Hampton Inn Seagrove Beach on Chateau Hotel Property

Is the developer of the proposed Hampton Inn promising guests beach access? Isn't there a public beach access across the street from the Tom Thumb? And what is the argument going to be going forward? I don't think "We're better than trashy people who stay in chain hotels" is going to stand up as a legal argument.

Here is a link started by Dawn back when the plan was to open Chateau 30-A as a condo complex. She looks to have copied and pasted the project announcement news release. Look at the language regarding beach access. The intent then, as it will be when (if) Hampton opens is that the logical beach access is the "public Eastern Lake access". This is a slap in the face to the people living in that area!

Planned project amenities include a Cabana and Pool Club with zero entry swimming pool, an outdoor grilling area with fireplace, a fitness center, a Chateau Club Room and owners lockers. The property will feature limited commercial space with an onsite Beach Properties of Florida sales office. The beach is a short walk or bicycle ride to the public Eastern Lake Neighborhood beach access.

http://sowal.com/bb/showthread.php/...ew-condos-in-Seagrove-Beach?highlight=chateau

I'd take a slap in the face instead of a steady stream of tourons driving down my street trying to get to the beach and parking in front of my house. I think the pain will be inflicted in the other end, if you catch my drift.

I live in Seagrove Beach and can vouch for the traffic congestion during Spring and summer. It is awful. But I do not think anyone or anything will stop the Hampton Inn from being built. Will it add that much more traffic? Well look at the Prominence Development, North and South of 30a, and Alys beach, and Water color and WaterSound, how much traffic do you think all those new homes will generate? It will be a whole lot more than the Hampton Inn will generate. You can't have it both ways. If this area continues to grow at the rate it is being developed, it won't really matter if hotels build on 30a, because it is going to be grid lock regardless. I wish the Hotel was being built in a less developed part of 30a. Not everyone can afford to visit our area, and stay Saturday to Saturday. This will give Tourists an opportunity to visit 30a, and pay less to do so. Wait, weren't we all tourists once? Thanks TDC.

Yes, thanks TDC for your contributions in first suffocating the area and now choking it to death. After the demise of 30-A the TDC and hippiechick can move on to the next pristine area and destroy it..... if there are any areas like 30-A left to kill off.

Projects like this are why we have infrastructure problems. That you think it is merely making a bad situation worse is not a compelling argument for allowing it IMO.

A second hotel has been mentioned but I have heard no specifics. What's the scoop?

Remember the graffiti "NO BIG SIGNS" painted on big signs on 30A? Seems insignificant in hindsight as compared to a interstate highway exit type hotel going up in Seagrove. And how many hip-hop songs mention a Hampton Inn after the after-party? Oh, but that's okay in the "letter of the law."

A second hotel has been mentioned but I have heard no specifics. What's the scoop?

couple blocks west of Hampton Inn

Remember the graffiti "NO BIG SIGNS" painted on big signs on 30A? Seems insignificant in hindsight as compared to a interstate highway exit type hotel going up in Seagrove. And how many hip-hop songs mention a Hampton Inn after the after-party? Oh, but that's okay in the "letter of the law."

Isn't the fact there are no hip-hop songs a positive?

I still am scratching my head how the planning commission stopped the Dollar General from going up but are ok with the Hampton Inn. Dies anyone know what the difference is/was? I'm personally against both projects but the only difference I see is that the guy behind the Hampton Inn seems to be well connected in NWF. They already approved the Chateau so I can get over the traffic and congestion problem(and I live in Seagrove) but calling it a Hampton Inn is bull ****. I don't see why this ahole can't just call it the Chateau hotel and operate it with a Hampton Inn business model. To be fair we have hotels already up and going in on 30A but all of those are not chain motels. It just doesn't fit. If this gets passed through all my fellow voters need to hold their representatives feet to the fire and do a complete overhaul with the current regime even if it's another split vote before we have strip clubs, tattoo parlors, Fast food drive throughs, and pawn shops going up too

couple blocks west of Hampton Inn

has it been approved? Why has there been no specifics been made public?

has it been approved? Why has there been no specifics been made public?

Stay tuned.

Isn't the fact there are no hip-hop songs a positive?

Yes, a bunch of hip-hop songs glorify the Hampton Inn for after the after-party. So compatible with 30A.

A lot of the posts seem to be 'preaching to the choir'. The vast majority of the people on this forum are against the Hampton Inn. The fact is that one of the principles in this project is a pretty big presence in Walton County. Environmentalist, landowner, businessman. Over the years, he, along with developer Jay Odom has been the biggest single contributor to Walton County's elected officials and has done lots of business with the county and the school district. From what I know about Mr. Davis, he likes to bet on a sure thing. He's thorough and I'm sure he's done his homework. While I'm opposed to the continuing development along 30a, I don't think it does much good to fight windmills. Grassroots causes are fine but when the conversation turns to silly subjects like hip hop there doesn't seem to be much more to be said.

A lot of the posts seem to be 'preaching to the choir'. The vast majority of the people on this forum are against the Hampton Inn. The fact is that one of the principles in this project is a pretty big presence in Walton County. Environmentalist, landowner, businessman. Over the years, he, along with developer Jay Odom has been the biggest single contributor to Walton County's elected officials and has done lots of business with the county and the school district. From what I know about Mr. Davis, he likes to bet on a sure thing. He's thorough and I'm sure he's done his homework. While I'm opposed to the continuing development along 30a, I don't think it does much good to fight windmills. Grassroots causes are fine but when the conversation turns to silly subjects like hip hop there doesn't seem to be much more to be said.

it was intended to be silly but true. There are more fundamental reasons why this project should be rejected. But I'm not playing my cards yet.

it was intended to be silly but true. There are more fundamental reasons why this project should be rejected. But I'm not playing my cards yet.

Good for you! I haven't a dog in this fight as the project is not close to my area. But having sat on a planning commission as well as having an education in urban planning, I can tell you there are many viable reasons available to reject this project. The question is, will the BCC cave to money interests or survey the whole question? If they do closely examine all facets of the project, they will reject it from all the information I've seen.

Good for you! I haven't a dog in this fight as the project is not close to my area. But having sat on a planning commission as well as having an education in urban planning, I can tell you there are many viable reasons available to reject this project. The question is, will the BCC cave to money interests or survey the whole question? If they do closely examine all facets of the project, they will reject it from all the information I've seen.

Andy you have mentioned this before, I am still curious what they are. If the planning board and BCC decide it is ok and the codes don't disallow what viable reasons are there. If they deal with the drainage issue which will be a problem, and traffic is already an issue so really there won't be any change there. As for beach access we have those same issues now. I know this isn't what you want to hear and I have no dog in the hunt. Maybe something good will come out of it.

Yes, a bunch of hip-hop songs glorify the Hampton Inn for after the after-party. So compatible with 30A.

Oh, well I wouldn't have known that.

So the project meets current codes, yet all of you expect the BCC to reject the project with compelling arguments like "chain hotels are ugly, people who stay in such hotels have lousy eating habits, it'll put a stop to traffic (yet 300 new condo units won't affect traffic), we're better than they are, it doesn't fit, there's no beach access, the hotel guests will park in my yard, chain hotels just don't fit". Yea! You can't lose this fight. If the BCC does what you want them to do, maybe you can pray the developer doesn't take it to court.

I still am scratching my head how the planning commission stopped the Dollar General from going up but are ok with the Hampton Inn. Dies anyone know what the difference is/was? I'm personally against both projects but the only difference I see is that the guy behind the Hampton Inn seems to be well connected in NWF. They already approved the Chateau so I can get over the traffic and congestion problem(and I live in Seagrove) but calling it a Hampton Inn is bull ****. I don't see why this ahole can't just call it the Chateau hotel and operate it with a Hampton Inn business model. To be fair we have hotels already up and going in on 30A but all of those are not chain motels. It just doesn't fit. If this gets passed through all my fellow voters need to hold their representatives feet to the fire and do a complete overhaul with the current regime even if it's another split vote before we have strip clubs, tattoo parlors, Fast food drive throughs, and pawn shops going up too

Great idea not to call it a Hampton Inn. Maybe they could call it the 'Hamlet Inn' with no overt affiliation with Hilton or any other chain or franchise. And since everyone is so consumed with chains and franchises that don't belong, perhaps they can close the Tom Thumb store and any other "chain operation" that may be operating along 30a. Would you be OK with a hotel called Motel 7?

Y'all realize that the Hampton Inn-hip hop bit up there can easily be read as encouraging lodging discrimination based on race?

I'm really surprised anyone was willing to go there on a general interest public message board in the 21st century.

Andy you have mentioned this before, I am still curious what they are. If the planning board and BCC decide it is ok and the codes don't disallow what viable reasons are there. If they deal with the drainage issue which will be a problem, and traffic is already an issue so really there won't be any change there. As for beach access we have those same issues now. I know this isn't what you want to hear and I have no dog in the hunt. Maybe something good will come out of it.

Our land use code is not the same as rigid area zoning codes are. There is plenty of room for interpretation in the code. I agree that if both the Planning Commission and BCC decide to allow the project it is probably a dead issue. The point is there is enough varibles and serious issues regarding the project to allow an interpretation that is not in the interest of the developers. Drainage, COMPATIBILITY, traffic and I am sure others can be found, come to mind. Emotion does not enter the equation, but common sense and the uniqueness of the area certainly does.

Y'all realize that the Hampton Inn-hip hop bit up there can easily be read as encouraging lodging discrimination based on race?

I'm really surprised anyone was willing to go there on a general interest public message board in the 21st century.

Because it's true if you live in the ATL. I was just being silly. Like negative aleph null on the scale of arguments reasons against the Hampton. But still a perception that we Atlanta folks have.

The primary argument is that it's incompatible with the neighborhood, and it's incompatible with all of 30A. For many reasons.

BTW nothing racist about hip-hop. That's what I listen to most of the time.

If ya'll decide to incorporate, you can call the town Little Buckhead.

Didn't the Dollar General business comply with the zoning? Does anyone know what the grounds were for disallowing that project and why that wouldn't apply here? The only difference I see is that one project had a well connected guy behind it.

Our land use code is not the same as rigid area zoning codes are. There is plenty of room for interpretation in the code. I agree that if both the Planning Commission and BCC decide to allow the project it is probably a dead issue. The point is there is enough varibles and serious issues regarding the project to allow an interpretation that is not in the interest of the developers. Drainage, COMPATIBILITY, traffic and I am sure others can be found, come to mind. Emotion does not enter the equation, but common sense and the uniqueness of the area certainly does.

Every one of these points mentioned here was brought up at the Planning Commission meeting by concerned residents. Every one of these concerns was shot down at the meeting by the developer's attorney who detailed his interpretation of the codes. The Planning Commission bought off on this bs.....In fact, as I recall one member even congratulated the attorney on his thorough preparation in defending the proposal. Common sense was not a part of any of this. The desire for "Uniqueness" was considered an emotion. Drainage, compatibility and traffic were all brought up by numerous residents, and each point was shot down by the developers attorney who provided his interpretation of the law. And the planning commission bought off on that interpretation (at least three of them did).

There are plenty of variables, but it appeared that the 3 members of the planning commission who voted in favor of the developers were either: 1. Not knowledgable enough of the codes to vote against the attorney; 2. Intimidated by the developers and their attorney or 3. Fearful of repercussions from the developers side if they voted against them. If this is the case, hopefully the BCC does not feel this same intimidation.

On the same subject but off the subject, I am a little suspicious of what the developer's plans are for the 600 sq ft portion of the VMU space that is not going to be part of the hotel. When asked, there was a lot of hesitation from the developer....he mentioned something like "maybe they would sell shirts or suntan oil or rent bikes....." Nothing firm. I find it hard to believe that a developer who has this Hampton Inn idea so thoroughly researched and planned out doesn't know what his plan is for that 600sq ft. What is usually near a Hampton Inn? Is a Waffle House next? Just sayin'.