls for service is less with industrial.”

The sale of the land will require a “yes” vote from at least five of the seven commissioners.