 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Townhomes won't sprout next to mall
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- The City Council unanimously denied a developer's request to change the zoning and land use for 3 acres on Johnson Boulevard so 28 luxury townhomes could be built on the south side of the road. Council members said Tuesday they chose to follow recommendations from staff, the city's Land Development Review Board and the Pinellas Planning Council, all of whom opposed the request. Changing the property's zoning from commercial to residential would be inconsistent with the city's plans to develop the area into a business district, or Main Street, said Michael Crawford, a principal planner for the Pinellas Planning Council, an advisory board to the Pinellas County Commission that has representatives from all 24 municipalities, unincorporated areas and the School Board. Marcus Vernon, an attorney for the landowner and developer, countered that mixing residential and commercial land uses has had success on Main Streets in cities such as Dunedin and Safety Harbor. The proposed $6-million residential project for Seminole would have featured 28 three-bedroom, two-bath townhomes. Johnson Boulevard, which borders Seminole Mall, is a half-mile stretch between Seminole and Park boulevards. Residential properties, such as Freedom Square Retirement Complex and a mobile home park, already surround the street. They were built before the land use plan went into effect. Vernon questioned whether keeping his client's property commercial was in the best interests of the city, considering that the landowner has been unable to sell the parcel under its current zoning and that nearby commercial buildings sit empty. "You have a policy issue in front of you," he told the council. "Does that policy issue make sense in today's environment?" Council member Paul Trexler asked if there was any recent interest to put something commercial on the property. "There hasn't been any request to develop that property in the last three years that I'm aware of," answered Mitch Bobowski, Seminole's general services director. The City Council also agreed Tuesday to amend the city's land development regulations. The developer pursued the townhomes project on Johnson Boulevard because it was permitted under the city's zoning guidelines. But Seminole's comprehensive land use plan does not allow residences in a commercial zoning area. It wasn't until a site plan was submitted to the city that the discrepancy was caught.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
