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Editorial: Smart move forward at Belleview Biltmore

 
It has taken years, but the Belleair Town Commission made the right call this week when it finally approved a developer’s plan to raze most of the historic Belleview Biltmore hotel to make way for condominiums.
It has taken years, but the Belleair Town Commission made the right call this week when it finally approved a developer’s plan to raze most of the historic Belleview Biltmore hotel to make way for condominiums.
Published Dec. 11, 2014

It has taken years, but the Belleair Town Commission made the right call this week when it finally approved a developer's plan to raze most of the historic Belleview Biltmore hotel to make way for condominiums. The loss of the "White Queen of the Gulf," a once-grand and impressive hotel that hosted presidents and celebrities, is disappointing, but ultimately this was the only solution that made sense.

The demise of the hotel on the National Register of Historic Places was set in motion years ago when former owners failed to even maintain the roof of the 1890s-era wooden building, leading to extensive water damage and all the ills that come with it. A tour inside revealed a network of rigged internal gutters, as the groundskeeper struggled valiantly to mitigate what water intrusion he could. Local activists and preservationists championed restoration, but ultimately the job was just too big and too expensive. And even rehabilitated, there were reasonable concerns the property would never be able to match its past. Yes, it would still boast a Tiffany-glass ballroom, but years ago outparcels on the waterfront site were sold to condominium developers, obscuring views from hotel rooms. It also meant that even if the site was restored to a hotel, it was unlikely to be able to charge resort-style rates it would need because of the lack of amenities.

Instead, St. Petersburg developer Mike Cheezem now plans to restore the hotel's west wing, about a tenth of the structure, and use it as a boutique inn that pays homage to the past. The rest of the land will be developed with condominiums. After years of sitting fallow, the property's rejuvenation will help the small town's property tax base and reopen a small portion of the Belleview to the public. That's a reasonable compromise and, ultimately, the only real solution that presented itself.