Title
A Resolution Of The City Commission Of The City Of Hollywood, Florida, Approving And Authorizing The Appropriate City Officials To Execute An Agreement With The Highest Ranked Firm, DIALOG Architecture And Engineering PC, To Develop Urban Design Guidelines For The City Of Hollywood, In The Amount Of $232,220.00.
Strategic Plan Focus
Financial Management & Administration
Body
Staff Recommends: Approval of the attached Resolution.
Explanation:
Last year, the City Commission directed staff to prepare new Urban Design Guidelines to ensure that residents, developers, and design professionals clearly understand the City’s design expectations and objectives.
In response to the Commission’s direction, staff initiated the preparation of updated Urban Design Guidelines to replace the existing Design Manual, which was last amended in 2001. The current manual no longer reflects contemporary planning principles or the level of development intensity and complexity taking place in the City today.
To advance this initiative, the City issued Request for Proposals (RFP No. RFP-257-25-SA) on March 4, 2025, seeking qualified firms to prepare a modern, highly visual set of Urban Design Guidelines. The goal is to produce a clear and accessible document that demonstrates how buildings, streets, parks, and public spaces should work together to create attractive, safe, and economically vibrant places for people.
The selected consultant will develop detailed guidance for both public and private spaces, including building design, landscaping, mobility, sustainability, and neighborhood character, and lead a comprehensive community engagement process to ensure the guidelines reflect local values and align with the emerging direction of the Hollywood 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
The resulting document will be a modern, graphically rich, and easy-to-use resource that communicates design expectations through maps, renderings, and examples. Once complete, the new Urban Design Guidelines will serve as a practical tool to guide future growth and redevelopment, promote design excellence, support a strong local economy, and reinforce Hollywood’s identity as a vibrant, resilient, and investment-ready city.
A total of seven firms responded to the solicitation. Proposals were evaluated based on qualifications, relevant experience, project team composition, leadership approach, work plan, fee proposal, and local preference. The evaluation process produced the following preliminary rankings:
1. DIALOG Architecture and Engineering PC- 78.53 points
2. Bermello Ajamil & Partners, LLC - 77.84 points
3. WSP USA Inc. - 76.55 points
4. Inspire Placemaking Collective - 73.14 points
5. Brooks + Scarpa - 67.37 points
6. PaleoWest, LLC - 61.4 points
The top three firms were invited to provide oral presentations on August 6, 2025. Following these presentations, the final rankings were as follows:
1. DIALOG Architecture and Engineering PC- 7 points
2. Bermello Ajamil & Partners, LLC - 8 points
3. WSP USA Inc. - 9 points
Based on these evaluations, the Selection Committee recommended contracting with DIALOG Architecture and Engineering PC for an initial two-year term, with options for two additional one-year renewals. The total contract amount is $232,220.00, and funding has been appropriated in Account No. 001.140401.51500.631170.000000.000.000.
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINE BACKGROUND
Urban Design Guidelines are a non-regulatory planning tool used to shape the look, feel, and function of the built environment. They provide clear direction on design quality, ensuring that new development contributes positively to the City’s image, identity, and livability. While the Comprehensive Plan establishes Hollywood’s long-term vision and the Zoning and Land Development Code provides the legal framework for what can be built, the Urban Design Guidelines bridge the two by illustrating how development should be designed to achieve that vision.
Unlike zoning regulations, which are enforceable by law, design guidelines are advisory. They do not prescribe specific outcomes but instead inform and inspire high-quality, context-sensitive design. The intent is to encourage development that is compatible with existing neighborhoods, supports sustainability and resilience goals, and reflects the community’s unique coastal and cultural character.
Beyond shaping physical form, design excellence also serves as a driver of economic development. A city that invests in quality design creates environments that attract private investment, retain residents/businesses, and enhance property values. Well-designed streets, buildings, and public spaces strengthen neighborhood identity, promote walkability, and make Hollywood a more attractive and competitive place to live, work, and invest. By elevating the City’s design standards, these guidelines will help ensure that redevelopment enhances, and does not replace the distinctive character of Hollywood’s neighborhoods.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
The adoption of new Urban Design Guidelines must comply with the provisions of Florida Senate Bill 180 (SB 180), which of the time of writing this report, restricts local governments from enacting policies or procedures that are more restrictive or burdensome than existing land development regulations during the specified moratorium period. To ensure consistency with this legislation, the City’s Urban Design Guidelines are explicitly non-regulatory and will function solely as an advisory tool to guide design quality and best practices.
The Guidelines will not amend zoning, alter development rights, or create new mandatory review requirements. Instead, they will provide design direction that complements existing regulatory frameworks without imposing additional costs, delays, or procedural burdens on property owners or developers. By maintaining a clear distinction between advisory guidance and regulatory enforcement, the City will remain in compliance with SB 180 while still promoting design excellence, compatibility, and economic vitality throughout Hollywood.
CONCLUSION
The new Urban Design Guidelines will serve as a foundational document for the City’s next generation of planning frameworks, establishing the basis for how Hollywood manages growth, guides redevelopment, and ensures high-quality urban design across all areas of the city. As development continues to evolve in scale and complexity, the Guidelines will provide the clarity and direction needed to respond effectively to market conditions while maintaining the City’s identity and sense of place.
Importantly, the Guidelines are envisioned as a living document. As future planning studies, corridor plans, and subarea plans are completed, new chapters will be added to this framework to address unique neighborhood conditions, character, and redevelopment objectives. This approach ensures the Guidelines remain current, adaptable, and reflective of Hollywood’s diverse built environments.
This initiative also underscores the broader challenge faced by the Planning Division as it works to modernize outdated planning documents and bring local policies into alignment with state legislation and contemporary development realities. Continued investment in planning is essential to avoid unintended consequences of growth, ensure that new development is compatible and context-sensitive, and maintain frameworks that are both market-responsive and strategically directive.
By advancing these Guidelines, the City is positioning itself to manage development proactively, balancing innovation with preservation, supporting economic development through design excellence, and ensuring that Hollywood continues to grow as a vibrant, resilient, and investment-ready community.
Fiscal Impact:
A portion of the funding for this service is available in the FY 2026 Operating Budget in account number 001.140401.51500.631170.000000.000.000 and will be budgeted in subsequent fiscal years’ operating budget subject to approval and adoption by the City Commission.
Recommended for inclusion on the agenda by:
Anand Balram, Assistant Director / Chief Planner
Andria Wingett, Director, Development Services
Raelin Storey, Assistant City Manager