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Apollo Beach

Neighbors accepting high-rise condo plan

By LETITIA STEIN
Published April 22, 2005

They may not like every detail, but neighbors appeared to ready to accept a compromise on a high-rise condo proposed for the hotel site at the end of Apollo Beach Boulevard.

The community held a public hearing Tuesday night to review a settlement that calls for developers from Bradenton-based Kendar to keep the height at 50 feet - reduced from the 90 feet originally requested. To keep 53 units, Kendar eliminated a 60-foot view corridor to the north.

"We feel that we accomplished our objective, which was keeping the height to code," said Wes Compton, representing nearly 500 residents who signed a petition in opposition.

The redesigned Mediterranean style building reduces the amount of parking in front from 65 spaces to 10. The landscaping would feature a fountain visible from the end of Apollo Beach Boulevard. There will be a sidewalk in front and a fence with a wrought-iron look.

"We haven't compromised the quality of the construction," said Dave Levitt, vice president of Kendar, which plans to sell the condos, mostly ranging from 2,200 to 2,500 square feet, for $750,000 to $1-million. "We still have a beautiful building."

To compensate the community for the loss of the view corridor, Kendar agreed to contribute $50,000 for a restroom facility at the Apollo Beach Nature Park. But it would apply the funding to another project if residents had other ideas. They could submit comments.

The condos would be private, so residents would not enjoy access to the waterfront currently provided by a hotel with a restaurant and a tiki bar. Some were disappointed, but resigned to losing the public space after battling the proposal for more than a year. Last month, commissioners told both sides to come up with a solution everyone could live with.

"It's typical of Hillsborough County. They're just into the tax base," said Edward Fish, 36, of Apollo Beach. "The commissioners don't want to deal with it. They don't want to make hard decisions."

Commissioners are scheduled to consider the proposal at a land-use hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Kendar is requesting to rezone the 2.6-acre site from commercial uses to planned development. (Petition 04-0979)

[Last modified April 21, 2005, 08:33:10]