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Hotel foes push for rule to limit building heights
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- Opponents of a proposed hotel at the former Port Paradise took their case to the City Council on Monday, urging officials to pass an ordinance limiting building heights. "Five stories in this small town is not being a good neighbor," said Leonard Berg, president of the Kings Bay Neighborhood Association, referring to architectural plans for a 100-room hotel that were submitted to the city last month. The owners of the renamed Port Hotel & Marina have not yet applied for a building permit but are expected to do so soon. Their proposal came just as the city began discussions on a building height ordinance. Under a consultant's plan, development within 150 feet of shorelines would be limited to 35 feet, or two stories above flood elevation. The maximum height allowed under the proposal would be 75 feet, or five stories, but development adjacent to residential zones or shorelines would not qualify. Exactly how that would affect the Port plan is unclear since the developers have not yet applied for the building permit. Also, the City Council may be weeks away from adopting a height ordinance. A workshop has been scheduled for 10 a.m. July 2. Still, the drawings indicate the hotel could be five stories, and that bothers some residents. Claire Titus predicted that if the hotel were approved, it would create a precedent and other developers would come forward with similar large-scale waterfront projects. "If we don't watch what we're doing, we're going to take away what we have," said George Renshaw, echoing her sentiments. He said there has been rumblings about condominiums on the Three Sisters property on SE Kings Bay Drive, adding, "How high do we want to be?" Jack Titus brought up the controversy in Homosassa over the Halls River Retreat, a 54-unit condominium project that was approved earlier this year by the County Commission. "Money doesn't talk, it screams," he said. In other City Council action: LAWSUIT SETTLED: The council agreed to spend an additional $2,500 to settle a lawsuit involving council member Bonnie Taylor. When Taylor and her husband built their home on SE First Court, it created a drainage problem and their neighbors, Jack and Ann Treanor, sued them and the city, saying the home should not have been permitted at its size. The litigation has dragged on for more than a year but Monday night seemed to bring an end. The city had already pledged $2,500 and will now pay the Treanors $5,000. Taylor will pay $5,000 as well, and the contractor will contribute $2,500 toward the settlement. The Treanors will use the money to build a concrete wall to prevent stormwater runoff from flooding their property. POLICE BUDGET INCREASED: The council approved taking $49,000 from a reserve fund to cover a shortfall in the Police Department budget. The additional money was needed because Finance Director Donna Kilbury did not take into account the 15 minutes of paid "preshift" time officers work each day. In her old job, she said, the money was paid as overtime but in Crystal River, it is built into the budget. The budget amendment was also necessary because a temporary employee was hired to cover officers called into military duty in the aftermath of the Sept. 11. terrorist attacks.
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