Hampton Inn Seagrove Beach on Chateau Hotel Property

Half the homes in my neighborhood are mobile homes.

Just curious, how would you feel it someone wanted to build a 44,000 square foot Hampton Inn 200 yards from your house?

Fine with me.

Thank you so much for the thought Mr. Wells. You're sweet. Do you live on 30a?

No, but at the same time I think you are entitled to your opinion and I understand both sides. I am still debating on how I view this but I am leaning to property ownership. At the same time I have to look at the impact on the immediate area that it will affect.

Fine with me.

Assuming a two day turnover that means about 150 more cars driving up and down the street you live on, all day long.

Meggiemom : I understand why you really don't care what happens to my neighborhood. Does it bother you that I do care what happens in my neighborhood ?

This really is a confusing forum. A bunch of you are pouncing on Meggiemom because she doesn't see anything wrong with building a hotel in Seagrove. One of you has attacked her stating that she has "damaged" something and you flyingseagull imply that she is only good enough to stay at a budget hotel, yet one of you call the suggestion that somebody might stay at a fine New York hotel is a "personal attack". She has asked questions of several of you that you don't have the guts to answer and so on. I lived in Seagrove Beach on 30a for about 7 years so I know the area but I don't live there now so I don't give a rat's ass what they build but attacking people because they don't agree with you on one issue is rude. And this entry is rude but people are entitled to their opinion.

I believe your key words here are "don't give a rat's ass what they build" which is the issue with your and the others who really don't "give a rat's ass" about the unique and special quality of life that is 30-A that those of us who do care are trying to
preserve and protect.

Meggiemom : I understand why you really don't care what happens to my neighborhood. Does it bother you that I do care what happens in my neighborhood ?

I'll do my best to answer your question with the way it was worded. No, it doesn't bother me that you care what happens to your neighborhood. I understand that you care and I appreciate that. But it really doesn't matter what I think. I assume that the property in question is zoned for commercial use and the property owners and developers have to follow zoning laws and such. I suppose you and others in Seagrove want everyone to jump on the protest band wagon but that's up to the residents, the property owners and the county to iron out.

Wrong:<br><br>The residents of SoWal want to preserve it and treasure it.<br><br>Blue, Shipman, C. Jones, Chapman, Brannon, Comander, Adkinson and the small business group want to Control Everything in South Walton.

this is that unique time where the rich people from huntsville, nasvhille, N.O, Atlanta, Bham, agree with the good people of south walton. pitty the fool that come between those two forces - and aside from analyzing this as a battle, are you frigging kidding me that we can't keep a hampton inn out of South Walton. If that's the case, the total mistique is destroyed.

Wow, so this is beginning to go from preserving nature to NIMBY in a big damn hurry. If the Hampton Inn meets all code for building, setback and drainage, then they damn sure have a right to build. And further, when you go before the board sounding like a bunch of elitists who can't fathom something as disgusting as a Hampton Inn in the area, you are going to lose. And you'll darn sure deserve to lose.

However, if you go before the board and explain that you are concerned with the additional amounts of traffic localized to that area. Or, tell them that you are concerned about already crowded beach accesses becoming clogged. Then you may have a chance.

I live in Blue Mountian Beach. Rivard has all those mega mansions along Blue Mountain Beach Rd. I see many multiples of cars in front of each one every rental cycle. Heck there is a 4 bedroom place in the Village of Blue Mountain Beach that once had 9 cars parked at it for a week.

When my wife and I were planning our move, we would come down for 1-3 days at a time. We stayed at the Embassy Suites or the Courtyard Sandestin. Renting a condo for that short time would not have been effective for us OR a landlord. Had there been a Hampton Inn in Seagrove, we would certainly have stayed there.

Just curious. What is the potential number that can be packed in the area of the photo?

If a project of this scale was proposed in your neighborhood, and the traffic would be dumped down the street you live on, will you be shouting "property rights"? You people are hypocrites.

Also, there is a concept of traffic concurrency, which I'm no genius at understanding, but it basically comes down to calculating the number of trips a project will generate, and whether the existing roads can handle the number of extra trips the proposed project will generate. This ordinance has not been enforced in any real manner for years.

When gridlock comes, and it takes an hour to go from Eastern Lake to Seaside, please shout property rights at the top of your lungs.

I understand what you are saying Lake View, but other folks who are speaking from the NIMBY perspective are going to hurt more than help.

It would be fine if they wanted to build a Hampton Inn next door to me, but I have a big problem with the proposed location over a half mile from the beach. Nobody comes here for a "quick business trip." They will come for a quick beach trip, and 90 SUVs will try to park in my driveway. I live near the only working public beach access in the area, and there is no place for them to park. They should build it within walking distance to the beach.

On second thought, I will just buy a tow truck and charge $150 per to retrieve their vehicles. I'll put a note on each one: "Welcome to Florida from South Walton TDC & Hampton Inn."

I understand what you are saying Lake View, but other folks who are speaking from the NIMBY perspective are going to hurt more than help.

I understand what you are saying also. I think an emotional NIMBY presentation is hardly a proper line of defense, but surely the traffic concurrency issue, and compatibility issues are legal issues that have major merit on this case. (By the way, I am typing this response from a Hampton Inn in Monroe, Louisiana and it's a really nice place. The shuttle is suppose to pick us up go to the beach any time now. Hahahahahahahahaha. )

Basing your opposition to this development on crowded beaches sounds like a losing position right out of the gate. What distant to the beach should the county use to justify the denial of a permit, a half mile, one mile, ten miles? You may as well also argue against it because it would increase traffic to local shops and restaurants. If this argument is successful then any future construction from a single home to a VMU could be blocked driving the value of vacant land to zero.

My suburblet was planned with a central commercial core, so I do indeed have one of those less than 200 yards
(ie. two football fields away) from my house. Drainage and setback requirements were set strictly and followed by the developer and it's no big deal to have them there.

This is called proper community planning and when it is done you know what to expect. In the case in question this is obviously not so.

For all of you calling our land use codes zoning, it just isn't so. Zoning code have very distinct and ridgid guildlines. Look at the land use code "mixed village use" which is what most of the land in question is coded. You can build just about anything you want anyway you want. The lack of proper zoning is one of the big problems, not only on 30A and SoWal but all of Walton County.

I'm sure that when you go to New York, you probably book a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria or the Plaza.

Nah, they let in the riffraff like the Kardashians.

I understand what you are saying also. I think an emotional NIMBY presentation is hardly a proper line of defense, but surely the traffic concurrency issue, and compatibility issues are legal issues that have major merit on this case. (By the way, I am typing this response from a Hampton Inn in Monroe, Louisiana and it's a really nice place. The shuttle is suppose to pick us up go to the beach any time now. Hahahahahahahahaha. )

Just to get in my .02$, from years of life experience I know that one man's NIMBY, is another man's IMBY.

Who are the backers of this proposed hotel?

Nah, they let in the riffraff like the Kardashians.

I did hear that one of those fancy hotels in NYC kicked Jace Robertson out.

Basing your opposition to this development on crowded beaches sounds like a losing position right out of the gate.

I'm not.

What distant to the beach should the county use to justify the denial of a permit, a half mile, one mile, ten miles?

For a hotel that markets to beachgoers, one block or they must provide some reasonable means for guests to get to the beach, such as a shuttle or parking close to the beach. Or they can try to convince us they will not market to beachgoers.

You may as well also argue against it because it would increase traffic to local shops and restaurants.

Local shops and restaurants are required to have adequate parking.

If this argument is successful then any future construction from a single home to a VMU could be blocked driving the value of vacant land to zero.

People who buy a home have the opportunity to look at it first and decide whether its beach access is satisfactory. Land values drop dramatically the farther you get from the beach. The developers could have bought the old Seagrove Villas Motel for $12 million. That was an appropriate place for it. Instead they bought a cheap lot and want the problem their guests cause trying to park at the beach to be somebody else's problem.

Just curious, but what would be the grounds for denial if the property is for mixed use? Most of the arguments I've heard focus on increased traffic and "A Hampton Inn isn't classy enough four our community".

Although I think traffic is an issue, I think stormwater runoff and retention may also be an issue. There was an issue of Dollar Store in Inlet that may have been at odds because of compatibility, I don't remember what happen there. I do think beach access issues may be a legitimate issue because of parking but I am surprised there hasn't been a hotel fight before this.

Dollar General bought property and is building a mile or so east of Inlet Beach - in Bay County. I was surprised they didn't put up more of a fight since legally, there was no reason to stop them. It will be interesting to see how the Hampton Inn plays out...