Plans for a 160-foot condo tower on the Destin harbor are a good sign for the city’s future, Chamber of Commerce Director/CEO Shane Moody says.
“I think it means the company sees what lies ahead for the city of Destin,” Moody told The Log. “The harbor is a very special place — they see the qualities that are in the harbor and can envision the development of the harbor walk and understand that is the future of Destin tourism.”
Giligan's Development has proposed building Harbor Reflections, a 15-story, 49,739 square-foot building with 28 condo units, on the 1.14 acres of waterfront that now house Gilligan’s Restaurant and Watersports.
The Destin City Council will hold its development hearing on Harbor Reflections Thursday. Development hearings are public, but they’re quasi-judicial procedures, conducted like trials with evidence and sworn testimony. Council decisions are supposed to be based entirely on the facts presented in the hearing, which means they can’t discuss the development with Destin citizens before the hearing.
Harbor Reflections will be a next door neighbor to a Destin dining mainstay
Harbor Docks owner and former city councilor Charles Morgan said he wishes the developers well in trying to move 15 stories worth of harborfront condos in a slow real estate market.
“We’re good neighbors and if it’s going to bring people to eat at our restaurant, from a business standpoint, that’s fine by me. We’re pulling for everybody, so good luck,” he said. “Those harborfront condos have typically been slow movers, and if you’re looking to buy a condo and you want peace and solitude, don’t come to the harbor. This is supposed to be a lively, vibrant place.”
Harbor Reflections is the first Tier Three project to come before the council under the tiering system established three years ago in Destin’s Land Development Code:
•Tier One projects conform to the normal height and density — the number of units allowed per acre — for their land-use category.
•Tier Two allows taller buildings and denser development if the project meets stricter design standards regarding open space, roof design, setbacks and other aspects.
•Tier Three allows greater height and density in return for “negotiated public benefits.” It’s entirely up to the council whether a proposed benefit would be acceptable or not.
Last year, the council voted to allow developers to have their proposed benefit reviewed by the city ahead of going through the permit process, so that if the benefit wasn’t acceptable, the developer wouldn’t have wasted time and money designing the project around it.
Community Development Director Jerry Mucci said that neither Harbor Reflections nor the other two Tier Three projects under review — HarborWalk Village Phase II and Beach Pointe Condominiums — have taken advantage of that option.
Harbor Reflections has proposed benefits including burying overhead utility cables; adding amenities to the nearby Benning Drive Destin shuttle stop; putting $435,000 into the city’s capital-improvement fund; and providing a landscaped access to the city’s planned Destin harbor boardwalk.
Requiring public benefits from Tier Three, city staff have said, will prevent condo towers such as Harbor Reflections from shutting out the public from the boardwalk and the waterfront.
“I think the system that’s in place will limit the number of developments that size,” Moody said. “I still think we’ll be able to preserve the quaint history and heritage of the harbor.”
Source : http://www.nwfdailynews.com/
“I think it means the company sees what lies ahead for the city of Destin,” Moody told The Log. “The harbor is a very special place — they see the qualities that are in the harbor and can envision the development of the harbor walk and understand that is the future of Destin tourism.”
Giligan's Development has proposed building Harbor Reflections, a 15-story, 49,739 square-foot building with 28 condo units, on the 1.14 acres of waterfront that now house Gilligan’s Restaurant and Watersports.
The Destin City Council will hold its development hearing on Harbor Reflections Thursday. Development hearings are public, but they’re quasi-judicial procedures, conducted like trials with evidence and sworn testimony. Council decisions are supposed to be based entirely on the facts presented in the hearing, which means they can’t discuss the development with Destin citizens before the hearing.
Harbor Reflections will be a next door neighbor to a Destin dining mainstay
Harbor Docks owner and former city councilor Charles Morgan said he wishes the developers well in trying to move 15 stories worth of harborfront condos in a slow real estate market.
“We’re good neighbors and if it’s going to bring people to eat at our restaurant, from a business standpoint, that’s fine by me. We’re pulling for everybody, so good luck,” he said. “Those harborfront condos have typically been slow movers, and if you’re looking to buy a condo and you want peace and solitude, don’t come to the harbor. This is supposed to be a lively, vibrant place.”
Harbor Reflections is the first Tier Three project to come before the council under the tiering system established three years ago in Destin’s Land Development Code:
•Tier One projects conform to the normal height and density — the number of units allowed per acre — for their land-use category.
•Tier Two allows taller buildings and denser development if the project meets stricter design standards regarding open space, roof design, setbacks and other aspects.
•Tier Three allows greater height and density in return for “negotiated public benefits.” It’s entirely up to the council whether a proposed benefit would be acceptable or not.
Last year, the council voted to allow developers to have their proposed benefit reviewed by the city ahead of going through the permit process, so that if the benefit wasn’t acceptable, the developer wouldn’t have wasted time and money designing the project around it.
Community Development Director Jerry Mucci said that neither Harbor Reflections nor the other two Tier Three projects under review — HarborWalk Village Phase II and Beach Pointe Condominiums — have taken advantage of that option.
Harbor Reflections has proposed benefits including burying overhead utility cables; adding amenities to the nearby Benning Drive Destin shuttle stop; putting $435,000 into the city’s capital-improvement fund; and providing a landscaped access to the city’s planned Destin harbor boardwalk.
Requiring public benefits from Tier Three, city staff have said, will prevent condo towers such as Harbor Reflections from shutting out the public from the boardwalk and the waterfront.
“I think the system that’s in place will limit the number of developments that size,” Moody said. “I still think we’ll be able to preserve the quaint history and heritage of the harbor.”
Source : http://www.nwfdailynews.com/
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