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Revision enlarges renewal district

The Clearwater-Largo Road redevelopment district grows by more than 200 acres. But some residents worry about its revised plan.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published February 5, 2005

LARGO - After more than three hours of discussion and deliberation, the city's planning board approved a revised redevelopment plan for the Clearwater-Largo Road district at a meeting Thursday night.

Officials hope the plan will revive the blighted corridor and create a climate where people can live, work, shop and play in the same area. The plan expands the Clearwater-Largo Road redevelopment district from about 77 acres to 288 acres, dividing the area into neighborhood residential, city home, mixed-use and professional office districts.

Thursday's meeting drew a large crowd, with 20 people speaking during the public comment period.

Many of them voiced concerns about how the plan would affect their homes and businesses. Others said redevelopment is long overdue.

Gina Gilbert said she was worried about increased development causing increased traffic near her home on 16th Avenue.

"That's no longer going to be a safe street for my children to play in," she said.

Gilbert suggested that the city decrease the amount of units developers can build per acre.

But she added that redevelopment is sorely needed and praised plans to build improved housing on the sites of mobile home parks like the Gulf Breeze Mobile Home Park, located near her home.

"We see the drugs and the prostitution. It's almost transient the turnover that is in those places," she said. "And for those to be gone, I will be dancing in the streets."

Nick Pappas, owner of Grill Marks restaurant, said he was tired of dealing with crime-ridden mobile home parks.

"I'm finding needles in my parking lots every day," he said.

He said local business owners are eager for redevelopment to begin.

"If things don't change, most of us are planning on relocating. It's getting to that point," he said. "Enough is enough. It's been 10 years."

But some residents and board members said the plan does not offer enough help for displaced mobile home residents.

Ron Bortolini of the Clearwater-Largo Road Merchants Association said the plan "opens the door to a lot of bad projects" and does not adequately address the ramifications of redeveloping mobile home parks.

"My concern is mostly with the seniors that are being displaced," Dixie Brunet, a resident of Belleair Village Mobile Home Park, told the board. "There seems to be no place for them within this plan."

Largo's plan includes a relocation assistance program for mobile home park residents, promising a bonus of 3 units per acre to developers who will provide extra aid to residents.

That includes:

An advance notice of 12 months before eviction.

An additional $1,125 in compensation for single-wide owners and $2,250 for double-wide owners. A state trust fund would provide $1,375 for owners of single-wide units and $2,750 for double-wide units.

Compensation for tenants ranging from $250-$1,550, based on how long they have lived in the mobile homes.

"I think that this amount of money is just an insult," board member Jim Pierce said.

A private individual offering that amount of money, he said, would "almost be arrested for exploiting the elderly."

"I think we all struggle with what's going on here. ... We are in a real Catch-22 on this issue," said board member Jim McCurtain.

Ultimately the planning board did not recommend any changes to the mobile home relocation portion of the plan.

But the board did recommend that the City Commission consider several amendments to the plan, including one that would change the maximum building height from 75 feet to four stories at no more than 50 feet. The commission will consider the plan at its Feb. 15 meeting.

Later in Thursday's meeting, the planning board discussed an ordinance that would create design standards for large-scale standalone retail establishments, limiting their building footprint to 125,000 square feet. The ordinance would allow for an exception for home improvement stores, due to the bulk nature of goods they carry.

Carol Stricklin, assistant director of community development, told the board that the new standards would help Largo move away from its suburban sprawl tendencies and become a more "walkable urban environment."

"The size of the building is an extremely important factor in creating an urban environment," she said.

An attorney and an engineer representing retailer Wal-Mart told the board that the size restrictions were unfair.

The board voted 5-1 against the ordinance, with board member Cheryl Bowman dissenting.

"I'm afraid to pass this, I really am," board member Jim Pierce said. "I'm afraid that legally this could be challenged."

Community Development director Mike Staffopoulos said the City Commission will consider the ordinance in March.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

[Last modified February 5, 2005, 00:56:15]