Holmes Beach is close to moving forward with approving a site plan for the Bali Hai Beachfront Resort and Spa.
City commissioners reached consensus Feb. 23 to change and/or approve 16 staff-recommended stipulations for the resort renovations as developer Shawn Kaleta and city staff coordinated an updated site plan for the property that first opened in 1971.
Kaleta purchased the property at 6900 Gulf Drive in February 2019 for about $20 million and has since completed extensive renovations.
The resort includes four buildings with 42 units for guests and a two-story building that contains a multi-use room on the ground level and an owner’s apartment on the second level, as well as a small building used as a laundry facility.
Discussion about regulating the property’s uses began in March 2019, when a small bar near the pool area opened and triggered a violation based on an alleged change of use.
Louis Najmy of the Najmy Thompson law firm in Bradenton, representing Bali Hai, has previously said the bar/lounge in the multi-use room was created for guests, not the public, and the use was allowed by the previous owners for their guests.
City staff, on the other hand, insisted a new site plan was needed to establish the space’s use as a bar or lounge because it was previously used for storage.
A draft site plan was presented to the city, but staff in January expressed several concerns with the proposal to city commissioners, including apprehension over allowing the public to frequent the bar/lounge area.
In January, staff asked commissioners to provide recommendations for potential stipulations on the property.
They returned Feb. 23 with a list of 16 proposed stipulations, such as limiting the use of the spa and lounge area to guests and setting operating hours for the lounge and pool.
Commissioners agreed to:
- Require Bali Hai to devote at least two parking spaces for spa employees and one space for every two bar/lounge area employees;
- Require Bali Hai to acquire a commission-approved temporary use permit to host events like weddings;
- Limit the number of permitted entrances to each motel unit to one;
- Close the lounge area and spa until commissioners approve an updated site plan.
Commissioners also agreed to set a 10 p.m. daily deadline for the sale of alcohol at the lounge, as well as the delivery of alcohol via room service and poolside consumption of alcoholic beverages, to limit late-night activity.
Commissioners lastly reached consensus to add two stipulations to the list: one establishes 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily operating hours for the resort pool and another prohibits live music in the pool area.
Najmy told commissioners during public comment that his client was happy to cooperate with “reasonable stipulations” and was hoping to work with the city to iron out some wrinkles in those proposed by staff.
Resident Hallie Lee opposed the city action. She told commissioners during public comment that she was “incensed” by the proposed stipulations.
“A lot of these regulations are very anti-business,” Lee said. “The rationale behind some of these rules is just asinine.”
