FORT LAUDERDALE- Plans for the 320-room Gold Coast Merrimac Beach Hotel are being reviewed next week by the city. The project, which is the latest sign that the tide has turned on the strip here, would replace two battered hotels.
The two hotels, the Gold Coast and Merrimac, were thriving 15 years ago but have struggled since spring breaks demise. The owners of the hotel, the Motwani family, have held on to the land hoping it would become ripe for redevelopment.
It appears that day has arrived. Preliminary plans call for a 24-story tower to rise on the 1.8 acre site between Windamar and Terramar streets. The project would include a 5-story structure fronting State Road A1A with a main tower behind it.
The project was originally filed in June as a 500-room hotel, but has since been scaled back to 240 hotel rooms and 80 timeshare units. The builder will be Sarasota developer John McDonald, who is also one of the partners in the 234-room St. Regis Hotel and Residences about 10 blocks further south on the beach. McDonald has formed a joint venture with Rowena Motwani to develop the hotel, said attorney Ron Mastriani.
Talks are underway with two hotel chains, including Hilton Hotels Corp., to operate the hotel, he said. A major flag is expected to be chosen within the next 30 days, Mastriania said. Public scrutiny of the project begins on Sept. 26 when it is set to go before the citys development review committee. (9/20/00)
Source: Sun-Sentinel, FL