Whittall seeks Commission OK for sales office

The developer of the proposed St. Regis Hotel and Residences on the site of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort plans to ask Longboat Key’s Town Commission on Nov. 5 for permission to build a sales office there before construction begins.

Chuck Whittall’s request for a change in zoning to make that possible was unanimously rejected in October by the town’s Planning & Zoning Board. 

“We want to build a sales office, where people will see a kitchen and bathroom,” said Whittall, president of Unicorp National Developments Inc. “People want to see the view, especially when they are paying $4 million for a condo.”

Whittall said ideally half of the project’s residential units would be sold pre-construction to finance the work. Town commissioners earlier this year approved the project to include 78 condominiums and 166 hotel rooms.

“I am just trying to move the project along,” he said. “People want to know what their ceiling heights will be. It would be beautiful if they let us build.”

Longboat Key zoning laws allow on-site, temporary sales offices to be established only during project construction. In their Oct. 16 meeting, members of the Planning & Zoning Board expressed concern a zoning change would take effect islandwide.

Off-site sales are permitted.

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

Though 22 of 28 buildings on the property have been demolished, unit owners have not dissolved their condo-owners association and most retain ownership rights — even though the buildings have been reduced to rubble and hauled away. Unicorp is seeking to have the association dissolved through court action, but no building permits can be issued until Unicorp takes over as the sole owner.

Whittall said he hopes to begin selling in January. 

“If we could build a sales office (on-site) then sales would increase exponentially,” he said.

The developer of the proposed St. Regis Hotel and Residences on the site of the former Colony Beach & Tennis Resort plans to ask Longboat Key’s Town Commission on Nov. 5 for permission to build a sales office there before construction begins.

Chuck Whittall's request for a change in zoning to make that possible was unanimously rejected in October by the town's Planning & Zoning Board. Town staff recommended the board reject the request.

“We want to build a sales office, where people will see a kitchen and bathroom,” said Whittall, president of Unicorp National Developments Inc.  “People want to see the view, especially when they are paying $4 million for a condo.”

Whittall said ideally half of the project's residential units would be sold pre-construction to finance the work. Town Commissioners earlier this year approved the project to include 78 condominiums and 166 hotel rooms. 

“I am just trying to move the project along,” he said. “People want to know what their ceiling heights will be. It would be beautiful if they let us build.”

Longboat Key zoning laws allow on-site, temporary sales offices to be established only during project construction. In their Oct. 16 meeting, members of the Planning & Zoning Board expressed concern a change in zoning would take effect islandwide.

Off-site sales offices are permitted.

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

Though 22 of 28 buildings on the property have been demolished, unit owners have not dissolved their condo-owners association and most retain ownership rights -- even though the buildings have been reduced to rubble and hauled away. Unicorp is seeking to have the association dissolved through court action but no building permits can be issued until Unicorp takes over as the sole owner.

Whittall said he hopes to begin selling condominiums in January. To date, he said, none have been sold.

“If we could build a sales office (on site) then sales would increase exponentially,” he said.