Developer Withdraws Plans For Boutique Hotel In Downtown Dunedin; J Hotel Plans Move Ahead

DUNEDIN, FL — Dunedin residents wanting to preserve the city's quaint downtown were prepared for a showdown. However, the developer took the wind out of their sails when it quietly withdrew its application to build a hotel in downtown Dunedin.

In November, the Tampa-based Founders Hospitality LLC filed a zoning request to build 45-room boutique hotel on two parcels of property in downtown Dunedin — 380 Main Street and 830 Douglas Avenue — where the three-story office building that once housed Ocean Optics is now located.

Plans for the Hyatt-branded Stirling Resort & Spa had no sooner been submitted to city staff for review when residents launched a petition drive to stop development of the hotel.

Jack Trainor of Dunedin was among those leading the charge.

"I moved here two years ago from the KC area and the big seller for me was downtown Dunedin," Trainor said. "It was a no-brainer decision once I visited the downtown. It is right out of a book on small-town coastal charm."

While the proposal by Founders Hospitality centered around the $40 million boutique hotel with a 4,459-square-foot day spa and fitness center, 5,130-square-feet of meeting space, rooftop pool and patio, and underground parking structure, the developer also wanted to build 9,270 square feet of restaurant and retail space and 44 condominium units available for seasonal visitors to rent.

Residents weren't impressed with the developer's architectural renderings showing an upscale mixed-use development built in a Mediterranean Revival style that included two spacious courtyards.

Trainor said such a development would be better suited for a metropolitan area than a quaint coastal downtown dominated by historic storefronts and homes.

Members of Dunedin's Local Planning Agency also had concerns. Chairwoman Diane Brand noted that downtown Dunedin already has a shortage of parking, and she had doubts that the 118 spaces in the underground garage proposed by the developer would accommodate all the employees, tenants, hotel guests and diners the development would generate.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Founders Hospitality LLC withdrew its proposal and allowed the December deadline to purchase the property to expire, according to Dunedin government communications director, Sue Burness.

However, another hotel project in Dunedin remains on the table.

At its regular meeting Thursday night, the Dunedin City Commission held the second reading of an ordinance approving a development agreement between the city and Grant Street Partners Dunedin LLC and Coastal ICF Construction Services to build a hotel to house the Toronto Blue Jays when they return to Dunedin for spring training.

The hotel is the final piece of an agreement between the city and team to keep the Jays' spring training home in Dunedin. The Major League Baseball team has been hosting spring training in Dunedin since the Jays franchise was launched in 1977.

The 25-year agreement between Dunedin and the Jays also included major renovations to the Jays' spring training stadium, TD Ballpark, expanding its capacity from 5,500 seats to 8,500, and construction of a state-of-the-art 115,000-square-foot player development clubhouse.

The Toronto Blue Jays will use the hotel, to be called the J Hotel, as a dormitory for players and staff when the team is in Dunedin for spring training from February to April. Only a small number of rooms will be available to the public during certain times of the year.

Located on 1.26 acres along the Dunedin Causeway, plans call for a three-story 68-room hotel. The hotel will consist of two floors of guest rooms over ground-floor parking plus the usual amenities such as meeting space, a dining area, staff offices and laundry along with a ground-floor swimming pool.

The team hopes to have the hotel constructed by early 2023.

See related story: New Hotel For Blue Jays Under Review By Dunedin City Commission