Cabana Club Hearing Set For March

A (nother) hearing is set for March 3rd at Clearwater City Hall concerning the Cabana Club project. Neighbors of the Cabana Club claim the proposed restaurant and 38-room hotel is too large for the site and will cause parking problems. The hearings have already been postponed twice since December.

Cabana Club Hearing Rescheduled

A hearing concerning the building of the Cabana Club on Sand Key scheduled for December 15 was postponed and will now take place in January. Save Our Neighborhood (SON), a community action group formed to fight the building of the new Cabana Club, appealed a decision of the Clearwater Planning Department to allow building code derivations that would permit construction of the $25-million Cabana Club as a proposed 38-room high-end hotel resort at 1590 Gulf Boulevard which would be operated in conjunction with the Belleair Biltmore Hotel scheduled for a $125 million upgrade.

SON gained the support of The Clearwater Beach Association (CBA) and the Sand Key Civic Association (SKCA) and received donations from the groups for its legal battle against Legg Mason, owners of the Belleview Biltmore. SON representatives and Sand Key residents oppose the project because they feel it is not in keeping with the residential character of the neighborhood and would diminish the views of properties adjacent to the site and would create traffic and parking problems.

They oppose the Planning Commission's September 16 approval of code deviations that includes a reduction to the required lot width; a reduction to setbacks; allowance of proposed temporary cabanas and an increase to building height; a reduction to perimeter buffers and a reduction to the width of interior landscape islands. SON has opposed the granting of code variances except for safety or ecological reasons citing a reduction in quality of life and the environment that results from such variances.

Cabana Club Apellate Court Decision Delayed

The December 15th hearing was cancelled due to the judge being sick. It is expected to be rescheduled for next month.

Some residents were hoping for the judge to overturn a Community Development Board ruling allowing the Belleview Biltmore Hotel LLC and its owner, Legg Mason Real Estate Investors to build a hotel and restaurant at the Cabana Club on Sand Key.

Detour To Clearwater Beach Today

Sandy Key residents who want to go to Clearwater Beach today will have to use the Belleair Causeway and Memeorial Causeway. Access via the Sand Key bridge will be closed for the implosion and television coverage of the Spyglass Hotel.

Hotel Density Debate Ended With Compromise

At the April 17 City Council meeting more than 300 people came to City Hall to hear the council debate a proposed hotel density increase in the city, most of whom live in Sand Key. Many spoke about how more hotel rooms at the Marriott and Sheraton would ruin their view and their neighborhood.

Last year Pinellas County approved a boost in hotel room density to encourage developers to build hotels instead of condos. Cities like Clearwater, which wants more mid-price hotels, are deciding whether to adopt the county density plan which would let builders add 50 to 150 percent more hotel rooms per acre.

Clearwater Vice Mayor and long time Sand Key resident George Cretekos made a motion to reduce the proposed increase in density by 10 percent, which is lower than the county desity plan. The council unanimously approved his motion.

City Council opted to reduce the number of rooms allowed by the county by 10 percent and not to apply the rules to any land zoned commercial, eliminating the chance a developer would build a hotel on such property.
However, the council did sign off on a plan allowing land zoned "tourist" receive higher hotel room density. Instead of 50 rooms per acre, developers can now build 70 units on parcels of less than an acre; 90 units an acre on 1- to 3-acre parcels and 110 units an acre on parcels larger than 3 acres.

Cabana Club May Be Redeveloped - New Hotel Added

Owners of the Belleview Biltmore have filed for redevelopment with the city of Clearwater for the Cabana Club in Sand Key. The Cabana Club is the "beach club" for Belleview Biltmore hotel guests, providing them with a beach, pool, and dining. The two properties are directly accross bay from each other.

The redevlopment would be part of the larger historic preservation of the Belleview Biltmore hotel on the Belleair side of the bay. The current property includes a pool, parking lot, restaurant and 2 condo builidings. Planned changes include demolishing the existing restaurant and replacing it with a new one one story shorter. A 6 story 38 room Victorian boutique hotel with underbuilding parking will be added on the south south side of the existing condos. In addition to the existing shuttle service that transports guests betweent properties, a water taxi would be added (the Biltmore is directly accrss the bay from the Cabana Club), as well as beach cabanas.

Voice Your Opinion On Shoppes Zoning Change

The prospective new owner, who also own the neighboring Marriott, is requesting that the zoning be changed to "tourist". It is currently zoned as business. Both allow similar use, but different different density restrictions. The owners have expressed interest in replacing the Shoppes with another hotel building. Citizens are concerned about losing thier shops and restaurants, and also about the height of the building should the owners decide to add more hotel units. They could add as many as 125 units. The Community Redevelopment Board will meet on December 18th to discuss the issue. Citizens can voice their opinion by emailing steven.everitt@myclearwater.com.

2007 Ford Ironman Championship

The 2007 Ford Ironman Championship will take place on Saturday November 10th. This 70.3 mile event will begin at 7 am at Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach with a 1.2 mile swim, then on to the 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run through Clearwater. Traffic will be impacted, click here for info on road closures, and here for course details. The event will be covered by NBC Sports.

Clearwater Beach Boat Slips Approved

The Clearwater Beach City Council voted 4-1 to allow 42 boat slips to be built next to Belle Harbor condos. They will be built by the developer of the Sandpearl hotel and condos, and 27 slips will be leased to residents of Sandpearl with the remaining reserved for the city.

Sand Key is Pet Friendly

If you're a dog owner in Sand Key you probably already know it's a great place for fido. It's also a great place to vacation if your a pet owner. The Sheraton in Sand Key is a beachfront hotel that allows pets. One dog is allowed per room, up to 40 lbs. The hotel is adjacent to the Sand Key park, so you are just steps away from pooch paradise. The Paws Playground has two large fenced areas, one for small dogs and one for large dogs. You can let your dog off the leash and stretch their legs. There are doggy drinking fountains and "doggy bags" are provided for clean up. The address of the park is 1060 Gulf Blvd.