| At the July 16 Monroe County
Commission meeting, proposals were unveiled for hotels on county
property at both county airports, in Key West and Marathon. One
proposal for the Key West airport is for a 19-story (no, that is not a
typo!) monster. Although no specific proposal is being acted on at
this time, Last Stand
registered opposition to hotels on either airport property on grounds
that hotels are not allowed uses of airport property under county
land-use rules, and that we oppose building hotels outside of the
Rate-of-Growth (ROGO) allocation system, which these projects would
surely require. Specific proposals, if pursued, will likely have
many additional reasons for objection. It's a bad idea that should
be allowed to die a quiet death.
The July 18 Key West Citizen
editorial below echoes our sentiment - that Monroe County should stay
out of the hotel business. |
County should stay out of hotel business
As we watched the Monroe County Commission's
deliberations about the prospect of encouraging developers to
build hotels on public property at the Marathon and Key West
airports, we could not help but mutter in disbelief. Trying to
follow the logic of what soon became a lengthy dialogue was at
times like watching bumper pool. Moreover, five hotel developers
have, at the county's invitation, already expressed a
willingness to undertake these projects.
How did this idea get to the point that negotiations with
prospective developers are a next step?
Do we really need two new hotels? Should public land be leased
to developers in return for a percentage of profits? How can we
be so certain that profits will be generated?
Mercifully, the commissioners were overcome by a rush of brains
to their heads when Commissioner George Neugent raised an
innocent but pertinent question: Have the two municipalities,
Marathon and Key West, been consulted?
Well, duh. No, they have not been consulted.
Armed with knowledge of this minor detail, the commission
directed the county administrator to undertake discussions with
the municipalities that would be affected. Also, a committee of
county officials would have to be created to vet any bid
proposals that may be forthcoming. Meantime, discussions with
developers can proceed, but the commission decided to take no
further action unless and until all the ducks are in a row.
Today, this page takes occasion to pour cold water on what we
believe is an ill-timed and ill-conceived idea.
Has a solid business case been developed, affirming that the
marketplace needs these hotels? Apparently not. So far, the plan
looks more like just a hunch that somehow stuck in the brain of
its most passionate advocate, Mayor Mario De Gennaro.
Isn't it likely that the municipalities will oppose the plans?
Citizens of Key West are in no mood for major new development.
Besides, there are already three hotels plus a Hyatt Vacation
Club within walking distance of the airport. In Marathon, the
city's mostly locally owned hotels would surely not welcome the
competition.
Developers already are saying profitability depends on them
being granted exceptions to the county's existing growth
regulations. And what of Key West's height restrictions and
rigorous building codes?
Monroe County remains an Area of Critical State Concern and it
doesn't appear the state Department Of Community Affairs is
disposed to blessing exemptions from development rules for these
or any other projects.
Finally, Marathon and Key West are not now, and never will be,
major airline hubs where nearby hotels could benefit from
conventions or travelers who need overnight accommodations
because flights are delayed or canceled. Accordingly, it's a
pipe dream to believe that commuter airlines will provide a
profitable market for hotels located at our airports.
As we understand it, Mayor D. Gennaro is determinedly looking
for ways to use some of the county's assets to generate
additional revenues. We don't knock him for that, especially in
a time when revenues are diminishing and expenses are growing.
But we don't think that a partnership with hotel developers and
investors is a sensible place to start, especially without
consent of the citizenry. In our view, the county should not
become a competitor to existing hotels and the county should not
invest valuable assets in businesses it knows nothing about.
Maybe we're just old-fashioned, but we believe the county
government should focus its energies on its primary mandates:
public safety, infrastructure, human services and scrupulous
fiscal accountability.
— The Citizen |
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