As the City of Hollywood, FL, prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2025, officials are laying the groundwork for another century of success. Alongside a calendar of historically-themed events marking the occasion, the city is overseeing updates to its legendary golf courses, a holistic review of urban development strategy, and a revitalization of transportation infrastructure both locally and regionally. The Real Deal sat down with Assistant City Manager Raelin Storey to learn about plans for marking the anniversary and how the city is capitalizing on both recent trends and the city’s heritage to make the most of the next hundred years.
Honoring Hollywood’s Past
City of Hollywood founder Joseph Young arrived in South Florida in 1920 with a vision for a master planned community that would “be a city for everyone.” By the time the City of Hollywood was incorporated five years later, Young’s dream of a master planned community based around one central boulevard had been realized, along with a series of parks and other public works that residents still enjoy to this day.
Today, Storey and the City of Hollywood are looking to the past as inspiration, both for the Centennial celebrations and the next phase of urban planning and development. “We have a Centennial Committee working on a full calendar of events,” Storey told us. “We’ll have special editions of annual events like our concert series, as well as retro events like a sock hop at our new indoor sports facility.” Throughout 2025, the city will host a series of these decade-themed events at historic buildings around town, where citizens can expect a chance to recapture the glamor of the Roaring ‘20s and the freewheeling spirit of the ‘60s.
Often hailed as a golfing mecca, the City of Hollywood is considering a Golf Classic to honor the sport’s early days in the Sunshine State and celebrate the range of world-class golfing being developed in the city.
“We’re redoing our Hollywood Beach Golf Course, which was the first course in Hollywood,” says Storey, “and the city owns another 36 hole course that’s being redeveloped with a Rees Jones design.” Counting the facilities at Emerald Hills and the forthcoming Shell Bay, “within five years Hollywood will have courses from Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and Rees Jones.”
Thoughtful Redevelopment
Last time we spoke with Storey, she highlighted redevelopment efforts in the City of Hollywood’s downtown. Since then, the city has widened its scope and begun a series of corridor assessments to give the rest of its acreage the same level of attention that the downtown has received. “Each corridor has its own unique identity and feel,” explains Storey. “We want to embrace the positives while getting people to reinvest in real estate that might be outdated or outmoded.”
Most of these corridors are already anchored by thriving businesses, like the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood at one corridor’s northern end, and the auto dealerships that define another. Some of these assessments have already identified areas where older office buildings are having a harder time keeping tenants and places in need of additional housing, while others have highlighted development success stories.
“We’re looking at each neighborhood and asking, ‘What kind of businesses would fit here, and what can we do as a city to encourage appropriate redevelopment through our land use and zoning?’” says Storey.
Building Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Today
The City of Hollywood is also working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to make infrastructure improvements around the city. One major project that was recently completed is the 441 Linear Park, located along US 441 in Hollywood.
“FDOT was looking at that five mile section of road and realized it was going to require a fairly significant dry retention area along one side,” recalls Storey. “Now that doesn’t sound very exciting, so we had to think about how to make lemonade out of lemons.” The state needed to acquire the land alongside the highway to add roadway and drainage area, and the City’s Public Works and Engineering Department had the idea of incorporating a greenway into the space.
“We turned it into an amenity,” explains Storey. “Now we have better lighting and nice landscaping, we put a little pocket park at one end, and there’s even a playground.” The city was able to enlist a development partner, Pinnacle Housing, to add three art pieces to the linear park, while Memorial Health System, another city partner, is looking to create exercise stations along its length. “It helps create a sense of community,” says Storey. “It tells residents that the corridor isn’t only for cars.”
Another major improvement coming down the line is the train station planned for the city’s burgeoning downtown. “Back in the 1920s, Hollywood had a station in its downtown,” says Storey. “The new station will be located less than 100 feet from the original location.”
The goal is to have the station built within the next three years, connecting downtown Hollywood all the way up into Palm Beach County and down into Miami Dade. “It will be really significant for our downtown and for the overall connectivity of South Florida,” explains Storey. “Being able to get off a train in downtown Hollywood and be on the beach in five minutes, it’s going to be ideal.”
For additional information on economic development opportunities in the City of Hollywood, check out the city’s economic development website or contact the economic development team at 954-921-3620.