North Miami Beach won a legal victory that paves the way for a controversial 10-story hotel to break ground near Greynolds Park, a 249-acre nature preserve.
According to the Miami Herald, a special three-judge Miami-Dade Circuit Court panel unanimously upheld North Miami Beach City Council’s 2012 decision to allow the hotel. The 260-room Hyatt would include space for offices, shops and a restaurant.
But the hotel can’t break ground yet. There is still pending litigation.
“The Circuit Court is the first stop for this type of appeal, so this is just the first decision,” Attorney Charles Baron said. Baron filed the lawsuit on behalf of himself and several other residents, challenging the city’s rezoning decision, according to the Herald.
“This litigation was filed in the fall of 2012, and it took roughly 19 months and that included roughly three months from the time we had the oral argument to the decision, so that says to me that it was not an easy decision for the court,” he said. [Miami Herald] – Christopher Cameron