Balancing NSB’s past and future

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 2:01 AM

SpringHill Suites a catalyst for compromise.

The new SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach stands as monument to a great battle — depending on your perspective, either as a symbol of victory or defeat.

But it also should be viewed as a catalyst for compromise.

The $24 million, four-story hotel, built by Amelia Island-based Poseidon Hotel Ventures, is scheduled to open within the next week or two, its initial completion date having been delayed in part by Hurricane Irma last September. That storm, however, proved to be a minor obstacle compared to the process of approving the project.

From the moment the hotel proposal was brought before city boards in 2014, public meetings drew overflow crowds. Opponents, who included many nearby residents, argued the hotel was too big for the 1.5-acre site, would generate too much traffic and wouldn’t fit in with the surrounding neighborhood. Supporters, including many business leaders, countered that the hotel would pump $87 million into the local economy during its first five years in operation.

(READ: SpringHill Suites take shape near New Smyrna shore)

In 2014 the Planning and Zoning Board denied three requests from the developer: to move the city’s coastal construction setback line an average of 75.5 feet to the east to allow for the construction of a portion of the hotel building, a swimming pool and a deck; to change the future land use of the property to allow 75 hotel rooms per acre to be built instead of 24; and to amend the hospitality category that would pave the way for up to 100 rooms per acre if certain conditions were met.

In response, the developer, which had initially proposed a 146-room hotel, withdrew the last request and scaled back the design to 114 rooms. Poseidon also changed the site layout to help mitigate the setback line.

The City Commission rejected the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendations, first approving the land-use change and later approving the developer’s request to move the setback line, allowing the hotel to be built closer to the ocean. The latter action in August 2015 cleared the way for the project finally to proceed.

The SpringHill Suites battles gave birth to the New Smyrna Beach Residents’ Coalition for Density Limits, whose members sought to open a broader front: protecting the city’s beachside and historic districts from high-density development while at the same time encouraging new construction in areas such as U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 44.

That appeared to be a recipe for trench warfare, with anti-growth residents dug in on one side and pro-development officials firmly on the other, slugging it out over every proposed project that came up for approval. The threat of such fights could have discouraged developers from even bothering with investing in New Smyrna Beach.

But a funny thing happened on the way to a stalemate: The two sides negotiated and reached a compromise. The city conducted a review of land-use and zoning designations for properties in various districts, then increased limits on density. They weren’t exactly what the coalition was seeking, but the new limits were a move in the group’s direction. Both sides benefited, as did the community as a whole.

Some residents will never be happy with the SpringHill Suites rising above Flagler Avenue, no matter how modest its profile. For them it is emblematic of a quiet little beach town’s transformation into a tourist hot spot, with the attendant crowds and traffic. To be sure, city planners face a difficult balancing act. But just as modern lodging complements the older established inns nearby, there’s room in New Smyrna Beach for the past and the future.

 

 

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 2:01 AM

SpringHill Suites a catalyst for compromise.

The new SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach stands as monument to a great battle — depending on your perspective, either as a symbol of victory or defeat.

But it also should be viewed as a catalyst for compromise.

The $24 million, four-story hotel, built by Amelia Island-based Poseidon Hotel Ventures, is scheduled to open within the next week or two, its initial completion date having been delayed in part by Hurricane Irma last September. That storm, however, proved to be a minor obstacle compared to the process of approving the project.

From the moment the hotel proposal was brought before city boards in 2014, public meetings drew overflow crowds. Opponents, who included many nearby residents, argued the hotel was too big for the 1.5-acre site, would generate too much traffic and wouldn’t fit in with the surrounding neighborhood. Supporters, including many business leaders, countered that the hotel would pump $87 million into the local economy during its first five years in operation.

(READ: SpringHill Suites take shape near New Smyrna shore)

In 2014 the Planning and Zoning Board denied three requests from the developer: to move the city’s coastal construction setback line an average of 75.5 feet to the east to allow for the construction of a portion of the hotel building, a swimming pool and a deck; to change the future land use of the property to allow 75 hotel rooms per acre to be built instead of 24; and to amend the hospitality category that would pave the way for up to 100 rooms per acre if certain conditions were met.

In response, the developer, which had initially proposed a 146-room hotel, withdrew the last request and scaled back the design to 114 rooms. Poseidon also changed the site layout to help mitigate the setback line.

The City Commission rejected the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendations, first approving the land-use change and later approving the developer’s request to move the setback line, allowing the hotel to be built closer to the ocean. The latter action in August 2015 cleared the way for the project finally to proceed.

The SpringHill Suites battles gave birth to the New Smyrna Beach Residents’ Coalition for Density Limits, whose members sought to open a broader front: protecting the city’s beachside and historic districts from high-density development while at the same time encouraging new construction in areas such as U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 44.

That appeared to be a recipe for trench warfare, with anti-growth residents dug in on one side and pro-development officials firmly on the other, slugging it out over every proposed project that came up for approval. The threat of such fights could have discouraged developers from even bothering with investing in New Smyrna Beach.

But a funny thing happened on the way to a stalemate: The two sides negotiated and reached a compromise. The city conducted a review of land-use and zoning designations for properties in various districts, then increased limits on density. They weren’t exactly what the coalition was seeking, but the new limits were a move in the group’s direction. Both sides benefited, as did the community as a whole.

Some residents will never be happy with the SpringHill Suites rising above Flagler Avenue, no matter how modest its profile. For them it is emblematic of a quiet little beach town’s transformation into a tourist hot spot, with the attendant crowds and traffic. To be sure, city planners face a difficult balancing act. But just as modern lodging complements the older established inns nearby, there’s room in New Smyrna Beach for the past and the future.

 

 

Choose the plan that’s right for you. Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Learn More