Colony neighbors oppose extension

When Greg Van Howe bought his unit at the Aquarius Club in 2003, he thought its location next to the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort was an asset.

Back then, it was a vibrant resort with restaurants and shops within walking distance.

Fast-forward nine years.

The resort has been shuttered since 2010. Units that overlook the property can see the deterioration of the wooden buildings. From the beach outside the property, buildings with boarded windows, holes in the wood and siding that is falling down are visible.

“It looks like a broken-down, burned-down slum,” said Van Howe, one of two vice presidents on the condominium’s five-member board.

Most board members are out of town for the summer.

But after the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort Association sent a letter stating its intent to ask the Longboat Key Town Commission to grant an 18-month extension of the Dec. 31 deadline for re-opening the resort as a tourism property, the board held an emergency meeting by phone and voted unanimously to oppose the request.

Without the extension, the property could lose its tourism status, which would result in the grandfathered 237-unit property being limited to six units per acre on 15 acres, or 90 units.

The board sent a letter Friday, Aug. 10, to Mayor Jim Brown opposing any extension. It is also asking boards of nearby properties such as Tencon, the Players Club and Seaplace to oppose the petition as well.

Mike Boesen, manager of the 10-unit Tencon, located just south of the Colony, said he put Aquarius Club members in touch with a member of his board.

“We’ve got 25 boxes worth of rat traps out there,” he said, describing the impact of the Colony in its current state on his property.

The Longboat Observer could not reach board members at the Players Club Tuesday for comment.

Reached at his Illinois residence, Terry Kall, president of Seaplace’s board, said the board will not meet until October and would need to seek input from unit owners before taking a position.

Aquarius Club General Manager Debbie Fulton said she frequently calls police because she notices people wandering through the property.

The Aquarius Club’s letter cites the extension granted by the commission in 2011, which extended the deadline beyond the Aug. 15, 2011 date — one year after the property closed — by 16-and-a-half months, stating:

“The parties involved in this dispute have apparently squandered the initial extension period and, from our perspective, have made virtually no progress in resolving their issues. How could anyone believe an additional 18 months would do anything other than allow the continuing deterioration of the property! Why would the Commission give up the only leverage they appear to have in moving this forward!”

The letter also states that the property’s current state raises health and safety issues and has caused concerns among prospective buyers and renters.

Asked to comment on the Aquarius Club’s letter Tuesday, Association Board President Jay Yablon said:
“I fully understand and sympathize with their frustration about the state of affairs at the Colony. In a situation where too many people have already cut off their noses to spite other people’s faces, I expect that the Town Commission will have the presence of mind not to follow suit.”

Yablon said that the Association has directly addressed any issue reported by the town but has never heard directly from residents of the Aquarius Club.

“If there are specific things we can do to work with them to address their specific concerns, we are happy to do so,” he said. “Suggesting that 140 units should be taken away from the Colony is really not the most prudent way to address whatever concerns our neighbors may have.”

The Association will bring its request to the commission at its 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 meeting, which is rescheduled from its usual Monday date because of Labor Day.