The project's developer says he doesn't understand the opposition since he has done all the city asked of him.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 17, 2004
CLEARWATER BEACH - City staffers oppose the design of a mammoth 350-room resort that would replace several waterfront hotels, saying the new structure would be bulky and cumbersome.
Tony Markopoulos' Clearwater Beach Resort would be next door to a proposed Hyatt hotel, which is still being evaluated by city planners but has so far been met with optimism from City Hall.
Markopoulos' project has not received similar praise.
South of the roundabout, the resort would rise 150 feet and include a pedestrian overpass to the beach, a fifth floor pool and about 37,000 square feet of meeting and retail space.
The $100-million plan would help remake the entire area, project developers say.
"It's like a gift to the city," architect Gerald Koi said. "This is trying to keep the beach experience alive."
But city officials say the project is too massive and would block scenic views of the water. Moreover, it doesn't meet stringent beach redevelopment guidelines.
"They're trying to put too much in there," planning director Cyndi Tarapani said.
Built on the sites of several aging hotels, including Markopoulos' Days Inn, the 2.7-acre resort would stretch 429 feet along Coronado Drive and Gulfview Boulevard, according to the city, and its outer edge would be bowl-shaped.
Unlike the planned Hyatt next door, which will have two towers, the Clearwater Beach Resort would be one solid mass the entire length of the property and stand 150 feet. According to the city's beach redevelopment code, 60 percent of the space above 100 feet must be open.
Because the Hyatt came first, it did not have to meet the same test, Tarapani said.
"The first guy in the door has certain requirements," Tarapani said. "The second guy in the door has a different set of requirements."
Developers say they meet the criteria based on volume calculations, but Tarapani said the rules apply to flat elevations, not three-dimensional areas.
"We do want a resort and we recognize it's a great site," she said, but the city can't ignore its guidelines just to get the resort.
Markopoulos has pushed redevelopment plans for more than four years. In that same time, the city has sought to transform the beach into a more upscale tourist destination. It has already approved a 250-room resort next to Markopoulos' site. The developer on that project, Brian Taub, said construction on the Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa could begin next spring and be completed in early 2007.
The city also finished major road improvements to Mandalay Avenue on the north side of the beach and is prepared to undertake BeachWalk, a $15-million overhaul along Gulfview.
Still, Markopoulos' project has stalled. A seven-member city development board takes up the issue today, but regardless of the outcome, hurdles remain.
If the board acts against the staff's recommendation and accepts the site plan and complimentary development agreement, the City Council would have to approve the development agreement.
If the board sides with the staff, Markopoulos can appeal to an arbitrator.
"We all have agreed his property plays a key role in the redevelopment of Clearwater Beach," City Manager Bill Horne said. "But his property is not the center of the universe."
Markopoulos said his group worked with the city staff since February on the site plan. It wasn't until last month, however, that Markopoulos learned city staffers would oppose the development.
He wonders what changed.
"We have done nothing but what they asked us to do," Markopoulos said.
