Longboat voters decide Colony issue

It’s finally over. For now.

The referendum that would have allowed Unicorp National Developments Inc. to add 180 residential units to the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort’s existing 237 tourism units was rejected by voters Tuesday night, stalling President Chuck Whittall’s initial plan to remake the once-popular resort destination.

Longboat Key voters voted down the referendum 87% to 13% (3,220 to 465). Whittall does not have voter permission to add density to the property, but he said it’s a result he expected.

“We were prepared for the news,” Whittall said. “We saw the trend of voters.”

Frank Morneau, president of Preserve Longboat Inc., a political action committee that stood in opposition to Whittall’s plans, said he was only surprised with one aspect of the results.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad,” Morneau said of the margin.

If the referendum had been approved, Morneau believes it would have sent a message to future developers on the Key that residents are willing to embrace higher density. He’s happy residents spoke up.

“People understood, if we allowed this to happen, we would open up Pandora’s box,” Morneau said. “I’m delighted for all of the people involved and grateful to all the voters.”

As he has stated previously, Whittall affirmed that he has no intention of selling the property. The developer said, after gauging public opinion, he and his company came up with an alternative plan months ago.

Whittall was scheduled to roll out that plan at the Colony property on Wednesday morning.

“We’re going to present something the community will embrace,” Whittall said.

Whittall had announced more than two weeks ago that, if the referendum won approval, he would reduce both the height and density of his proposal, in keeping with opinions he gleaned from a series of public forums. He also vowed to lower the maximum height of the buildings from 12 stories to nine, and the number of residential units from 180 to 150.

In an effort to spread the word about his scaled-down plan, Whittall sent hand-signed letters to Key voters, dated March 1, detailing the specifics. Last week, Whittall shared with Key newspapers an email he sent to Town Manager Dave Bullock. In his email, the developer mentioned that, at recent outreach meetings, Key residents had questioned his intention to move forward with the lower density proposal, and he hoped his email to Bullock would have quashed these concerns.

“I wanted to tell the public and make this of record,” he wrote.

At meetings with Key residents, Whittall frequently discussed how, if the referendum won approval, his company would have helped fund traffic improvements in problem areas surrounding the Key. He also spoke of how his project could be beneficial in potentially increasing the value of Key properties and bringing in tourists to patronize Key businesses.

Whittall’s efforts were not enough to sway public opinion. Traffic concerns and an out-of-character resort were the top arguments of opponents.

The defeat of the referendum is just the latest in a series of down-votes for proponents of redevelopment projects.

Longboat residents in November voted down a proposal to add up to 18 homes at Whitney Beach Plaza, as well as a plan for one additional unit of density at Harbour Square.

Previously, voters rejected a 120-unit resort on the north end site of a former gas station and bank building by a 78% vote.