Tampa city council rejects recommendation for Harbour Island hotel
TAMPA, Fla. - Harbour Island neighbors once again filled Tampa city council chambers fighting to keep a 10-story hotel out of their community.
For now, they can sleep soundly after the city council voted to reject a recommendation to accept the proposal, but this may not be the end of the story.
These neighbors want Harbour Island to stay as it is.
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"I say no to creating a concrete canyon," said Bea Bare.
Others see what it could be with a booming downtown across the channel.
"To deny this type of project would not only stunt our city's growth but would also discourage future development," said Mike Gonzalez, the vice president of 717 Parking.
Liberty Hospitality Management requested to rezone its property at 800 South Harbour Island Boulevard at the intersection of Knights Run Avenue. They want to build an AC Hotel by Marriott in a spot currently zoned for a small office.
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The city council voted against it in May after public outcry, so the developer filed a $6.6 million lawsuit. After mediation, though, that was put on hold.
"Our objective has always been to positively impact our community," said Punit Shah, the CEO of Liberty. "Our priority is to ensure our hotel makes Harbour Island a more desirable place to live and increase property values for the entire island."
Liberty revised its site plan, reducing the proposed height from 12 stories to 10, the number of rooms from 150 to 145, and parking spaces from 153 to 116. An independent special magistrate recommended the city move the project forward.
"I still think the plan is worthy of your consideration and approval," said Scott Steady, the special magistrate who handled mediation.
But, the changes weren't enough to sway neighbors.
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"You can prune around the edges but in the final analysis, this is not an appropriate use at this particular location," said Dave Smolker.
"Why on earth would we ever want this hotel on our suburban doorstep?" said Sam Hallenbeck. "The residents will inherit absolutely zero upside. Just a giant party package of inconvenience, noise, light, stench, construction, and traffic."
The discussion stretched more than three and a half hours.
"This is the last chance we have before this train leaves the station," said Council member Luis Viera. "And when it leaves, there's no coming back."
Ultimately, the city council voted 4-3 to reject the recommendation, with Viera, Gudes and Citro casting the "no" votes.
"I think the council did the right thing obviously, but I don't think it's over," said Phil Bauer, who lives on Harbour Island. "I think there are a lot of other uses for that property, so I think one of the things that's important is – why keep pushing a hotel of the type that isn't much different from what was rejected in May?"
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Since Liberty threatened to sue before, could the lawsuit be back on the table?
While the developer did not address that immediately after the vote, Shah did say in a statement:
"We are disappointed with the City Council’s decision this evening, particularly since City of Tampa staff recommended approval twice. The hotel would have created desperately needed jobs in our community, built tourism, and boosted the local economy. It is disappointing that this City Council will not support our efforts to enrich the Harbour Island and downtown Tampa community. We hope they reconsider their decision in future board meetings."