Rental project heads to Hallandale Beach commission

The Hallandale Beach Planning and Zoning Board approved plans for a 45-unit rental development overlooking Bluesten Park, sending them to the city commission for final approval.

Bluesten Developers LLC, a group led by Elias Benaim, is proposing the Village of Bluesten Park, a 45-unit development at 215 Southeast Fifth Street. Benaim said he expects to break ground in the second quarter of this year.

The development would be built on 1.25 acres now occupied by the Gulfstream Trailer Park. Residents of about 22 trailers are in the process of vacating the site. Property records show Bluesten Developers paid nearly $1.9 million for the land in 2016. It owns 17 trailers in the park.

A number of trailer parks in South Florida have been gobbled up by developers as the region becomes more urban.

Before the city commission can approve the plan, the city will have to verify that residents of the five remaining trailers can be relocated, according to Keven Klopp, director, department for development services.

The planning and zoning board approved the project despite it failing to meet all the minimum requirements, including minimum unit size and the number of parking spaces. One-bedroom apartments start at 609 square feet, smaller than the 700-square-foot minimum, and the developer is proposing 81 parking spaces, 10 fewer than the 91 that are required. The development will start out as rentals and may be converted to condos later.

Benaim is working on four projects in Hallandale, including Atlantic Village I, a 32,000-square-foot office and retail development at 801 South Federal Highway that he is wrapping up. He will be break ground on Atlantic Village II shortly.