ULI’s Southeast Florida/Caribbean chapter and its Young Leaders of Broward County hosted the mayors of Hollywood and Dania Beach and the developers of transformative projects in both cities on March 2 for a lively panel discussion about the development activity occurring there.

A standing-room only crowd packed Becker & Poliakoff’s Fort Lauderdale office to hear insights from the panelists, which included moderator Eric Swanson, Principal of Treadwell Franklin Infrastructure Capital; Tamara James, Mayor of Dania Beach; Josh Levy, Mayor of Hollywood; Andrew Maxey, Land Project Manager of Pulte Homes; and Robert Shapiro, President of Master Development Partners. Young Leaders of Broward co-chair Jeremy Shir of Becker & Poliakoff kicked off the proceedings with opening comments about ULI and its South Florida initiatives and activities. Verity Mosquera of Colliers International serves as chapter co-chair with Shir.

James and Levy discussed the tremendous demand from real estate investors and developers who see Dania Beach and Hollywood as markets ripe for infill projects and redevelopment. Both cited access to world-class beaches and employment centers as major drivers.

Maxey detailed Pulte’s Parkview at Hillcrest development in Hollywood. Parkview’s plans for the former Hillcrest Golf Club site include 645 single-family homes and townhomes, a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse and 70-acre private park – among other amenities.

Shapiro described Dania Pointe, the 102-acre mixed-use development his company is developing in a joint venture with Kimco Realty, as an “entertainment evolution experience” with “immersive digital” components. The project will include nearly 1 million square feet of retail and restaurants, along with Class A offices, hotels, luxury apartments and public event space.

To see more photos from the event, visit our Facebook and Flickr pages.