PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — One of the largest development projects in recent city of Pembroke Pines history is one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Grand Palms Homeowners Association recently gave preliminary approval for a $1 billion dollar plus makeover of the golf course community which is located off Pines Boulevard just west of I-75.
During the HOA meeting, developer John Yanopolous told homeowners he wants to buy the sprawling property from the current owners and give it a mega-makeover.
Yanopoulous wants to tear down the existing hotel and replace it with it a four-star hotel with about 450 rooms that could fly under the SLS, Hilton or Hyatt brand.
Yanopoulous wants to build three 10-story condo buildings, with homes selling for at least $1 million dollars each.
In a post on the app Nextdoor, Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castillo responded to a question about the project with:
“The owner of the hotel and golf curse is free to sell his property to whoever he wishes. The property is zoned for use and legally empowered to build a new complex there. The Grand Palms HOA voted unanimously in favor, and I’m not sure that the city will have any role in the project other than to issue permits,” said Castillo.
Yanopoulous also plans to spend $25 million to transform the existing the 27-hole golf course into a world class facility.
There will be 16 villas, which would line the new and improved golf course.
“The city has not yet gotten the new owner’s application or his intended site plan, our Planning and Zoning Board, all of them city residents, will review that. But the prospect of having an upscale hotel amenity there, to replace the current one, the old Holiday Inn, which shows its age and goes back to well before most homes in West Pines were built, with new restaurants and a renovated golf course - all of that is super popular among Grand Palms residents and the boost in their property value is expected to be significant. They’ve waited years for this to happen and they’re very excited about it. Indeed, it’s been discussed for years. Preparing it for sale is the reason the current owner gave for zoning the property two decades ago. We’ve not seen an application yet so how many new residential units they may want to build is unclear. It must go through all the reviews required by law in order to get permits, including the concurrencies you mention. I wouldn’t guess at numbers until they present an application leading to permits,” said Castillo.
No current homes in Grand Palms would be affected, but infrastructure and traffic pattern changes will come with the development.
The well-known architecture firm Cube 3 created the designs for the project.
Local 10 News has been unable to reach Yanopoulos for comment about the project, but he is expected to submit the plans to the city of Pembroke Pines in the coming weeks.
Sources inside City Hall say the project is expected to receive widespread support.
If all goes as planned, the first shovel could go in the ground in early 2026.
The project is expected to take 5-7 years to complete.
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