Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Biltmore owner listens, tweaks, moves forward

The efforts and promised investment fuel faith that the hotel will be saved.

By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published December 30, 2007

A rendering shows the new spa, one story instead of two, in response to the concerns of some neighbors that views of the Intracoastal would be blocked.
	[Legg Mason Real Estate Investors]

BELLEAIR - The new owner of the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa is moving forward with what it describes as a $100-million makeover of the 111-year-old landmark.

But unlike some previous hotel suitors, this owner reached out to the community for feedback before completing its plans.

"That's what sets this owner head and shoulders above what everyone else has done in the past," said Deputy Mayor Stephen Fowler.

Legg Mason Real Estate Investors, which paid $30.3-million for the hotel in June,this month filed site plan and variance applications with the town ofBelleair to redevelop the hotel site.

Before doing so, Legg Mason and its architectural firm held about a dozen meetings with local and state officials, neighbors and other members of the community and made tweaks in response to what they heard.

"We tried to respond to all of the suggestions that have been made by the community," project architect Richard J. Heisenbottle said.

They listened, Mayor Gary Katica said.

"They were very sensitive to the needs of the people," he said.

Key concerns

In Belleair, a mostly upscale enclave of 4,200 people, residents value both history and green space. About a quarter of the town, which spans 2 square miles, consists of open space.

Increased traffic was one of the key concerns of residents, said Town Manager Micah Maxwell.

In response, Legg Mason proposes a left-turn lane in front of the hotel to prevent traffic backups from delaying nearby residents. And the hotel guardhouse would be moved slightly west to allow up to five cars to line up without obstructing access to nearby homes, Heisenbottle said.

Other neighbors were concerned that a new spa on the west side of the building, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, would obstruct their view, Heisenbottle said.

So Legg Mason scrapped its plans for a two-story spa and now proposes a one-story, 18,900-square-foot structure.

The owner also has discussed covering the building with a fabriclike screen during much of the construction, Fowler said, so the project wouldn't be an eyesore to nearby residents.

Joe Penner, managing director for Legg Mason of Los Angeles, has estimated renovation costs at more than $100-million. The hotel could be closed for up to two years during construction, which is slated to begin mid 2009 and end in 2011.

Legg Mason also plans to seek LEED certification for the resort. The acronym stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a designation from the U.S. Green Building Council for projects that meet environmentally responsible standards.

In turn, town listens

Town leaders also have been sensitive to the owner's concerns as it redevelops the property.

Last month, town commissioners voted to adjust building fees without passing on big hikes to large projects like the Biltmore. Instead of paying $2-million in permit fees, the Biltmore's owner will likely pay closer to $350,000, Maxwell said.

Because the project involves major redevelopment, Legg Mason must comply with current codes.

The owner's variance application includes a request to build a structure 60 feet tall. The town's code limits buildings in the district to 32 feet. The current hotel is more than 55 feet tall.

The request also asks for about 650 parking spaces. Plans show the hotel has 172 now. Normally, the code would require the redeveloped property to provide nearly 2,000 spaces to go with the additional hotel rooms, restaurants, the spa and ballrooms.

Heisenbottle said the hotel would not need that many spaces because patrons would use the variety of facilities at different times.

On special occasions, the hotel's golf course parking on Indian Rocks Road could be used for evening valet parking, providing a total of 907 spaces, he said.

Town engineering consultant TBE Group will review the applications. They should go before the Planning and Zoning Board and the Town Commission in March, Maxwell said.

Cheers, not boos

In September, Penner and Heisenbottle presented plans to residents and preservationists at the Town Hall,drawing cheers and applause at times.

It was a stark contrast to two years earlier. Residents and preservationists booed and hissed when DeBartolo Development shared its plan to raze most of the hotel to build 180 condos and a village like Disney's Celebration on the hotel's golf course.

Viewing the presentation back then "was like watching your kid in a grammar school play screw up," Katica said.

The new owner plans to preserve the golf course.

For years, the fate of the Belleview Biltmore, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, had been in doubt. Twice since 2004 the hotel was threatened with demolition.

In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Biltmore one of America's 11 most endangered historic places.

Legg Mason's efforts and its investment have given Katica faith that the hotel will be saved this time.

"They're spending a lot of money on these plans," Katica said. "I guess I'm believing it's for real."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or 445-4155.

Proposed changes

-Demolish pagoda entrance and build new entrance consistent with the architecture of the rest of the resort.

-Demolish current spa. Build 9,200-square-foot ballroom in its place.

-Build a one-story, 18,900-square-foot spa on west side of the property.

-Landscape grounds and replace parking lots with underground parking garages that have about 650 spaces.

-Restore hotel's main 256-room building as well as five ballrooms and meeting rooms.

-Build new five-story, 174-room hotel annex on the east side of the property.

-Restore three Victorian cottages, two to provide 12 additional hotel rooms and the third to serve as site for meetings and conferences.

-Refurbish Pelican Golf Club on Indian Rocks Road.

[Last modified December 29, 2007, 21:13:22]