A lawyer for the developer has told officials it wants to save part of the hotel. The company is scheduled to make a presentation tonight.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published September 15, 2005
BELLEAIR - A lawyer for DeBartolo Development has told officials the developer wants to preserve part of the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa even as it seeks to build 367 homes on the 19th-century hotel's golf course.
For months, DeBartolo has remained mum about its plans for the 108-year-old hotel. Many feared the Biltmore would be demolished, especially since DeBartolo confirmed that it had the property under contract in April, days before the hotel's owner first applied to tear it down.
Monday, DeBartolo filed its conceptual plans for the golf course. The company, which canceled a presentation last week, is slated to present its vision to the town tonight.
Late Wednesday, Commissioner Gary Katica said commissioners received a town attorney's memo saying that neither residents nor commissioners would be able to speak about DeBartolo's plan tonight. That's because it's an informal meeting, and the memo said that if commissioners made comments now, it could complicate future proceedings, Katica said.
DeBartolo's attorney, Ron Weaver, called town commissioners Saturday and Tuesday, telling them his client wanted to save a portion of the Biltmore. Commissioners said they weren't sure which elements DeBartolo intended to save and what would be built in place of demolished portions.
"He said the footprint of the Biltmore would be the same and that they were going to save a major portion of the structure," Katica said. "Part of the hotel would be converted to condos or something like that."
Resident Michael Harris said Ed Kobel, president of DeBartolo Development, told him that DeBartolo wanted to preserve the east-west core of the hotel, which includes the hotel's original structure and public areas such as the Tiffany and Candlelight ballrooms.
Harris was told that DeBartolo planned to raze the north and south wings and build townhomes in their place.
The majority of the landmark's east-west structure was completed by 1913. The north wing was extended shortly after, and the south wing was built in the mid 1920s.
DeBartolo's apparent offer to save the hotel comes two weeks after the resort's current owner, Urdang & Associates, filed papers to raze the entire hotel.
Harris said Kobel called him two weeks ago, after Harris questioned the intelligence of a DeBartolo development officer for suggesting a closed-door meeting with commissioners.
Mayor George Mariani Jr. said Weaver offered the "typical sales routine," saying that DeBartolo understands the historic nature of the hotel and believes the ambience of the common area could be preserved.
"He did not go into detail. He said we want to make this a win-win situation for all segments of the town and the usual platitudes," Mariani said.
Officials have been advised not to share their opinions regarding DeBartolo's plans, but former Mayor Connie Mudano said she didn't think town leaders could support the company's vision for either the hotel or the golf course properties.
"I don't think the commission will go for this," Mudano said. "They're really grasping at straws."
The town's comprehensive plan, which discourages major development, calls for the protection of the Belleview Biltmore Golf Course, citing its importance in handling stormwater runoff.
Katica said it seemed as if DeBartolo was offering the town partial preservation of the hotel in lieu of heavy development on the golf course.
Weaver, who has represented DeBartolo for just a few weeks, said neither he nor his client could talk to the news media about the project because of DeBartolo's agreement with the current owner.
DeBartolo's contract to buy the hotel could expire by the end of the week. Commissioners said Weaver confirmed that Friday is the expiration date.
Ed Armstrong, who represents residents who live near the golf course, said DeBartolo is giving his clients and the community an impossible time frame to react.
"I'm pretty shocked that DeBartolo approached this in this fashion after stonewalling the community for months," Armstrong said. "This continues their pattern of heavy-handed behavior. And I don't think my clients will be intimidated."
Called Belleair Park, DeBartolo's plan for the golf course features tree-lined streets with 203 single-family homes on large and small lots, 164 two- and three-story townhomes and town-square residences. The 136-acre golf course would be divided into north and south "villages," complete with a new town hall, library, fitness center, pools and cabana clubs.
A trail system would wind through the development, which would be buffered by several lakes and vegetation, according to plans designed by the Evans Group, an Orlando architectural firm.
