Border may bulge for new townhomes

A developer envisions 112 units on land he wants to see annexed into Largo. Commissioners give preliminary approval.

By MICHAEL SANDLER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 5, 2002

LARGO -- Downtown may be the city's focus for redevelopment, but a local developer sees promise for urban housing on the outskirts of town.

Marcus Vernon is close to purchasing 11.2 acres of vacant land and plans to transform the property into a townhome community next year.

The land is in unincorporated Pinellas and zoned for industrial use. Vernon wants to move his land into Largo through annexation, and has asked the city to change the land use designation.

Once that happens, Vernon said Beazer Homes, a national builder based in Atlanta, would begin construction on Amanda's Village, 112 townhomes expected to be priced between $120,000 and $160,000.

Commissioners gave preliminary approval Tuesday. They vote once more at a public hearing Oct. 15. Vernon would need to submit a site plan once the annexation agreement is final.

"Largo is a good place to live," he said. "They are very aggressive about their libraries, their parks and their public services. It is mid county, a good location to malls and beaches."

Vernon's three parcels were not the only ones considered for annexation Tuesday night. Commissioners lumped in a parcel next to his property, and did not ask the owners for permission.

City planner Lou Hilton said the city exercised a state law allowing Largo to annex the 2.28 acres owned by Douglas Dunbar and Joyce Fitzpatrick by nonreferendum. That's because no registered voters reside on the property and the city had more than 51 percent of the property owners consenting to annexation.

In this case, the majority was Vernon.

"We are just doing it for good planning practices, to square things off and fill in the unincorporated areas," Hilton said. "It's entirely within the planning area."

Hilton sent Dunbar and Fitzpatrick a letter last month notifying them of the changes and the incentives they would be offered: waived sewer impact fees and up to $2,500 to hire a plumber to remove the septic tank and connect sewer lines to the building. He also said they could save about $310 a year in property taxes.

The owners hired attorney Bruce McManus to meet with City Manager Steven Stanton.

McManus said his clients do not object to the annexation but want to retain the industrial zoning so they can continue leasing the property to a boat repair shop, a carpentry shop and others.

He said that appears to be intact.

"The property owners are not inclined to fight this thing," McManus said. "We have some understanding of the potential benefits of being in Largo. They don't intend to make a large issue."

-- Michael Sandler can be reached at 445-4174 or sandler@sptimes.com.

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