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November 24, 2006

Marriott may be making its move on airport

by Ed Martin

    Does a $150 million hotel (perhaps a hotel/condo) on the golf course/airport property near Harbor Drive sound like a pipe dream?
    Not according to people with ties to the airport and city government — although the city has not provided the public with detailed information about ongoing discussions.
    City Manager Marty Black has sent a memo to council mentioning in brief terms a possible interest in certain kinds of development along the Intracoastal Waterway side of the property. However, other city officials say the property in question is south of the airport, closer to Harbor Drive.
    Piecing the story together from sources who do not wish to be identified, and not directly confirmed by participants, a principal figure in the story is Aris Mardirossian, principal of Amalthea Properties Investment LLC of Germantown, Md. Mardirossian has spent time in Venice and has contacts here.
    The hotel in question is reported to be a Marriott Suites, a hotel with kitchenettes that might be convenient for ultimate hotel/ condo marketing. It is not unusual for Marriott or other corporations to acquire property through a partnership with a developer.
    A phone call to Marriott asking for comment was not returned, nor was one to Black.
    It is reported that the development would involve a number of four-story buildings, and even canals, suggesting a link to the waterway. Specific mention was not made of a marina. Approval by city council for use of the property would be required.
    Mardirossian, a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and developer, seems to understand how development politics works, which could be useful here.
    A group called Neighbors of a Better Montgomery (a county in Maryland) PAC has tracked contributions by his businesses, employees and family members to the Montgomery County Council, the county executive and other politicians of $65,850, and a total of Maryland contributions of $102,835, during the period Jan. 1, 1999, to Dec. 31, 2002, citing Maryland State Board of Election reports. (Note: The Web site www.neighborspac.org warns that its figures, assembled from state figures, could have accidental errors, so readers should take caution.)
    The Venice Golf Association, a private group whose membership is not public, operates the Lake Venice Golf Club on airport property leased from the city. It was involved in a contentious negotiation process with the city attorney when it sought a lease extension several years ago.
    The then-council moved City Attorney Robert Anderson aside and had George Hunt (then city manager and a nonlawyer) negotiate the lease with attorney E.G. Boone, representing the VGA.
    After council approved the lease, a long fight began between the city and the Federal Aviation Administration, which felt that the terms of the lease were not adequate. After the city lost federal airport support for several years, the lease was adjusted for higher payments.
FAA requirements may have impact
    Pilots and others interested in the airport are aware that FAA requirements for safety margins around the runways may cause problems for the golf course and for a proposed road down the east side of the airport, near the waterway, which would lead to the possible hotel site.
    An area at the end of runway 4-22 (the compass headings of the runway) may need to be extended into the golf course. A similar area at the other end, near the Circus Bridge, could make the longplanned access road impossible. Safety areas parallel to the runway may also force changes.
    These requirements, plus the opportunity for the VGA to make a profitable transfer of its airport lease to development interests, are factors in the current situation.
    Runway 4-22 is the runway citizens near Harbor Drive want to be upgraded electronically and reconstructed, because jet traffic using it would be less disruptive. The other runway, 13-31, leads over their neighborhoods and has been an irritant — used frequently by jets and other planes that are requested, but not required, to use 4-22.
    The city applied for funds from the FAA to reconstruct 13-31, a project now under way. The city has promised to apply for funds for 4-22 in an upcoming grant cycle, but there are now discussions within city government of shortening the runway and eliminating the electronics to avoid interference with development.
    It is unclear how pilots might react to these changes in airport plans — a longrange plan update is under way and the advisory committee has not dealt with these issues.
    For small planes a shorter runway would present no problem, but jets would have to use the runway leading over the neighbors rather than the gulf beaches.
    City hall watchers are waiting for the other shoe to drop — wondering if talks about moving the airport east of I-75 may be resurrected, and also wondering whether locals who have previously expressed interest in developing the airport and nearby beaches — including Steve Harner, Mike Miller and Dave Farley — will be part of a development team.

Ed Martin can be contacted at Ed@insideveniceflorida.com

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