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November 2008
Nov. 15, 2008 - New Hotel in Vilano Beach? |
At the North Shores Improvement Association meeting on Monday, November 10, 2008, Farid (“Fred”) Ashdji presented his conceptual plans for a Wyndham Hotel in place of his Town and County Motel. It will feature a “new” art deco design, meaning he hopes feature architects will emulate his design. He hired an interior decorator, too to ensure the interior has a French Art Deco décor to establish a warm feeling. He plans to break ground in 2009 with completion 18 months later. Here's the conceptual drawing. The entrance will be changed and the color has not been selected.
All of the 72 rooms are nicely sized with 10’ ceilings. They are located on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the hotel, and all will have balconies with views. All rooms have walk-in closets. Twenty of the rooms will have Jacuzzi’s which will be located on the enclosed balconies. He has 3 suites planned. Two of the suites will be on the 2nd floor at the front corner of the building (one will be 1,000 sq. ft. and the other 1800 sq. ft.). The 3rd suite will be directly above the two on the 3rd floor and will be 1800 sq. ft.
On the first floor he proposes to have 3 meeting rooms (one-2500 sq. ft., and two-1500 sq. ft.) with a total of 5500 sq. ft. There will be a restaurant on one side on the front and on the opposite side will be a breakfast area that will serve as a lounge at night. The first floor height will be 15’. Additionally he hopes to have a gift shop, exercise room, and business center. He is talking to a local gym to offer memberships to his exercise club for locals, which will include a sauna and steam room plus an indoor and outdoor pool.
There will be a parking deck at the back of the building with the choice to go up or down. The two ramps are not connected.
The hotel will be “green” with solar-powered hot water and power. He hopes to recycle water from the shower to the toilets and harvest water from the roof for irrigation. He will use ozone to eliminate the need for hot water while doing laundry. He is also investigating a key that automatically shuts off all the room’s lights upon departing.
He is not asking for any variances to the code, which is greatly appreciated by the community. It is a beautiful design in my opinion and I am hopeful for its completion as a wonderful addition to our community. |
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Nov. 5, 2008 - Seaplane in Vilano Beach |
On Monday afternoon, November 3rd around 5 p.m., we watched a seaplane taxi up the Intracoastal around Porpoise Point and up to Vilano. It had just landed after having flown over the area. Here’s a photo I took.
Seaplane in Vilano 1
I now learn that the seaplane had an accident yesterday, November 4th just north of the Usina (Vilano) Bridge. I have not seen this seaplane before and it was exciting to see him in the area. I am glad the pilot is well and hope to see him again soon.
Here are the news reports with videos.
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Seaplane Overturns in Water, No Injuries
First Coast News - Jacksonville,FL,USA
The plane was taxiing to the middle of the water about a mile north of the Vilano Bridge in preparation for take-off when a gust of wind got under it. ...
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Pilot Pulled From Water After Ultralight Flips
News4Jax.com - Jacksonville,FL,USA
VILANO BEACH, Fla. -- A St. Johns Fire-Rescue spokesman said an ultralight aircraft taking off on the Intracoastal Waterway just behind Guana River State ...
Pilot uninjured when plane flips in Intracoastal
By dana.treen
Dave Markarian, 70, was leaving the dock about a mile north of the Vilano bridge about 12:20 pm when a wing of the plane somehow dipped into the water during the takeoff, causing the plane to overturn, said spokesman Kevin Kelshaw of ...
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