Condos Would Replace West Shore Hotel

Brought to you by

Condos Would Replace West Shore Hotel By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com Published: Jan 20, 2006 TAMPA - An aging hotel near the West Shore business district on Kennedy Boulevard may be replaced with a cluster of condominium buildings. Developer Joe VanWhy said he wants to raze the Clarion Hotel Tampa Westshore, 5303 W. Kennedy Blvd., and build 250 condos. Plans calls for three buildings eight- to 10-stories tall. "The area is underbuilt for residential units," VanWhy said. "The West Shore area desperately needs additional housing. There's a great business district, but many workers have to commute." The hotel, built in the 1970s, is at Kennedy Boulevard and O'Brien Street, just west of West Shore Boulevard and the WestShore Plaza. It's near Interstate 275 and a short drive to Tampa International Airport. The proposal is preliminary, and the property would need to be rezoned. VanWhy, who is based in Wesley Chapel, said he met Thursday with city officials and hopes to submit plans soon for review. Amenities would include two pools, a fitness area and concierge service, VanWhy said. Prices could change but likely would range from about $270,000 to $900,000. The project is VanWhy's second proposal for the site. In August, he received zoning approval to tear down a wing of the hotel and build 170 condos. Buyer interest prompted him to consider broadening the project. Not everyone is happy with his plans. Emmy Purcell Reynolds, president of the Beach Park Homeowners Association, which represents residents in a nearby neighborhood, said the group opposes any increase in density near their community. The association opposed VanWhy's first rezoning request and will object to this one. "This area is already congested," Reynolds said. "We don't need more people and more traffic. Everybody knows the city has problems with growth, but the city council continues to approve everything that comes before them." VanWhy, who said he has developed hotels and town houses for the past 20 years in Northern cities, said he now wants to develop in Tampa. All of his projects are owned by separate companies, he said. The hotel redevelopment project is run by Van Tampa Plaza Hotel Inc. He has two partners. VanWhy bought the hotel four years ago when it was a Ramada Inn, renovated it and opened it as Park Plaza. It has been the Clarion for two years.