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Ever wonder what was going
through their minds when the rulers of Troy pushed open the city
gates and hauled in that enormous, ungainly horse? It was a gift
from the Greeks, after all, and the Greeks had been attacking
them for nearly a decade. Why did the Trojans suddenly let their
guard down? Why did they violate the very rules they created to
protect their city? It’s certainly worth pondering, because
history is about to repeat itself. Standing at the fragile gates
of Old Town is a Trojan horse called Watermark. |
| Watermark is an appropriate name.
If built, it will dominate what’s left of our historic
waterfront. Even now it leaves human scars, pitting neighbor
against neighbor as its handler, Jim Hendrick, rolls it over
every standard, guideline and restriction in its path. A former
Monroe County Attorney…and long time friend and legal counsel to
developer Pritam Singh…Mr. Hendrick is a clever strategist. He’s
kept the public focus on the people, not the project. Who are
Caroline Street Partners? Who is Cortex? This verbal “sleight of
hand” has allowed the single most significant threat posed by
Watermark to go virtually unnoticed: the fact that Watermark,
like the Trojan horse, is a whole lot more than it appears to
be. |
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Mr. Hendrick is well aware
that if he and the developers of Watermark gain approval for
their project…in violation of the very regulations and
guidelines created to prevent such out-of-character and
out-of-scale buildings in our Historic District …Old Town will
become vulnerable to a tidal wave of development. With Watermark
as a precedent, the City will have to approve similar projects
or endure a barrage of costly and time-consuming lawsuits. Any
developer denied his own piece of the rock can simply retain Mr.
Hendrick to win his case against the City and move along with
his project. Little by little our venerable wooden structures
will give way to Watermark clones and faux Conch mansions. Every
developer, every contractor, every architect knows it is vastly
less expensive to build from scratch than to renovate an
existing structure. They have everything to gain if Watermark
succeeds. Key West has everything to lose.
Key West’s decision makers,
like the rulers of Troy, seem curiously disinclined to
acknowledge any risk in accepting Watermark at face value.
They’ve already unlocked the gate, and now they’re pushing it
open. Unless we’re willing to stand by and let them turn Old
Town into Any Town, we’ve got to make our voices heard. We must
demand that Watermark’s developers bring their project 100%
into compliance with the codes and restrictions that protect the
integrity of our Historic District. We must send a loud and
clear message to the City Commission that the preservation of
Old Town…especially the unique, diverse collection of
historic architecture that defines it…is vital, not only
to the quality of life of those who live here, but to our
economy as well. This is a community treasure. It ranks among
the top reasons tourists come here. Can our leaders seriously
believe that visitors will clamor aboard the Conch Train for a
tour of “Historic Watermarkitecture?”
Old Town is a visual and
spiritual link to all the fascinating episodes in the life of
this Island City: outrageous, bawdy, beautiful…and
irreplaceable. History can repeat itself, as it now threatens to
do. It cannot recreate itself.
Janet Hartwell |
