Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
JENNIFER FARRELLClearwater City Council members say they will approve ordinance changes later that would allow for the construction.
CLEARWATER - Developers proposing a luxury, waterfront resort to replace the Clearwater Beach Hotel got a go-ahead Thursday from the City Council, which tentatively agreed to change land use restrictions and expand a beach redevelopment zone.
Developers Mike Cheezem of St. Petersburg and David Mack of Connecticut don't expect to file plans with the city for several months. But before they can get approval for the luxury $140-million complex, the city must complete the land use and redevelopment zone changes, which also must be signed off on by the state Department of Community Affairs. A final vote by the city is expected in August.
Three years ago, city officials set up a density "pool" to allow hotel developers to add more rooms to their projects. Aimed at stimulating a stagnant redevelopment market, rights to hundreds of resort hotel units were made available as a carrot to lure developers.
So far, two other luxury resorts proposed south of the roundabout have asked for rooms from the pool, but none have broken ground.
Like those proposals, Mack and Cheezem's project needs units from the density pool.
To accommodate the developers, the City Council agreed to change the boundaries of its Beach By Design plan, the blueprint for beach redevelopment. The council extended the boundaries several hundred feet to the north to encompass the resort site. The landmark Clearwater Beach Hotel is on part of that land.
The council also agreed to extend the life of the density pool for five more years.
Last week, Cheezem and Mack unveiled conceptual drawings that call for 260 hotel rooms, a waterfront restaurant, gulfside spa and beach club. A massive beachfront pool is planned, along with a separate condominium high-rise and townhouses above retail stores.
The 40 suites on the top two floors of the resort would be hotel/condo rooms. Those rooms would be sold for about $500,000 apiece to an owner who would be allowed to use the room for up to 30 days a year. The rest of the year, the 800-square-foot rooms would serve as hotel rooms, with the owner and hotel splitting the room rent. The arrangement will help the developers finance what amounts to a fairly risky venture, Cheezem said.
Mack and Cheezem hope to get approval for the as-yet-unnamed project by January or February of next year. The project is expected to take 31/2 years to build.
- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com