The future of the Deauville Beach Resort will now lie in the hands of voters after the Miami Beach Commission voted to put the measure on the November ballot.
Voters will decide whether or not they support larger development, a major increase in floor area ratio, at the current resort site.
"I would hope people would see the light of day and see how good the impact could be for everybody,” said developer Stephen Ross.
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Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross purchased the site and is proposing a two-tower development featuring a six-star hotel and luxury residences.
The project will be designed by architect Frank Gehry.
"I'm really excited because I think we're really creating some new and very special history in our city. We look forward to this Deauville site becoming one of the great buildings of the world,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
The decaying Deauville is set to be demolished after it was declared an unsafe structure. The hotel owners were sued by the city for not making the necessary repairs.
"The reality is if we don't turn a really bad situation into what I think is an amazing situation we will be looking at potentially a desolate lot for sure and potentially for years, potentially for decades,” said Commissioner Ricky Arriola.
Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez voted against putting this larger development item on the ballot.
"Today by putting this on the ballot we are basically saying our laws don’t matter. Don’t respect us. Our laws don't matter and preservation doesn't matter,” said Rosen Gonzalez.
