Colony developer's request for on-site sales office delayed for a month

Longboat Key’s Town Commission agreed unanimously to wait one month before deciding on a request from the redeveloper of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort to build a sales office on the site before construction begins.

The commission wants to add specific language to an existing zoning ordinance that would allow pre-construction sales offices for projects over certain price points, such as the St. Regis, a $600 million, 166-room, 78-condominium project proposed for 1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Chuck Whittall, president of Orlando-based Unicorp National Developments Inc., said he wants to build a $2 million sales office by the ocean that would include a complete kitchen and bathroom with the same ceiling heights as the planned condominium portion of the St. Regis.

“It would be a small building,” Whittall said during the Monday commission meeting, adding it would be near the adjacent Aquarius condominium project.  

The town’s Planning & Zoning Board unanimously rejected a request from Whittall at its October meeting to change a zoning law that would have allowed the establishment of a temporary sales office on the 17.6-acre site before construction began.

Longboat zoning laws allow temporary sales offices to be established only during project construction. Off-site sales offices are permitted, according to the town ordinance, which was written in 1970.

Whittall, however, can’t begin construction until he clears all legal hurdles with the resort’s former unit owners. A hearing is scheduled for January.

In addition, all of the 28 buildings on the former resort site need to be removed. Whittall said removal of those buildings should be completed before the end of the year.

“The rest of the buildings should be removed in the next four to five weeks,” he said.

In delaying a decision on Whittall’s request for an exemption until its Dec. 3 meeting, commissioners made it clear they support the redevelopment project and want to see it become a reality, but worried if it would.

“We have no assurance that it will come to a conclusion,” Commissioner Ed Zunz said.

“People want to see this project move forward,” Commissioner Irwin Pastor said. “I think we can make this happen. The commission and the town are behind this.”

Whittall said he needs the sales office on site because the condominiums will be selling anywhere from $2 million to $10 million. It does not make sense for a project the size of the St. Regis to have a sales office in an empty storefront, he said.

People buying at that price want to see what they are paying for ahead of time, he said. Plus, financial institutions need to see that a portion of the condominiums – usually 50 percent – have been pre-sold before providing project financing.

“The project is moving forward,” said Whittall, who called the town’s tabling of his request part of the process.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board and craft tighter language.”