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MAUREEN BYRNE AHERNRedington Shores will consider a project that has stores and offices, too. A mom-and-pop motel would have to go.
REDINGTON SHORES - The town has not seen a new condominium for at least two decades. That may soon change.
A developer wants to build 34 gulffront condominium units that would have streetfront stores and offices facing Gulf Boulevard. Such a mixed-use plan is one of the suggestions in the town's soon-to-be adopted master plan, the result of a yearlong process of drawing up a vision for the town.
Commissioners would have to approve.
"It's very exciting," Mayor J.J. Beyrouti said. "(Developers) have no problem following the guidelines, but you have to have them in place."
Cities throughout Pinellas County are creating visions for what they want their towns to look like in the future. And in the beach communities, a large part of the process is changing the appearance of Gulf Boulevard by landscaping medians and burying utility lines.
But developers can help, too.
Drive on Gulf Boulevard and what do you see: a lot of hotel and condo parking lots fronting the road. Urban consultants, such as Tampa-based James Moore, suggest that redeveloped properties provide a more attractive view to passersby.
Beyrouti said the proposed project, called La Vistana (La Vista in Spanish means "The View"), does exactly that. Instead of seeing an ugly parking lot or the back wall of a condominium, motorists and pedestrians would see a two-story Mediterranean-style building with arched entrances and decorative railing. Inside, people could shop for new clothes. Outside, they could drink coffee and nibble on a croissant.
On Tuesday, the development agreement will come before the Town Commission for a first reading. If approved, the six-story condominium, where units would average 2,000 square feet, except for two 4,400-square-foot penthouses, and retail complex would replace the Suncoaster Motel at 17720 Gulf Blvd.
Al Cowan, director of business development for SIMDAG Investments, an Indian Shores-based company, said he doesn't have a total cost for the project yet, but condominium units would start at $550,000. He said if the project is approved, construction would begin within six months and would last 16 months.
SIMDAG has developed other luxury condominiums on the beach, including Bella Rosa on Sand Key, Pallazo Del Mare in Indian Shores and La Contessa in Redington Beach. La Vistana is the company's first mixed-use project, Cowan said.
Redington Shores hired Moore a year ago for $86,000 to help the town develop a comprehensive plan for redevelopment. The process is nearing completion and the document outlining regulatory steps for future development will be adopted early next year. Moore also has worked with Madeira Beach and St. Pete Beach.
Mike Nadeau, Redington Shores' building official, said the project's developers told him last summer they wanted to build a luxury condominium where the mom-and-pop motel now sits. Nadeau said he liked their idea, but suggested they apply one of the town's new urban design guidelines: mixing residential with commercial.
"They were totally in favor of it," Nadeau said.
But to make it happen, the developers wanted some concessions in return. They requested variances for the project: smaller side and rear setbacks and a 6-foot privacy wall instead of a 10-foot wide buffer between properties.
The Board of Adjustment unanimously approved the variances last month. The Planning and Zoning Board then unanimously approved the project's site plan, recommending the commissioners approve changes in the property's zoning and land use designations.
In order to have stores, restaurants and offices in the 3,000-square-foot commercial building, the zoning must change from residential to commercial. The front of the property also would have to change its land use classification from residential to a mixed-use category.
Redington Shores was incorporated in 1955 and stretches a mile along Gulf Boulevard, the corridor that links all 10 beach communities. More than 2,500 people live in the town, while thousands more visit each year as tourists.
The town is a good mix of residential and commercial properties. There are single-family homes, duplexes and multistory condominiums. Businesses include hotels, motels, restaurants, bars and retail shops, as well as banks, convenience stores and barber/beauty shops.
"We were certainly willing to work with them," Cowan said. "Hopefully, this will be an impetus project for the area."