Hallandale Beach planning board approves 8‑story Hallandale Central Park project, grants variances

The Hallandale Beach Planning and Zoning Board voted Dec. 9 to approve the Hallandale Central Park major development application and associated variances, allowing an eight‑story mixed‑use building with 90 residential units and roughly 812 square feet of commercial space at Southeast 5th Street.

Christie Dominguez, a planner with the city's planning and zoning division, told the board the project proposes 90 units made up of studios, one‑bedroom and two‑bedroom units, 136 parking spaces (120 are required), and 14 affordable units at 120% of area median income. The application seeks variances for multiple street and upper‑story setbacks, a reduced arcade/colonnade depth and the absence of the code‑required civic open space. Dominguez said staff found the major development application generally compliant subject to 14 conditions listed in the record.

Jose Vasaglia, the applicant’s representative, and Michael Miller of Michael Miller Planning and Associates answered board questions about accessibility, studio floor plans and traffic. Miller summarized traffic findings, saying peak‑hour impacts would be modest — roughly 35 trips during each peak hour — and noted the project grants a 15‑foot right‑of‑way dedication and provides parallel parking on the frontage to reduce backing movements.

Board members probed the small studio layouts and whether the proposed covered commercial area could serve any public functions. "You can buy your way out of the civic space," said Miss Caswell, who moved approval of the major development, expressing frustration that applicants frequently seek civic‑space variances. Board member Katan responded to concerns about open‑space tradeoffs by saying, "We're facing nationwide ... a crisis of housing," arguing that increased density can be necessary to make development and affordability feasible.

The board approved the major development application subject to staff conditions (voice vote recorded as three ayes, one nay) and then approved the requested variances in a separate motion (also recorded as three ayes, one nay). The record shows the developer requested 49 bonus units under Broward County policy to reach the proposed unit count; final bonus‑unit approval is reserved for the city commission, per staff comments.

The board’s action forwards the project to the city commission for any remaining approvals tied to county bonus units and final entitlements. Staff said the record includes 14 conditions of approval, which will govern permits and subsequent plan reviews.