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Marathon is on the brink of losing its character
If residents
of Marathon still love the sleepy little fishing community they
discovered years ago, not to worry — the bulldozers will soon wake them
up. Unfortunately, by then it will be too late to stop the massive
development that will transform Marathon into just another overbuilt
tourist stop in South Florida. The only hope to stop the exploitation
and gentrification of this charming little fishing village rests in the
hands of Thaddeus Cohen, the Secretary of the Department of Community
Affairs.
So what's the
hype? Something so defining that it has City Council candidates pitting
themselves for and against each other on this issue: the future of
Marathon. Do we embrace the kind of commercial development we have seen
in Key West in recent years — overbuilt hotels, condominiums and
destination resorts? Or do we demand a level of re-development that is
fair to the existing hotelier while embracing the qualities that make
Marathon a family community?
The Marathon
City Council has approved the re-development of every existing
hotel/motel/campsite in our town (previously defined and built as "one
bedroom, one bath") into a 1,500 square foot unit complete with three
bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, living and dining areas, balconies ... a
house you say? Condominium-ization, I am told.
And why is
that a problem? Shouldn't our "Mom and Pops" have an opportunity to
compete with the "Big Developers" that have moved up to Marathon as
they've run out of places to build in our sister city to the west? Of
course they should, and they should be given incentives to upgrade and
compete in the tourism market. But this action is a blatant give away
that is so excessive as to increase by almost 50-fold the intensity of
hotel development we have on this island today.
And for our
local folks who are desperate for a place to call home, well, we have
been assured that this massive tourism development will create no
increase in affordable housing need. In fact, the authors of this plan,
the Marathon Hotel/Motel Association, have done an assessment that shows
there will be no additional service personnel required to operate these
new complexes, in spite of the expanded size and amenities. They've done
another assessment that tells us that there will be no increase in
traffic generated either. So surely hurricane evacuation won't be a
concern to wrestle with. I'm so glad, because that pesky human health
and safety stuff is getting to be real bothersome with all the
hurricanes we've been having lately. And potable water supply? Oops, I
think they forgot about that limitation. Maybe they can add to the
barrage of conserve water ads, or put those cute little cards in their
bathrooms asking visitors to use their towels twice.
At the final
hearing on this ordinance, one Marathon City Council member stated that
we couldn't live in the past, that this once-sleepy fishing community
has got to change — fishing is not our economy anymore, it is tourism.
Key West has gotten theirs, he said, and it is time for Marathon to get
ours. And so the ordinance was unanimously passed and the charming
little village of Marathon will be changed forever. Unless ...
Unless ...
people like you care about holding on to Marathon as a quaint little
town that values its fishing industry and its working folks and its
families, and its sense of community. And if you care enough, you will
call Thaddeus Cohen right now (850-488-8466) and tell him to send the
hotel/motel ordinance back to the City of Marathon for a rework that
works for the whole community, not just the developers.
Or, you can
just go back to sleep. Not to worry, the bulldozers will wake you up.
Debra
Harrison is a longtime Marathon resident and South Florida director for
the World Wildlife Fund. |
