Hollywood is having its moment.
For decades, the South Florida real estate story was a tale of two cities: Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Today, a new center of gravity is emerging. The City of Hollywood is undergoing more than $2 billion in new investment, evolving from a beachfront suburb into a more urban, transit-oriented hub. Between creating options for attainable housing and luxury living, the City is also attracting business owners, investors and developers, all in service of creating a highly desirable community.
Pioneering public-private synergy
The catalyst for the City of Hollywood’s shift is a local government that operates more like a strategic partner than regulatory roadblock. The University Station development serves as a prime example of their desire to collaborate with developers.
The project includes 216 units of workforce and attainable housing options, 2,000 square feet of commercial retail space, a 635-space parking garage and 12,210 square feet of educational space for Barry University’s College of Nursing and Health Services. Completed in 2025, the development was made possible through a combination of state funding, federal tax credits and city-backed financing.
“University Station represents the City’s commitment to making sure we have a really attractive cross-section of housing supporting this urban, pedestrian-friendly downtown,” says Raelin Storey, City Manager for the City of Hollywood. “It is an example of the City’s willingness to work hand-in-hand with developers to bring forward the best products we can create.”
The City employs a dedicated building official whose sole focus is ensuring that development projects move smoothly and meet timelines. Herb Conde-Parlato, Economic Development Manager at the City of Hollywood, calls it a “concierge service.”
“Our partnership with developers starts before the permitting process even begins,” he says. “We work with them on their ideas and walk them through the process, from permit to construction to getting their TCO. It’s an all-hands approach to make sure they succeed here.”
The City of Hollywood also partnered with another developer on a pair of luxury high-rises, The Holly and The North Village, proving their commitment to providing mixed-income housing.
Leveraging a built-in customer base
The City of Hollywood’s strategy relies heavily on the economic engine of workforce housing. By prioritizing attainable units, the city is ensuring its retailers have both a consistent labor force and a resident base with discretionary income.
Projects like The Tropic, a joint venture between the City and private developers, offer a mix of workforce and market-rate units. By offsetting housing costs for the “missing middle,” the city ensures that residents have more to spend at the boutiques, restaurants and galleries lining Hollywood Boulevard.
“When you make living affordable, people have a lot more income to spend doing all of the fun things they want to do, like shopping, dining, or seeing a concert,” Storey notes. “It supports the success of our downtown shops and events.”
For national retailers and experiential brands, The City of Hollywood has major appeal. As luxury projects like the Gaia Residences bring thousands of high-earning residents to the core, the City is focused on activating retail spaces. Boutique wellness, food and beverage, and service-based offerings remain top priority.
“We’ve added more than 100,000 square feet of new retail space downtown over the past five years,” Conde-Parlato says. “Part of our job is making connections and helping property owners fill those spaces.”
Trading traffic for transit
The City’s momentum is also being fueled by a radical shift in how Hollywood moves.
The integration of the future Broward Commuter Rail (BCR) along the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) corridor is taking the city from an auto-centric suburb to a transit-oriented hub. The railway will connect Hollywood to the rest of South Florida, from Miami to Aventura and up through Fort Lauderdale.
“It shifts the narrative from ‘drive everywhere’ to ‘you have options,’” says Conde-Parlato. “It becomes attractive to young professionals, to companies that value transit access and to investors thinking long-term.”
Historic soul meets modern scale
Despite the influx of new builds, Hollywood remains steeped in history. The downtown layout remains identical to its original 1925 design, featuring a true block layout and a classic Main Street feel that the city protects through historic designations.
A key focus for the City of Hollywood is its growing public art program, which enhances the vibrancy of the area with a series of high-quality artistic murals. Along with the iconic ArtsPark at Young Circle, which features a glass blowing studio and amphitheater for concerts, the public art program ensures that the city retains its soul even as it scales.
“There’s never been a time in the city’s history where there’s as much renewal and reinvestment occurring as right now,” Storey says.
With $2 billion in private investment and a public infrastructure overhaul, the message to the real estate community is clear: Hollywood is the new hot spot.
“In downtown Hollywood, the best of South Florida is at your fingertips,” says Storey. “With the beach a mile away and effortless transit to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, it’s a rare urban escape where everything you want is within reach.”
To learn more about the City of Hollywood’s development activity, visit their website.