Review board approves condos
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff
KEY WEST — A city
architectural review board narrowly approved a 26-unit condominium
complex despite an outpouring of emotional testimony by neighbors and
local architects opposing the project.
The Historical
Architectural Review Commission voted 3-2 to approve the development
called Watermark, luxury condos at the Key West Bight that will be
rented out to tourists on a short-term basis. HARC Chair George Born and
Janine Glaser voted against the project.
The project next will go
before the city Planning Board, which will make a recommendation to the
City Commission for final approval.
Neighbors and developers
have battled over the size and height of the project for months. The
developers have reduced the number of units, most recently from 33 to 26
units, but have increased the size of the units.
"It doesn't fit in Key
West," said Barbara Bowers. "This is not a big city. This is an old town
with a historic past."
Supporters of the project
looked at the new building as an improvement from what one man wrote was
"a trashy, tacky trailer park where people live in squalor."
A dozen neighbors spoke
in opposition to the project and two people wrote letters in favor of
it. The meeting became heated at times and ended with boos from
neighbors and cheers from developers and real estate agents when the
vote was tallied.
Born had to hammer the
gavel several times during the meeting and asked people to not cheer, as
not to disrupt a code enforcement hearing that was being held in a
neighboring room.
City Attorney Bob
Tischenkel and neighbors' attorney Lee Rohe exchanged jabs at one point,
which was greeted with hisses and howls by the audience.
In the end, the review
commission was divided over what constitutes a "half story," which was a
stumbling block for developers and caused HARC to defer the issue at its
last meeting.
Architect Bill Horn
presented calculations that the half story being proposed in the
buildings is equal in height to half of the floor below it. City Planner
Ty Symroski challenged those calculations, saying that they didn't treat
hallways and bathrooms as living space.
Some members of the board
believed the half-story issue would be better addressed by the city
Planning Board, which deals in land-use regulations.
The developers, Caroline
Street Partners, plan to build two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominiums.
The complex will feature a day spa and other amenities that give guests
a "decadent" and "luxurious" experience, a Watermark sales brochure
states.
The issue could
eventually be worked out in court as some residents have filed lawsuits
challenging the project.
tohara@keysnews.com |
