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Council approves plans for 50-room hotel
By MELISSA LATTMAN
| Article published on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 |
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PINELLAS PARK – The Pinellas Park City Council approved preliminary plans on Nov. 24 for a proposed 50-room hotel that will be constructed entirely of cargo shipping containers.
The hotel still lacks a brand name. It will be located at 5060 Ulmerton Road.
The developer, Robert Root of T3 Properties LLC of Seminole, said they were doing a lot of unique things at the site. The proposed 70-foot tall structure would be built with a matrix of cargo shipping containers.
When completed people would be able to see into the hotel’s pool from 49th Street. The parking areas will incorporate a new system that would eliminate the need for onsite drainage retention ponds.
For heating and cooling of the proposed hotel the developers plan to use a geothermal system from Norway that utilizes water hoses for radiant heating and cooling. The goal is to make it energy efficient.
“Just everything we are doing is unique,” Root said.
Councilman Jerry Mullins said property has been difficult to develop because of its odd shape. He asked if any of the requested variances affected safety or density beyond what was allowed by code. Dean Neal, zoning director, said they did not as long as the variances were approved.
Mullins said the proposed hotel is a very unique concept. Root said it would be the only one like it in the United States. Root said he has been working with the Southwest Florida Water Management District for its approval, as well.
The council approved conditional use of the parcel for hotels and motels in an area zoned general office and light industrial. Current nearby businesses include NAPA Auto Parts, Turtle Creek Industrial Office Park and Marriott Residence Inn and Marriott Town Place Suites.
The city staff did not find any adverse affect on the city’s infrastructure from the proposed development, Neal wrote in his memorandum on the project.
The next stage of the project for the developer would be to apply for a building permit and present a final site plan assuming substantive changes are not made to the project, which would necessitate going through the approval process again. The city has not yet seen architectural plans for the project, Neal said.
In other matters the city recognized Police Lt. Paul J. Andrews for 25 years of service. Andrews started as a police dispatcher in 1984. He became a police officer in 1987 and achieved his current post in 2005.
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Article published on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009
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