HOLMES BEACH – Talks between the property owners at the Bali Hai Beachfront Resort and city leaders are planned to continue at a future meeting and it looks like both parties are moving closer to an agreement.
During a Feb. 23 work session, discussions on the proposed Bali Hai site plan amendment continued, with Assistant City Planner Austin Doles giving a presentation on what the property owners would like to do and how she recommends city leaders respond. And while city commissioners and attorney Louis Najmy, speaking on behalf of the resort’s owners, are closer to an agreement, there are a couple of sticking points where the two parties are not seeing eye to eye, primarily concerning how the resort should operate until the site plan is approved.
City staff suggested the unpermitted bar/lounge and spa on the premises at the Bali Hai should cease operations until the site plan amendment is approved, permits are received, the property passes all inspections, and receives a certificate of occupancy for those areas.
Najmy said it’s unfair of the city to request the bar/lounge and spa operations to cease while the details of the site plan are worked out with city leaders. He argues that the bar/lounge area was a pre-existing use on the property. Brisson said he’s been unable to find any permits, business tax receipts, or other records that prove the bar/lounge was in use prior to the current owners opening it. Mayor Judy Titsworth said her father built the property and the area underneath the old owner’s apartment currently being used as a bar/lounge for guests was previously an entertaining space for the prior owners.
Najmy also argued that his clients have put millions of dollars into the property to try and make it a five-star establishment. Commissioner Jayne Christenson said it would have benefitted his clients to present their plans to the city for approval before investing to make sure that their vision for the Bali Hai resort could be accommodated in the residential zone where the property is located.
While commissioners said they don’t want to prevent the resort from being profitable for its owners, they have to consider the surrounding residential neighbors and what’s allowed in the beachfront district when approving the site plan, particularly since construction work was completed and amenities were added without prior approval from the city or permits being applied for.
And while discussions ended Feb. 23 at an impasse, commissioners agreed to move the proposed site plan forward to a regular meeting and public hearing in the hopes of getting more input from the resort’s neighbors. Commissioners also hope to reach an agreement with the resort’s owners before a case seeking an injunction to stop operations at the resort until a new site plan is approved moves forward in Manatee County Circuit Court.
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