Belleview Biltmore needs thorough study
A Times EditorialPublished January 8, 2008
Belleair town officials and neighbors of the historic Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa have been delighted so far by the openness and flexibility of the hotel's apparent savior, Legg Mason Real Estate Investors.
Their delight should not prevent officials from putting Legg Mason through the wringer, if necessary, to make sure there are no regrets after this $100-million project is completed.
Town officials owe that kind of scrutiny to the community.
Consider, for example, the developer's parking plans.
Belleair's code normally would require almost 2,000 parking spaces for the renovated and expanded Belleview Biltmore property. However, Legg Mason wants to build only about 650. Their theory is that 2,000 spaces aren't needed because people will not use all the facilities - the hotel, the spa, the ballroom, restaurants, etc. - at one time. On special occasions when the 650 spaces aren't enough, the nearby golf course parking lot could be used for valet parking in the evening, the project architect said, boosting the total spaces to 907.
That is still less than half the parking the code requires, and that is no small variance. If Belleair's parking code is based on accepted standards of usage for facilities that will be on the Belleview Biltmore grounds, the town could create enormous problems for the surrounding community by allowing such a reduction in parking.
Local residents also are raising concerns about the placement of the hotel guard station, the height of the new spa building, and the positioning of parking garage entrances and exits.
Legg Mason has promised to retain the Belleview Biltmore's historic ambience and preserve its position on the National Register of Historic Places. The developer has met repeatedly with residents, town officials and others who care about the future of this Pinellas County landmark, and has modified the plans to satisfy concerns raised in those meetings.
Legg Mason and its architect have promised to be sensitive and to communicate openly throughout the several years it will take to complete the project after plans finally are approved.
No doubt, they are eager to get the ball rolling. However, Belleair town officials need to spend a lot of time studying every aspect of the project, particularly the requests for variances from town codes, to make sure they understand all the potential impacts and have heard the community's concerns.