The historic Belleair resort would become a residential community if the redevelopment plan is approved.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published November 19, 2004
BELLEAIR - The landmark Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa would be demolished if a major redevelopment proposal succeeds, a principal in the project said Thursday.
The hotel's 136-acre golf course and Sand Key beach club also could be leveled and transformed into residences, project developers said.
Two St. Petersburg firms announced Thursday they are partners in the redevelopment effort, along with Tampa's DeBartolo Development.
First Dartmouth Homes, which is building a $100-million residential community to replace St. Petersburg's Huber Marina, and Sun Vista Development Group, which plans to convert 164 Indian Shores apartments into condominium-resort units, will join DeBartolo on the Belleview project.
The developers started to reveal pieces of their grand vision Thursday, a day after they said they have a contract to purchase the 107-year-old resort.
"We're not keeping it in its current state," said Frank S. Maggio, CEO of First Dartmouth and a partner in the newly formed Belleair Redevelopment Group. "But we will salvage parts of the Biltmore."
At about 160 acres, the proposed redevelopment could include potentially hundreds of townhomes or condominiums if Belleair and Pinellas County approve land use changes.
Developers also said Thursday there could be a small retail component on a portion of the resort's holdings.
Maggio said plans do not include the 820,000 square-foot hotel, which was built by railroad magnate Henry B. Plant and opened in 1897.
Developers, however, will try to rescue the hotel's most memorable features and sprinkle them throughout the community, Maggio said. The group has hired an expert who worked on restoration projects at Ellis Island and the U.S. Supreme Court, Maggio said, to lead the effort.
"We think we have a solution that keeps everybody happy," said Maggio, who was in California on Thursday. "I'm confident our team and our vision is the best one for those properties."
The beach club already has been a reclamation project for the current resort owners.
In 2000, Atlanta hotelier Salim Jetha proposed to raze the club for a 13-story condominium, a plan that was rejected by Clearwater city council members.
From there, the one-acre tract on Gulf Boulevard fell into disrepair, and the on-site Cabana Club restaurant was nearly torn down two years ago because it was in such bad shape.
Wiring hung from the building, siding was falling off and concrete slabs holding up a stairway were deteriorating.
On top of that, neighbors complained vagrants were living there, as well as rats and raccoons.
Resort owners delivered significant improvements to the beach club, but Maggio said it would be included in redevelopment talks.
The Belleview Biltmore Golf Club on Indian Rocks Road, which is designed by noted golf architect Donald Ross, also is included in the plans, developers said. The Belleair Country Club, which is adjacent to the hotel, is not owned by the resort and not part of the sale.
Pinellas County Planning Director Brian Smith said the properties need land use changes to accept any significant redevelopment. Both Belleair commissioners and the Pinellas County Commission, acting as the Countywide Planning Authority, would have to approve the proposal. The Pinellas Planning Council would also weigh in, Smith said.
Belleair town manager Steve Cottrell said the process could take two years.
"They'll really have to show what the benefit is," Smith said. "It's not just what would be good for them. It would also have to have a benefit to everyone else in the community."
The 19th century Belleview, known for its distinct roof and ornate interiors, has pampered pop icons and presidents. The Duke of Windsor wintered there. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and baseball great Babe Ruth have also been on the guest list.
In 1979, the 244-room resort was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The listing will not save the building, said to be the nation's largest occupied wooden structure, said Paul Lusignan, a historian at the National Register.
"A private developer is free to do what they please," he said.
Belleair local ordinances do prevent developers from removing the trees that line Belleview Boulevard from Druid Road east to Ft. Harrison Avenue.
Current resort owners, a Pennsylvania real estate investment group headed by Scott Urdang, declined to comment on the project, saying they do not comment on their assets.
Ed Kobel, president of DeBartolo Development, wouldn't discuss the Belleview project Thursday, a day after he confirmed his company has the resort under contract. John Loder, the president of Sun Vista, did not return calls.
But Ron Carpenter, a consultant and broker on the project, said citizen input will be valued as plans develop.
"We want the community to share in the vision in the dream and embrace it," said Carpenter, president of Tampa's Vinchenza Group. "We understand that the Biltmore has a legacy and an ambiance that comes with it. With the development we have in mind, we hope to leave that same kind of legacy for the future members of the community."
Maggio said 11 buyers are lined up to buy the resort if his group's bid falls through. Among them is "a certain religious organization that might need dormitory space."
Ben Shaw, a spokesman for the Church of Scientology, said the church is not interested in the Belleview.
"We have enough on our plate right now," Shaw said.
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-Staff writer Steve Huettel contributed to this report. Aaron Sharockman can be reached at asharockman@sptimes.com or 727445-4160.
