Howard Group moving forward with Sandestin hotel development

A recent lawsuit filed against Walton County Planning Department, attempting to stop construction of a hotel at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, will not hinder the proposed development by the Howard Group, said John Heiser, Howard Group's executive vice president.

In the lawsuit, filed Dec. 22, 2008 by the President's Council, a group representing more 50 homeowner associations at Sandestin, allege Walton County officials approved the final development order without any public hearings.

Plaintiff's Hollis Risley, Anne White and James Watling, all members of the President's Council, are seeking an injunction against issuing building permits for the development.

According to Pat Blackshear, Planning Director for Walton County, everything was done legally and the attorney for the county is reviewing all documentation.

The complaint has not been answered as yet and Blackshear has been advised by the legal department not to discuss the matter.

Allegations in the suit state the building isn't in compliance with the current height restriction of 50 feet in South Walton, which, according to the suit, will adversely affect properties owned by the plaintiffs.

Walton County approved a revised comprehensive Development Plan in June 2008, and the Howard Group stated it is "well within the Sandestin DRI, which is separate from local building ordinances and restrictions."

Large developments in Walton County have their DRI plan (development of regional impact) and are approved by planning and zoning.

When a resort is planned the DRI establishes wetland protections, impact on communities and allows for, upon approval, additional development in the future.

Sandestin encompasses 2,400 acres of developable land that includes residential, commercial and public land use.

"This (development) is a 52-acre master plan at Grand Boulevard which is designed for mixed use," said Heiser. "This is part of the Sandestin DRI that was designed for a 20-year build out of the resort."

In a statement on the President's Council Web site, www.sdpcouncil.com , members maintain the proposed high-rise will transform the landscape and destroy the character of Sandestin.

When the proposed hotel went before the planning commission in June, it was initially designed to be 14 stories, with four levels of parking.

However, Heiser said this has been modified after meeting with the development relations committee of Walton County.

"They expressed concerns about the height," Heiser said. "We took that to heart and scaled down the height to approximately 10 stories."

This will include two levels of parking and one level of retail space.

Instead of the original height of 156 feet which was approved, the hotel will now stand less than 100 feet with 225 hotel rooms.

The President's Council, according to member Hollis Risley, is concerned the addition of 225 rooms will adversely affect rental incomes for homeowners.

"This (hotel) will take away from owners that have rentals within Sandestin, and other local areas," said Risley. "Not only will it take away income, this development will negatively impact property values in Sandestin."

In contradiction of this concern, Heiser said the hotel will have the opposite affect. "Basically they don't understand the full reality," Heiser said. "We aren't taking away from the pie. We are creating a larger pie."

Heiser said the same concerns were raised when the Marriot was being built.

"When the Marriot opened, it attracted a completely different vacationer," he said. "This new hotel is above anything else here. It will have a greater market effect pulling from a completely different demographic."

He went on to say it isn't this market the Howard Group is competing against.

"We are competing with areas like Orlando and other world markets," Heiser said. "If we don't add this (hotel) it will have a negative impact economically."

In addition to adding revenue for the county, Heiser stated the local economy will benefit during and after construction.

"This is a 50 to 60 million dollar project that will create hundreds of jobs locally," he said.

Construction is anticipated to take two years, adding 1,000 construction jobs during that time. When the hotel is completed it will add "well over 300 permanent jobs" according to Heiser.

As with any design concept the final plan must go before planning and zoning. If the final development plan is approved, and permits issued, the Howard Group plans to break ground later this year.