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Lawyer allowed to restore old hotel

Dunedin approves a proposal to return the old Schiller University to its former life.

By SHEELA RAMAN
Published November 18, 2006

DUNEDIN - People spilled out the door of City Hall on Thursday night. Inside, seats were full and the air was warm and thick.

One by one, residents addressed the City Commission about whether George Rahdert, a St. Petersburg lawyer, should restore the old Schiller University property to its original function: a high-end hotel.

At least 20 residents came to the lectern. They used grand metaphors and forceful gestures. The commission listened to them for more than an hour.

In the end, commissioners decided to enter into a development agreement with Rahdert, as city staffers had recommended. Their vote allows Rahdert, who owns the Schiller property, to start the permit application process for his plan. The motion passed 4-1, with Commissioner Julie Scales opposing.

Rahdert is the First Amendment attorney for the St. Petersburg Times.

Residents were split into opposing factions: those who live next to the Edgewater Drive property and those who don't.

Those neighboring the property said an upscale hotel would worsen the dense traffic on Edgewater Drive, bring people to Dunedin who don't care about the city and encourage more commercial establishments to intrude into the surrounding residential area.

"He's going to need to add an outside parking garage eventually," said Peter Thibault, 59, who lives on Lyndhurst Street, directly across from the Schiller property. "And we have to think about what kind of environment this is going to be with alcohol, live music and, who knows, maybe a casino," he said.

Other residents said the old hotel, which in the 1920s and 1930s was called Fenway on the Bay, is a precious antique and must be saved.

Although Commissioner Deborah Kynes lives two blocks south of the Schiller property, she resisted the will of her neighbors and embraced Rahdert's proposal.

She said it is important to keep the town's history alive.

"My neighbors are going to be angry, but sometimes you just have to go with your heart. And I believe in this in my heart," she said.

Scales said she opposes Rahdert's hotel because it would be a commercial intrusion into a residential area.

Before residents spoke up, Rahdert, followed by his architect, Roberto Sanchez of Dunedin, presented and defended their project.

Rahdert used photos of buildings he has restored in St. Petersburg, such as the historic Mansion by the Bay, to demonstrate that he is genuinely interested in historic preservation. He said he plans to register the restored hotel on Edgewater Drive with the National Register of Historic Places.

At no point in his speech did Rahdert, who bought the property for $8-million in January, mention financial motivations for the project.

"I have fallen love with your Fenway hotel," he said.

Sanchez used three 3-D models to explain how the hotel would be compatible with the neighborhood.

As of now, the hotel model has 150 rooms, an 80-foot setback from the eastern edge of Edgewater Drive and no parking garage. It has two additions to the original building that protrude in the front. There is a 6.5-foot wall surrounding the hotel to minimize interference with residential life, Sanchez said.

Many on the commission said Rahdert and Sanchez need to work more on the model before it is fully compatible with its surroundings, but they generally agreed that dialogue on the project should be kept open.

Earlier this year, commissioners shot down Rahdert's proposal for a larger, 250-room hotel on the property. They said the scope of that project was too large for the surrounding residences.

Since that rejection, Rahdert and Sanchez have been meeting with neighbors to go over the details of their plan.

Some at the meeting upheld Rahdert as the potential savior of a local landmark. Others questioned his motivations for restoring the hotel. They said he was more interested in making money than beautifying Dunedin.

[Last modified November 17, 2006, 22:53:13]