Last week’s Herald reported 700 condominium units proposed for Rio Grande for well-heeled baby boomers over the age of 55. Is retirement living the future of this county as tourism wanes?
This county could look like St. Pete (as the locals call it) with no open land anywhere to been seen. Route 9 here will be an endless corridor of townhouse developments, Sizzler Steak Houses, medical complexes, and chain stores like Target from Marmora to Erma.
Having lived 24 years in St. Pete, I saw declining tourism after Disney World was built near Orlando in the 1970s. There was less reason to go to St. Pete because other than the beaches and Busch Gardens in nearby Tampa, there was little to do compared to Central Florida with Mickey Mouse, Sea World, and Universal Studios.
Tourism has shown a downturn in this area during the last three years, particularly in Cape May.
St. Petersburg Beach, an adjoining town to St. Pete, has affordable and somewhat aging mo-tels. Those now seem to be doomed for demolition and replacement with condominiums. Sound familiar?
Writer Peter Gallagher noted in the Weekly Planet, in nearby Treasure Island, Fla., more than 100 hotels, motels, and rental condos, built in the 1950s and 60s, currently offer prices from $25 to $40 a night.
He quotes the president of the local hotel association saying “the tourist is not the future of Treasure Island,” but he wants chain hotels that charge $195 per night to save the beach town.
What has always carried St. Pete economically, unlike Cape May County, has been the year-round, stable senior citizen population. It supports a huge industry of doctor’s offices, hospitals, and restaurants with “early bird specials,” for those who like to dine at a discount and be home before the sun goes down.
If Cape May County becomes “St. Petersburg North,” don’t expect good jobs for local folks other than in the medical industry and banking. St. Pete has a large underclass described by Gal-lagher as “snaggletoothed,” consuming enough beer to keep the Iraqi army buzzed.
The crime rate in St. Pete is astronomical, ranked 18th in the nation when paired with Tampa.
A blogger on the St. Petersburg Times Web site noted the replacement of hotels with condos would cause restaurants to close and make vacationing at the beach only for the wealthy.
She asked why “normal working class people are not worthy of touching the sands.”
Cape May seems to be on the path of one motel after another being converted to condotels (condo-hotels).
After the Coachman Motel on Beach Avenue in Cape May is converted to condos, what is next? The Montreal and the Atlas?
Small motels on Madison and Pittsburgh avenues are already history.
The question remains, how many condotel rooms will be available for nightly rentals in Cape May? Will condotel rooms be too expensive for mom, dad, and the two kids headed for the shore in their minivan?
Will that factor kill tourism other than for the wealthy who own property here? Will the same thing happen in the Wildwoods?
Some news items to consider:
• Motel owner sees property taxes rise from $4,300 to $26,000.
• 76 condos planned, many topping $1 million for one unit, 40 units sold; however only about 40 percent have people living in them.
• Longtime residents unable to afford to live in their old neighborhood.
Sound familiar? Those items are from St. Petersburg-Tampa area newspapers.
Contact Fichter at (609) 886-8600 Ext 30, or Jfichter@cmcherald.com
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