Villager Larry Mednick and his wife felt special when they went to the beloved Villagers-only club Katie Belle’s at Spanish Springs Town Square.
“We would dress a little nicer and a make reservation for a table up front, eat and tear up the dance floor,” the Village of Lynnhaven resident recalled.
He’s angry that Katie Belle’s will be carved up into apartments.
The Villages Operations Manager Ryan McCabe told The Villages Daily Sun that the club will be converted to age-restricted apartments similar to the units which recently opened at the Lofts at Brownwood. He also indicated that amenity privileges for the Spanish Springs apartment dwellers shouldn’t be a problem.
“Contrary to the rumors that the amenity privileges recently acted on by the Amenity Authority Committee are all intended for Hacienda Hills, we’re looking strategically at several locations that could serve Villages residents who want this apartment-style living,” McCabe told the Daily Sun.
McCabe, the former son-in-law of Villages Vice President of Sales Jennifer Parr, on Aug. 12 sat silently in the back of the room at Savannah Center where an overflow crowd of Villagers spoke out angrily about a plan to build apartments at the former site of Hacienda Hills Country Club. Despite the pleas, the Amenity Authority Committee voted 4-1 to allow the Developer to use nearly 300 amenity privileges for the Hacienda Hills apartments.
The crowd charged that greed has taken over The Villages
“I realize the name of the game is to make money, but Katie Belle’s was a draw with class. When my wife and I moved here we thought The Villages was amazing,” Mednick said.
He added, “You cannot stop progress.”
But watching the “progress” has been agonizing for Katie Belle’s fans who fondly remember the dancing, the cocktails and the salad wheel.
In May, it was announced that Katie Belle’s, which had been closed due to the Coronavirus, would not reopen.
In 2015, The Villages announced a major renovation of Katie Belle’s. The club was closed for several months and many Villagers were disappointed with the changes when Katie Belle’s finally reopened.
A Villages landmark for more than 20 years, Katie Belle’s was named after the mother of Villages founder Harold Schwartz. Its western-style dance hall was the place to meet, dance and be seen here in The Villages. Longtime Villagers remember the days of the “salad wheel” being brought to their table. A large contraption that resembled a Western-style wagon wheel, the fixings were all there and patrons could just spin the wheel around to the items or dressing they wanted to add to their tasty salads.
