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Condo-hotel proposed for Quality site

The 100-foot-tall building on Gulfview Boulevard would block views, other condo owners say.

By MEGAN SCOTT
Published March 22, 2005

CLEARWATER BEACH - A local developer will seek approval from the Community Development Board to replace an aging Quality hotel with a $50-million upscale condo-hotel.

Steve Page, president of Clearwater Grande Development, plans to present his plans to the board today for a 91-unit condo-hotel with individually owned suites.

The proposed hotel on 1.4 acres would be nearly 100 feet tall and consist of nine floors over two levels of parking.

It would replace the 50-foot-tall Quality hotel at 655 S Gulfview Boulevard, which Page purchased in September.

"The existing Quality inn is old and outdated," said Housh Ghovaee, CEO of Northside Engineering, which is handling the site plan. "It doesn't function. It doesn't have enough parking. The existing hotel doesn't even meet FEMA requirements."

The condo-hotel would more than likely be a Hilton Homewood Suites, said Page, the developer for the Westview Grande Condo on Indian Shores.

He said he originally wanted to build condos but was told the city was losing hotel rooms.

In a condo-hotel, buyers own the room, but have access to it for only about a month each year. The rest of the time the rooms are rented out, with the buyer collecting some of the revenue.

Clearwater Grande would consist of 1,100-square-foot, two-bedroom suites. There would also be two 2,200-square-feet, three-bedroom penthouses. Prices for the units range from the $600,000s to $1.6-million.

All but 18 of the rooms have been reserved but are not under contract, said Julie Christensen with Beach and Bay Realty.

Page needs permission from the CDB to build 91 units; current code allows only 57. However, he is allowed to seek the same number of units that currently exist; the Quality hotel has 91 units.

He also needs CDB approval for any building height above 35 feet.

But while the condo-hotel has won the nod from city staff, some nearby residents are vehemently opposed.

In a letter to the city, the owners at Continental Towers condos on S Gulfview Boulevard wrote that the building was "massive" and would obstruct their view as well as devalue their property.

The owners also wrote that the change from hotel rooms to hotel condos would allow increased occupancy per unit.

The 88 owners in the Continental Towers have been encouraged to file suit if necessary, according to another letter to the city from Vincent Parr, a board member of Continental Towers.

A call to the Continental Towers board was not returned.

Ed Armstrong, the Clearwater attorney representing the developer, said the condo owners have no right to a view across from someone else's land.

Ghovaee said he has been working with the neighbors, and has increased the setback from the waterfront.

"That's what the city wanted and that's what we gave them because ultimately we realized we have to work with the neighbors," Ghovaee said.

Room rates at the Clearwater Grande are expected to run between $250 and $300 per night compared to $110 to $160 for the Quality hotel, Page said. He also plans to build a luxury pool and replace the IHOP restaurant with a bigger one.

"It's a real party atmosphere out there on that strip," he said. "We're not going to tolerate some of that stuff that goes on out there. (The new project is) more homey. It caters to family with children. It's just going to fill a great niche in Clearwater."

Clearwater Grande is the latest in a series of upscale hotels planned for Clearwater Beach.

The Clearwater Beach Hotel is being demolished for a new $140-million luxury Sandpearl Resort. Developer Neil Rauenhorst is building the Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa.

Plans have been approved to turn a former Days Inn and smaller motels into a 350-hotel room resort. And a resort and condo project known as the Entrada will replace the Ramada Inn Gulfview on south Clearwater Beach.

Construction on Clearwater Grande should begin before the end of the year and take about 18 months.

"This is going to help maintain the tourism flow we so desperately need," said Ghovaee, who is also working on the Hyatt. "It is good that when we eliminate some of the existing hotels we can replace them with some quality hotel rooms."

[Last modified March 22, 2005, 01:21:16]