BELLEAIR BLUFFS — A proposal to change the city’s code to allow temporary lodging in certain sections of Belleair Bluffs drew support and backlash from residents at a recent commission workshop.
During the June 9 session, several opponents of the move, which was requested by a local hotelier and businessman, voiced concerns about traffic, noise, trash and vagrancy as well as a lack of notice.
“While I’m currently opposed to these amendments, I want to be honest, I can see the appeal of a boutique hotel,” said Babette Aiosa, a resident of the nearby Vistas of Belleair condo complex. “But like many of my fellow residents, I do not feel fully informed about the potential impact of these proposed changes.”
Aiosa said residents “are being asked to support a major decision that will significantly alter the character of Belleair Bluffs. But we don't have all the facts. So, I ask for your help to help us understand.”
Proponents of the proposal touted the economic benefits and convenience of having a hotel in town to serve residents’ family members and friends who visit the area but can’t stay in the same place.
“I think a boutique hotel would be a good thing,” Christina de la Cruz said. “It would fill a need.”
The most significant comments came from the entrepreneur himself, as Tony Utegaard explained his plan to build “an extremely classy” boutique hotel on a vacant lot on West Bay Drive just east of the Belleair Causeway.
“I’ve been in the hotel business now for 20 years,” Utegaard told the packed auditorium, noting over those years he was “renovating hotels, consulting on hotels, and developing hotels for clients.”
He said he “currently owns in New York, and we were doing another one in Connecticut in the freezing cold ice and snow, and I said, ‘Why am I here?’ Why am I looking to do something up here when I live in the best place on Earth?”
Utegaard said his plans would be modeled after some of his favorite places, such as the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin and the Breakers mansions, and would feature marble and granite.
“I’m a very gilded mansion kind of person,” Utegaard said. “I like 12 layers of crown modeling and crystal chandeliers.”
“So, my partners and I put together a plan and from day one I said I don’t want just a motel or hotel. I want something that’s going to be a landmark for the community.”
As a 15-year resident of the area near the bridge, Utegaard, a self-described “velvet paisley shirt at church guy” who “comes from a big, fat Greek family,” said he is very familiar with the traffic and other concerns.
“We looked up the traffic, and 20,000 cars a day go past that part of the road,” he said of the lot, which is across from the Bonefish Grill and adjacent to Panera Bread. “A boutique hotel averages one to one-and-a-half car visits per room per day, so you’re looking at 100-150 cars compared to 20,000.”
Utegaard also said he spoke with the manager of Panera Bread and was told they average about 1,000 customers daily.
“That’s 10 times the volume of traffic a hotel next door would have.”
Utegaard closed his seven-minute speech by stating he can’t build his historic Belleair hotel without the code change, noting the spot is basically the only place a hotel could be built in the city.
“When you look at the (Commercial General zoning) map, this is really the only spot it could go, unless someone bought Bonefish for $15 million and tore it down, and that isn’t going to happen,” he said.
‘So, this is really the only spot. And we don’t need another shopping center, coffee shop or gas station.”
In closing, Utegaard thanked officials, including City Administrator Debra Sullivan, and residents for putting his feet to the fire and making sure he isn’t trying to bring a “No Tell Motel or Motel 8” to the Bluffs.
“Change is always an adjustment in any community,” he said. “But we’re looking at a $30 million to $40 million investment in the community, and I actually have the best heart and the best intentions for everything.”
Following Utegaard’s comments, city officials were quick to point out that while the process of amending the code has cleared some preliminary hurdles, it is still in its early stages.
“We have no plans yet for anything to be done there,” Sullivan said of the location, while noting the request to amend the code did not receive any red flags from state agencies including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
“But currently now, according to city regulations, we can now move forward with our Planning Board hearing, and at that time they can hear any renderings or submissions from the applicant at that meeting,” she said.
Sullivan added they have a tentative date set for the hearing but “we don’t have a quorum at this time, so we will give the public plenty of notice to attend” once the date is confirmed.
City Attorney Tom Trask reiterated that after the Planning Board meeting, where they will “hear the text amendments and give a recommendation to the commission, there will be a public hearing to consider the second and final reading of the ordinance.”
During his closing remarks, Mayor Chris Arbutine stressed that while city leaders don't want to stifle development, they would continue to meticulously vet every proposal to make sure it’s right for the city.
“Belleair Bluffs takes a proactive approach to development here,” Arbutine said. “So, when someone says they want to put a hotel in the Commercial General area, we say no problem, that’s what Commercial General is for.
“But then we have to figure out what we want in there. We’re not saying we want a hotel in there, but if it’s an option, then we better put something in (the code) that tells them what they can and cannot do.”
Arbutine said when he was first elected 25 years ago, people didn’t want other big developments that have gone on to become fixtures in town, including Bonefish, City Hall, Walgreens and the Vistas of Belleair.
“They had the same concerns, traffic, changing the character, building height,” he said. “So, we did the same thing and said if someone was going to build the Vista of Belleair, it would be the best place possible. And that's what happened, and that’s why it’s so nice.”
He also mentioned the fact that Bluffs officials long ago banned the use of short-term rentals in town, a move that has led to the city being tourist-free but that has left a void when it comes to lodging for visiting families.
“So, if someone wants to build a hotel in the commercial area, this kind of evens it out,” Arbutine said, adding the commissioners “have our eyes on the ball. That’s what we do here.
“We’re concerned about our residents, but we also encourage businesses.”
