In Treasure Island, voters this month approved referendum measures allowing more residential units to be built downtown. But plans to increase hotel density in that same area narrowly failed, with one referendum measure deadlocking in a 762-762 tie.

That voters ultimately rejected adding more hotel rooms, even with no formal opposition group, suggests residents haven't changed their minds about not wanting more hotels, Treasure Island lawyer Ken Weiss said.

Cigar Republic owner Joel Vazquez welcomes growth. He points to a massive vacant lot on Gulf Boulevard, just north of Treasure Island's downtown, that has gone into foreclosure and changed hands multiple times through the years.

"If you're coming down on Main Street and you get down to the beach and what you see is an abandoned lot, that's not really great for our image here," said Vazquez, whose shop is in a two-story retail center on the Treasure Island Causeway.

He supported the city's recent plan to increase hotel room density and says letting hotels grow is the only way to attract development and keep the tourism economy vibrant.

After the recession, city officials sought input on growth from residents, who said they were open to adding a modest amount of rooms to beachfront hotels, Treasure Island City Manager Reid Silverboard said.

The city is rewriting its land development code to encourage redevelopment of hotels along the city's main beachfront drag, from 104th to 119th Avenue, Silverboard said.

Any changes would have to go before voters because land-use decisions regarding height and density are required to be decided by referendum in Treasure Island. That might change, though, because a bill in the Florida Legislature could restrict cities' ability to put development decisions to a popular vote.

Organized opposition to St. Pete Beach's development plans has faded in recent years. Critics are pinning their hopes on a lawsuit Weiss filed challenging the city's comprehensive plan. A circuit court judge ruled against Weiss, but Weiss has appealed.

"We still believe in what we believe, and we're just waiting for the lawsuit to finish up," said Harry Metz, a former leader of Citizens for Responsible Growth and a former city commissioner.

City officials are hopeful resolving Weiss' lawsuit, which threatens to invalidate the allowances for increased hotel growth, will spur redevelopment of aging properties that have been on hold for years.

One prime location is the condemned Coral Reef Hotel, next to the Coral Reef Resort, which served as a backdrop for the new "Spring Breakers" movie.
"Nobody really wants to get going with that hanging over their head," Vice Mayor Marvin Shavlan said.

The election in recent years of Mayor Steve McFarlin, Shavlan, Huhn and Realtor Melinda Pletcher, who joined the City Commission this month after drawing no opposition, would seem to indicate growing public support of growth or, at least, dwindling opposition. Commissioner Jim Parent also kept his seat this year without opposition.

Pletcher lost a heated commission race to Metz in 2007, when she was painted as the pro-growth candidate. Although she doesn't miss the rancor of those days, Pletcher said development in St. Pete Beach could have gotten out of hand without the debate that helped shape a restrained redevelopment plan: "You would have ridden down Gulf Boulevard and never seen the Gulf," she said.

The city's current plan allows for a measure of responsible development, Pletcher said.

At the same time, the city is also looking to spruce up the historical Corey Avenue business district by establishing a community redevelopment area, which would allow money from property tax increases to go toward improvements.

Updating and expanding is crucial to saving the area's tourism economy and businesses in the south Pinellas beach communities, said TradeWinds Resort CEO Tim Bogat. In the past, the alternatives were either no development or residential condos, which don't attract business.

But the new plan gives hotels an incentive to expand, and that could spur other business growth, Bogat said.

"If you go to Sand Key and see if there are any shopping centers, restaurants, food stores, retail outlets, the quick answer is there are a few, but not many," he said.

jboatwright@tampatrib.com (727) 215-1277