Planning board backs variance and design recommendation for 280‑unit Oakwood Plaza apartment building

The City of Hollywood Planning and Development Board voted to recommend city commission approval of a variance and the design and site plan for a proposed eight‑story, roughly 280‑unit apartment building at Oakwood Plaza, a largely vacant parcel at 2800 Oakwood Boulevard.

The variance request seeks to incorporate setback standards contemplated in the Oakwood Plaza design guidelines into the planned development (PD) zoning ordinance. Omar Javed, a city planner, told the board the variance would “bring the zoning into conformity with the previously approved design guidelines” and that staff finds the required variance criteria met. Javed said the design and site plan request covers an approximately 233,000 square‑foot, eight‑story building with a parking garage and resident amenities.

Why it matters: The change is framed by staff and the applicant as a housekeeping action to codify design guidance that was omitted from the PD regulations when the Oakwood Activity Center was…