NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Build it and they will come, urged residents in support of an upscale hotel complex off Flagler Avenue.
"We need this hotel - we need the impact of this hotel, said Hunter Mann, an owner of the 24 Hour Body Works on U.S. 1., who said he started up his physical fitness center here in January, based on the city's history and charm. "We want this money in our community."
Others, though, were not so sold on the project, with Bill Gallagher, of North Pine Street saying, "We have to be weary of some of the promises."
Opinions were split among dozens of residents during a lengthy meeting Tuesday night City Commission meeting in reference to the proposed upscale 117-room Hampton Hotel off Flagler Avenue -- on two parcels, 207 and 215 Florida Avenue -- both owned by the Community Redevelopment Agency. Commission approval is needed before the CRA and the project's developer, David Swentor of South Carolina-based Premiere Development Group, can negotiate a lease agreement for the publicly-owned land.
The City Commission voted 3-2 to allow the two sides to negotiate in what is considered the design stage, the first step in a multi-step process that could take several years. Mayor Sally Mackay and Commissioners Jack Grasty and Lynne Plakett voted favorably while Commissioners James Hathaway and Randy Richenberg dissented.
The commissioners in the minority felt the project was too large and Hathaway, in particular, was not pleased that the CRA and not the city, would reap the tax benefits.
The debate continued well into the night at the Deberry Room at the Utilities Commission building on Canal Street before that vote.
Robert Lott, president of the Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce, said the money would go into the communbity regardless of which taxing entity has control: “It’s very short-sighted to think the CRA is going to squirrel this money away. They’ll reinvest it right back into our community.
Sandra Estes, who identified herself as a 30-year beachside resident, said the city should be worried about increased traffic, especially with service vehicles. "With all of the food and beverage trucks, we need to think of the safety of the people."
Other residents, though, see this as a stimulus package for the lower economy with one business owner describing the current economic situation as bleak, describing businesses closing up shop like "tumbleweeds rolling out of the city."