Homeowners on Edgewater Drive object to the height of a proposed condo project, saying it would destroy a waterfront view.
By MEGAN SCOTT
Published March 17, 2004
CLEARWATER - Residents along Edgewater Drive say they will no longer be able to view their beloved sunsets if the city allows the construction of a 75-foot-tall condominium.
They say the seven-story, 77-unit tower would dwarf the small houses and motels that line Edgewater Drive.
"It would not only cause a break in this charm by placing a tall, menacing structure that would block the gorgeous view and skyline of St. John's Sound, it would bring more traffic to the already congested and dangerous Edgewater right of way," said Rick Porraro, a resident who lives on Sunnydale. "In addition to these problems, my property tax would increase."
The proposed tower would replace the Bay Queen and Edgewater motels, two-story motels on Edgewater Drive owned by developer Dan Dennehy. Dennehy has formed a corporation called Top Flight Enterprises to build the L-shaped structure along Edgewater and Sunnydale Drives.
That parcel is tourism-zoned, with an allowable height of 35 feet and a setback of 10 feet. Top Flight Enterprises wants a variance on that height along with a reduction in the setback to 5.85 feet. The developer plans to sell the condos starting at about $450,000.
The concept of such a tall structure has residents up in arms in the small, quaint neighborhood in north Clearwater. At a community development board meeting Tuesday, they packed the commission chambers. When Harry Cline, the representative for Top Flight Enterprises, was granted a continuance, the reaction of the crowd was audible throughout the third floor of City Hall. A hearing was scheduled for next month.
City planner Michael Reynolds has asked Top Flight to revise its plans for the condominium tower and submit them next week.
"The height and setback are both concerns," Reynolds said. "They need to make the project fit in well with the existing land use. They need to redesign the shape of the structure. We're looking for the developer to propose something that would blend in better."
About 400 houses make up the neighborhood, which stretches seven blocks from Clearwater Harbor to the Pinellas Trail, between Sunset Point Road and Union Street. Most of the homes were built in the 1940s and 1950s.
It's the kind of place where neighbor knows neighbor, where people feel comfortable leaving their doors unlocked and where an unfamiliar car stands out. And it's one of the only residential neighborhoods in Clearwater where the waterfront is still open to the entire community, not just homeowners.
Residents come together when they feel that is threatened.
In 1998, they packed two commission meetings to fight a proposal to replace one of the motels with a three-story Comfort Inn. They were worried the 50-room hotel would create more traffic, tower over the area and, most importantly, destroy the residential atmosphere.
The commission, which originally supported the hotel project, reversed its decision and voted against zoning changes for the Comfort Inn.
"We worked months on that," said Velma Andrews, a resident who has lived there for 30 years. "We had hundreds of people fighting. We're the only open view left of the bay in Clearwater."
Dean Falk said he is open to building another motel in that location, but not a condominium tower. He said a parking lot would not even be big enough for all the cars. That means some condo owners would wind up parking their cars on the street.
Like other residents, Falk, who lives in Clearwater eight months out of the year, is concerned about losing his view of the bay and the traffic that such a tower would create. He suggested a 55-foot-high building that, while it would be fewer units, still would generate money for the company.
"They want to go seven stories high and make the rest of us suffer with this huge block in front of our street," Falk said. "They should build something of height that fits in like the rest of the skyline."
Some of the residents suggest that the whole thing is political. Dennehy is on the community redevelopment board. He left the room during the discussion and did not return a reporter's call for comment.
Jason Kuehn, a contractor who lives in the neighborhood, said the condominium tower will definitely not blend into that neighborhood. He also said developers are not taking into account the effect the tower will have on residents.
"They might make it look pretty," Kuehn said. "It still does not go. It's like Sesame Street, one of these things is not like the other."
Cline declined to comment.
But during the hearing, he told the board he hoped to resubmit plans by next week to the planning department in order to make it on the agenda of the April 20 community development board meeting.
In the meantime, residents are mobilizing for a fight similar to the one in 1998. While none of them were given the opportunity to speak at Tuesday's meeting, they gathered on the steps of City Hall, exchanging phone numbers.
"We took off work to come here," said Kuehn. "All these people are going to be in the shadow of a building, just like in Miami Beach. This guy is trying to jam this building down people's throat. Well, we have a month to get ready."
