Finally some progress!!!
Quote
Upscale hotel coming to city
Announcements come after months of inaction at San Sebastian project
By KATI BEXLEY | More by this reporter | kati.bexley@staugustine.com | Posted: Monday, December 17, 2007 ; Updated: 8:07 AM on Monday, December 17, 2007
(http://staugustine.com/images/121707/18994_512.jpg)
The developers of the San Sebastian Harbor project in St. Augustine say they're close to signing a contract with an upscale hotel group, which they won't name until the contract is signed.
"(The hotel) will be the first of its brand to locate in Northeast Florida, and we are very excited about bringing and sharing this relationship with St. Augustine," said Paul McCormick, who owns The McCormick Agency in Jacksonville and represents the developer, The Devlin Group of Jacksonville.
The announcement comes at a time when city officials were wondering why nothing has been going on at the San Sebastian project.
St. Augustine officials say they're waiting to hear from The Devlin Group about project permits that are about to expire at the end of December.
And Mark Knight, city planning and building department director, said before the announcement about the upscale hotel that the San Sebastian project is "basically stalled out." He said the city sent a notification to Wallace Devlin, owner of The Devlin Group, on Nov. 30 stating if they don't hear from him by Dec. 31 the San Sebastian and May Street project permits will be voided.
"We've had nothing going on this project for more than six months," Knight said. "We can't just let it sit around. We don't let any projects be inactive for that long."
That's about to change, McCormick said Friday. The San Sebastian project is moving forward and that final negotiations with the hotel group are underway and that more details, including the name of the hotel group, will be made public early next year, probably in January, he said.
McCormick said the permit issue "certainly will get immediate attention. I'm just certain that will be addressed immediately."
Also, McCormick would not name the hotel corporation because contract talks are ongoing. At a meeting with city officials when the San Sebastian project was being proposed, Devlin Group representatives told the City Commission that the hotel would be "an upscale group like Westin (Corp.) or something similar."
Knight said other developers have submitted requests to put a hold on their building permits and projects because of the housing market's sharp decline, but The Devlin Group has not done that.
"There's no fee to do that," Knight said. "But we haven't heard anything from (The Devlin Group). We're just as curious as everyone else to know what's going on."
The May Street project was approved for construction in June, but Devlin never came to the city to pay for the $52,000 building permit, Knight said.
On July 26, the city requested additional information on the design for the San Sebastian hotel and condos. Knight said Devlin's group submitted revised plans, but did not answer all of the city's questions. They haven't heard from them since about the project, he said.
The Devlin Group has done a number of large commercial and residential projects. Wallace Devlin has said he is moving his center of operations from the Jacksonville area to St. Augustine.
Elements of redesign ...
When The Devlin Group gained approval from the St. Augustine City Commission in July for a redesign of the project, it included:
- An upscale resort with condominiums and a hotel, similar to a Westin.
- A hotel with a 6,000-square-foot ballroom and a 4,800-square-foot conference area.
- Retail space from 26,000 to 36,000 square feet.
- A six-story parking garage with 636 spaces.
- An elaborate marina with docks along the San Sebastian River.
QuoteHarbor project behind schedule
By KATI BEXLEY | More by this reporter | kati.bexley@staugustine.com | Posted: Monday, July 7, 2008 ; Updated: 8:19 AM on Monday, July 7, 2008
The San Sebastian Harbor project's building permit has lapsed and its construction site has looked empty for months, but its developer says things "are still moving forward."
Mark Knight, city planning and building director, said the developer, Wally Devlin, chief executive officer of The Devlin Group Inc., filed for an extension for the project's building permit in September. But the permit was never picked up or paid for. The fees would have been more than $225,000, Knight said.
Devlin says he was unaware the permit had lapsed and the project's redesign will take 10 more months to complete. He said the redesign will mean the project has to go through city approval again, calling for him to get a new building permit anyway.
San Sebastian's new design includes a Westin hotel with 275 hotel rooms, increased from 225, and 30 residential units, dropped from the previous planned 80 units. There would also be up-scale, five-star restaurants and retail shops, similar to those in the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Devlin said.
"We also still have to be approved by Starwood Hotels and Resorts before we change the design and the number of hotel rooms we want to have," Devlin said. "Things are still moving forward."
"We're probably four months behind the schedule we anticipated."
The project's marina, on the San Sebastian River, is 98 percent complete. But that, too, seems to be stalled.
Devlin said the contractor for the marina, The Auchter Co., is no longer in business and left in the middle of construction. Devlin is working to find a contractor to finish the marina.
In January, San Sebastian Harbor Resort LLC, a subsidiary of The Devlin Companies, entered an agreement with Westin Operator LLC, a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.
Construction for the $200 million project was expected to start in the fall, but Devlin expects to break ground later next year. He hopes that the project will be completed by 2010.
The Westin St. Augustine and The Residences at The Westin St. Augustine will be located on the nearly 13-acre site along the San Sebastian River in the heart of historic St. Augustine. The project will be just off King Street.
Knight said that even though there has been speculation that the project could fall through, he doesn't believe that.
"It's going to happen sooner or later," he said. "It's too good of a project not to happen."
Source: http://staugustine.com/stories/070708/news_news01_016.shtml
Worked with the McCormick Group on several projects over the years. High quality firm!
Sounds good.
It'll be a great project if it ever gets built. This proposal has been in the works for what, four years now?
Grantor: SAN SEBASTIAN HARBOR RESORT LLC (11/26/2008 9:27:29 AM)
Grantee: DEVLIN WALLACE R SR (11/26/2008 9:27:44 AM)
DEVLIN SHIRLEY H (11/26/2008 9:27:44 AM)
What was granted? Is this thing finally moving forward again? It has sat quiet for many months now.
(http://goflorida.about.com/library/graphics/fecrailwaystation-staug.jpg)(http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/1/15/250px-1913_Florida_East_Coast_Railway_advert.jpg)
(http://www.floridalandscapeinc.com/image/FireStationSm1.jpg)The station at FEC Park about 1910, tiny photo with red roof is the new fire station - nice work.
The site is the old FEC railroad yard and port at St. Augustine. The original depot sat to the North of the Flagler College/former FEC office tower and looked like a twin of the new Fire Station. (At least SOMEONE in St. Augustine bows their head to history and historic design!). As of the late 1960's there was still a train platform on the west side of the parking lot at the office bldgs. The crossings were still in place to the Harbour side of the street, and a collection of ancient rail cars sat rotting away in that space. Sad, but nice to see they are on the rebound and saluting their heritage all the way! Be super cool to set a display train like Jacksonvilles steam locomotive 1504, and a short passenger train on a restored section of track by the station - er - ah - FIRE station!! the VIVA ST AUGUSTINE!
OCKLAWAHA
IN FORCLOSURE, WHY DID THE LLP QUICK CLAIM IT TO DEVLIN SR., AND HIS WIFE?????
San Sebastian in foreclosure
The Devlin Group owes $22M on project
By KATI BEXLEY | More by this reporter | kati.bexley@staugustine.com | Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008 ; Updated: 1:05 AM on Friday, December 5, 2008
STORY PHOTOS
Click thumbnails to enlarge
Looking north along the San Sebastian River, this aerial photograph shows construction on San Sebastian Harbor Saturday, August 18, 2007. by DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com
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San Sebastian Harbor Resort's owners, The Devlin Group Inc., are in foreclosure with Wachovia Bank after owing about $22 million in the $200-million project located in downtown St. Augustine.
Wachovia Bank, National Association, filed the suit on Nov. 17, but The Devlin Group CEO Wally Devlin has not yet been served, according to court documents. From the date the suit is filed, there is an 120-day deadline for the other party to be notified.
Devlin is out of the country on his boat and told The Record he still has plans for the project. He's working on getting funding from sources in other countries because United States' banks aren't lending money right now, he said. He's trying to replace the funding he received from Wachovia. He said Wachovia is passing his debt to another bank because it was sold to Citigroup after financial troubles. Devlin was adamant his project is not in foreclosure.
"If they try to foreclose I will not legally go down without a fight," he said.
City Attorney Ron Brown reviewed the court documents and said, "This is definitely a foreclosure."
"If Wachovia sold the note on the place, then the new party could decide to continue with the foreclosure suit or cancel it," he said. "But that doesn't change the fact a foreclosure has been filed. That's just a possible solution."
Two other companies who own portions of the property, who are not in foreclosure, also now cannot move forward with the project. Matt Merritt started the San Sebastian development with his partner Rich Newton about four years ago and sold most of the property to The Devlin Group. Merritt and Newton kept a piece of the site to build a retail loft building and the company Grunthal and Schueth Properties, Inc., planned to build retail shops. However, they were both waiting for Devlin to put in the site's infrastructure.
"We're ready to build it," Merritt said. "We just can't move forward now. I don't know how long the project will be on hold."
The Devlin Group was to build a Westin hotel on the 13-acre site along the San Sebastian River. The hotel would have included a luxury spa and retail shops. Also on the site was to be upscale condominiums called The Residences at The Westin St. Augustine, and a 65-slip marina with a boardwalk promenade.
Downtown merchants, city staff and City Commissioners had thought the upscale project would enhance that area of King Street and revitalize the western corridor to the city from Ponce de Leon Boulevard, a main thoroughfare.
Mark Knight, city planning and building department director, said he was "disappointed" to hear about the foreclosure.
"(The site has) been sitting there so long as a potential project," he said. "I hope the project will still go forward eventually."
The city bought the property in 1986, Knight said, and sold it to Merritt and Newton in May 2004 for $3.6 million.
Merritt pointed out that Devlin already completed the marina and had always been "good partners." He said Devlin put about $22 million into the site, about four times what he paid for it. And Devlin especially spent a large amount of time and money on cleaning the property.
The land was originally used as the St. Augustine Gas Site, a manufactured gas plant, from 1885 to the late 1950s. As a result, it was contaminated with coal tar, a by-product of the gas production process. Several federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency -- helped clean up the Superfund site,
Merritt said he was "frustrated" the project is stalled, but that he will do "whatever I can to make sure this project is completed." Westin is still signed on to do the project, but they provide no financial backing, Merritt said.
"(Devlin) did everything first-rate, first-class. They got Westin to sign on to the project. I hope they can somehow pull out of this," Merritt said. "We are determined to see (the project) through no matter what
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Sad news. This is one project that would have been a massive boost for the city of St. Augustine.
I was in St. Augustin recently at the winery, still empty docks and plenty of weeds and grass on the lot. Hopefully, it can be revived one day, because it would be a great asset to the city.
I get bummed every time I pass it.
Wally Devlin Jr. will pull up on the Devlin yacht, dock it. He will finish the project with tax payer money. The US GOV. is the only lender open for business! "Obamaman will rescue Wally"
Heh, let's hope so. The impacts of this project on the downtown core of St. Augustine will be enormous.
Here is an image of the site from Valentine's Day weekend last month. This was taken from the roof of the San Sebastian Winery next door.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/483741587_PC9Ch-M.jpg)
They couldn't even lay some grass seed or sod the lot. Would be a great temporary greens space until the market revives and the project becomes feasible again.
This project appears to be dead too.
Oh yeah. I still would like to see someone take over cae of the lot for some greenspace until the market recovers.
Will The Westin ever be built?
It is Westin, and likely no.
San Sebastian Harbor Resort
Status: Wachovia Bank is in the process of foreclosing on the property.
Location: A roughly 13-acre site on the east side of King Street at U.S. Highway 1 at the entrance to Historic Downtown St. Augustine.
Developer: The Devlin Group.
Original plan: A 225-room Westin hotel, upscale residential condominiums called The Residences at The Westin St. Augustine, a luxury spa, high-end retail and a 65-slip marina with boardwalk promenade.
First proposed: The project was announced in 2006 and was expected to be complete by fall 2010.
Update: The bank started the foreclosure process in 2008. According to the developer’s agreement with the city, construction was to start in 2007. The city of St. Augustine recently granted the bank’s request to extend the completion date of the project from August 2012 to August 2014. Bank officials have told city officials they expect a project at that site to resume within three years.
City Planning and Building Department Director Mark Knight said he still gets phone calls from real estate agents representing prospective clients interested in buying the property.
“It shows that there’s interest in it and that once it gets out of the legal process, it could start moving forward again quickly,†he said.
A good bit of work has been done at the site. Once the market starts to recover I would not be suprised to see a new project at that location with a similar scope. It is the one last peice of the historic core that can support some nice density without demolishing historic structures.
I agree big time.
One project I definetly want to see get built, adding density and life to an area somewhat isolated from the rest of the historic district. Developing that land would also be a boon to the winery that is adjacent to the site as well.
...there is now a hint of life. I'll provide more info as I get it.
Quote from: Jason on June 30, 2010, 09:16:35 AM
...there is now a hint of life. I'll provide more info as I get it.
Thanks for the tease, now just give it to us w/o lubrication.