Two hundred townhomes are planned for Milmarson Place, a gated community to be built on land that once housed a scrap yard.
By CHRISTINA K. COSDON, Times Staff Writer
Published July 3, 2005
LARGO - It's not what residents bitterly opposed last year.
Milmarson Place - a gated community with a clubhouse and 200 two- and three-story concrete and stucco townhomes - will not be the low-income housing that residents of the Greater Ridgecrest area feared would go up on the site of the former Terra Excavating construction scrap yard.
Other amenities of Milmarson Place include a 3-acre "serenity lake," walking paths and a "paw park" for pets.
With prices starting at a projected $174,000 for a 1,400-square-foot townhome and one-car garage, the project isn't likely to cause a drop in surrounding property values, as residents believed would happen.
Forty of the townhomes will be considered "affordable" and the buyers will receive down payment assistance from Pinellas County, said Sarah Williams, a Pinellas County senior community planning specialist for the Greater Ridgecrest neighborhood.
The 18.43-acre property is in unincorporated Pinellas County on 134th Avenue SW between Pine Street and 125th Street SW, north of Ulmerton Road.
The property initially was used for dirt that Terra Excavating needed in its excavation work. It later became a dumping ground for construction debris. Since selling the property, Terra has relocated to St. Petersburg.
George Farrell, chief executive officer of Milmarson Development and the project's developer, is excited about the project and its proximity to the Southwest Recreation Center, city of Largo municipal golf course, churches, schools, Sun Coast Hospital, Pinellas Trail, parks and shopping centers.
"Everything you could want is right here," Farrell said.
Another advantage of the project, he said, is that it's not in a hurricane evacuation zone.
"The lowest building will be at 45.75 feet above sea level and the highest at 50 feet above sea level," Farrell said.
To make the homes more affordable, Farrell said he is working with the Florida Green Coalition to include features that would minimize water and utility costs for residents.
In building the $32-million Milmarson Place, Farrell said, the county has offered $1.2-million in incentives that include fee waivers and reimbursements.
Milmarson Development is also working on the $1.2-million Royal Theater for the Boys and Girls Club in St. Petersburg.
Currently, the project is undergoing site cleanup work, Farrell said. The project engineering firm is Northside Engineering of Clearwater.
"We hope to finish by October or November and start work on the infrastructure in December," he said. "I would like to see the first building go up after the spring of 2006, but we're not rushing the work."
