Happening today, a fiery debate about the future of a historic property on Bayshore Boulevard. A developer wants to turn the iconic Stovall Mansion into a private club, but many fear it’ll be a nuisance to their quiet neighborhood.
“What we don’t want is a private club benefiting 100 members to the detriment of the neighbors around there. That’s what we don’t want. We don’t want the extra commercial traffic. There have been enough accidents there. Those are residential streets,” said Wanda Janiszewski.
The iconic house was built in 1909. It is stunning and sits on prime land. Owner, Blake Casper tells us he has plans to renovate parts of the home and turn it into an exclusive membership club. He says it would be beneficial to the community.
But by doing that, many who are against it fear it would give way to more developers coming in to build high rise condos.
“He says it’s gonna benefit our community. It’s not going to benefit the community. It’ll benefit the club and their guests,” said Janiszewski.
Not everyone despises the proposal though. Other residents hope it will increase their home value.
“And that’s why we have a democratic process and that’s why we all get to make our case and those seven city council members decide what is the best thing for our city and our neighborhood,” said Blake Casper, developer.
The developer has a long list of big name supporters. They’re all asking city leaders to zone the property for a private club.
The last city council meeting lasted more than four hours and members voted 4-2 in favor of the private club.
