Major expansion eyed for HarborWalk Village (SLIDESHOW)

DESTIN The two towers of the Emerald Grande have become a landmark, easily recognizable from as far away as Okaloosa Island and even Shalimar.

Destins skyline could be changing again as Legendary Inc., the developer of Emerald Grande, is working on plans for the next phase of HarborWalk Village.

Legendary CEO Peter Bos said the company is looking to build a new 100- to 150-room hotel and a second parking garage just east of the towers.

See a view of the Destin Harbor

Rumors have been swirling that new construction at HarborWalk Village was months or even weeks away from starting. While work on some smaller additions is under way now, Bos still is finalizing his timeline for the hotel and parking garage.

A lot of people just build single projects where they build a building and thats all they put on the land, and thats all there is, Bos said. For me, I spend a lot of time, and Ill spend an extra year just working on details of planning, trying to figure out where everything goes. When its all done, it all needs to fit together and not just look like a bunch of buildings jammed on one site.

We think the timing is about right, Bos said. The rumor is a little ahead of reality, but not much.

The primary construction at HarborWalk Village which includes the Emerald Grande, a parking garage, shops and restaurants began in February 2005 and continued through June 2007. The initial master plan included a second set of towers that were nearly identical to Emerald Grande.

While the proposed hotel will not be identical, Bos said it will be architecturally compatible. The next construction phase also will include several buildings, he said.

The hotel and other buildings will be constructed on what is now a parking lot and The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint. Bos said The Shed likely will move closer to Destin Harbor.

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Major expansion eyed for HarborWalk Village (SLIDESHOW)