The 33 year old resort community of Sandestin has weathered everything from hurricanes to unscrupulous developers and still remains a charming place in spite of it all. Located on the gulf coast, in Walton County Florida, Sandestin boasts 2400 acres of premium real estate. With a beach, the bay, golf, tennis, and endless dining and shopping opportunities, resort residents and guests can be quite happy and entertained while never leaving the resort.
Over time, something strange has happened to Sandestin that no one expected. Without anyone noticing, a community has quietly sprouted and taken root. 20 – 25% of property owners here call Sandestin home for at least part of the year. These residents are here by choice and were originally drawn to Sandestin by its quiet charm. Strangers became neighbors, neighbors became friends and suddenly it’s not just the place that matters it’s the people as well.
This Sandestin community of residents has always been tolerant of the tourism the resort attracts. Many of the amenities of the resort would not be affordable if funded by the full and part time residents alone. The tourist season itself has always been seen as a necessary evil, a price you pay for living in paradise. We gather together some time after Labor Day every year to wave goodbye to the summer tourists and thank them for their patronage and their money well spent.
I have been a resident of Sandestin for 7 years. I have friends who have lived here much longer, some even bought here at the very beginning. A lot has changed in the last 33 years, but most of the change has come in the last 6 years since Intrawest took over ownership and development. In the year 2000 Sandestin offered 730 accomodations for resort guests, in the summer of 2006 this number was 1700. By the summer 2008 we will likely see over 2700 rental units available.
Lately there have been plans a ‘foot to develop Sandestin further into a “Storied” place with artificial themes like an old Florida Fishing Village. Intrawest has created similar places in Nevada, Hawaii, and Colorado but they have never tried to refashion such a well established resort as Sandestin. The problem with their “Disneyland” approach is that there is a real danger of destroying the true flavor of Sandestin. The beautiful images of nature and the soft quiet friendliness of the residents and staff are in danger of being drowned out by the noise that is Intrawest.
Every community must have a conscience and the homeowners are the conscience of Sandestin. We have struggled over the last 2 years to find our voice; we are still struggling today. Intrawest has had very successful projects in the US and Canada but Sandestin is not one of them. In the successful projects, the homeowners were involved from the beginning, giving Intrawest feedback and ideas on how they wanted their community to develop over time. For some reason, the homeowners of Sandestin have been left out of the planning process all together. We often do not learn about new projects until the construction crews arrive to begin work. Intrawest’s practices have detroyed most of the homeowner loyalty and good will they enjoyed when they first acquired the development rights to Sandestin.
I, as a homeowner and resident of Sandestin would like Intrawest to know two things:
1) Even if Intrawest did not realize it at the time they bought Sandestin in 1998, they bought into a community as well as a resort. There’s more to this place than parcels and units and profits.
2) Homeowners do not want to say “NO” to continued development. Rather they would like Intrawest to answer “HOW”.
* How do they plan to accomplish the new construction without over taxing the fragile infrastructure of this 30-year-old development?
* How do they plan to fairly distribute access to amenities as the permanent and tourist populations continue to grow?
* Finally, Intrawest has exactly 2400 acres between the gulf and the bay which is strictly constrained by natural obstacles and existing structures. In spite of vested rights to build out the Development Order they purchased, Intrawest has an obligation to implement a plan that is socially, environmentally, and fiscally responsible for all parties involved.
