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Watermark to be
scaled back
By Christie
Phillips
cphillips@keynoter.com
Lost units to be
moved off-site
The proposed
developers of Watermark along the Key West Bight are planning to scale
back the project to help appease continuing complaints that the complex
is out of proportion with the surrounding area.
New figures have not yet been released, but the
plan is to reduce to 32 luxury size units to something more appropriate
for the 1.5-acre former Jabour's Trailer Court site.
"They are reducing the number of units, reducing
the mass of the buildings and reducing the average height," said Jim
Hendrick, attorney for the developers, the Caroline Street Partners.
Why? "Because
they're listening to the objections." And those objections have been
loud.
Since the project was first proposed, neighbors
of the development have objected to its planned size, and two groups are
currently in litigation against Caroline Street Partners over their
development rights on the site.
Though originally winning the right to build 101
units on the waterfront plot from the City Commission, the developers
downsized their proposal to 32 full-size condominium units on-site, with
48 units to be transferred off-site to an undetermined location.
Despite the reduced
number of units, the developers have since run into a road block with
the Planning Board, which was reticent about the height and size of
Watermark. The buildings were set to reach 40 feet, recently knocked
down from 42 feet. City code allows a maximum height of 40 feet, 35 feet
of actual structure and five feet for air conditioning units and such.
In the past, the developers said reducing the
size of any of the 2,000 to 3,000 square foot units would make the
project unfeasible.
With the change of tune, the hope is to pass
through city development approval without any more hitches.
"There are two ways
to do it," Hendrick said. "The first is to force it through, which was
done for example by the Reach a few years ago and it created a poison
legacy for years afterwards. The Caroline Street Partners don't want
that. And it makes more sense to reach a compromise than to fight."
Hendrick would not saw how much the project is
being changed.
"They're developing their plans," he said. "They
don't want to say anything terribly specific until they determine the
feasibility of this."
All 32 units have been pre-sold for millions
each.
"Some people aren't going to be able to buy what
they hoped to buy, at least at this site," Hendrick said. "But they're
still going to transfer units to another location."
The new plans will go before the Historic
Architectural Review Committee for approval in August. HARC approved the
32-unit plan earlier this summer. |
