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What's best for the avenue?

Tarpon officials want to hear ideas for developing the Safford corridor near the Pinellas Trail.

By NORA KOCH
Published July 4, 2005

TARPON SPRINGS - Along a picturesque section of the Pinellas Trail, lined with a few trendy restaurants, an edgy bike shop and some land that begs for improvement, no one knows exactly what the future holds.

But with developers knocking, city officials know they need a plan for the Safford Avenue corridor.

This week the city will hold two public workshops seeking ideas on development options for the corridor, a stepchild of Tarpon Avenue in the heart of downtown.

Maybe a health food store, an upscale coffee shop, some unique boutiques, business owners muse - as long as their road keeps its old Main Street feel.

"If they don't do something to control the growth in this little area, then we'll end up with something like a Wal-Mart," said Eddie Mullally, 42, who has owned a bar and bike shop on the east side of the street for nine years.

In April, the City Commission placed a six-month building moratorium on the stretch so officials could plan the future of an area they say is ripe for redevelopment. This week's meetings are part of an effort to take a hard look at the city codes that govern development in the area and write regulations aimed at revitalizing an urban area. Because the stretch is prime land just east of the section of Tarpon Avenue known for its antiques stores and other shops, it is a natural place to plan for future urban development.

The city can't tell developers what to do with their land, but officials can set codes in a way to guide it, said Charlie Attardo, the city's business services specialist. In the Safford corridor, officials want to exert a little more control over the area to foster growth of a livable, walkable community with defined streetscapes.

Some ideas to achieve this include setting design standards, reconsidering zoning classifications, requiring buildings to be constructed close to the property line and allowing bigger buildings - conditions that lead to more of a "Main street" look.

For Mullally and some of his neighbors, that sounds ideal.

"I hope it stays the same. Exactly the same. I don't want skyscrapers," said Debbie Guinan, 45, owner of the Times Square Cafe for 19 years.

Merchants here look south to downtown Dunedin, a thriving community of specialty shops and restaurants that has become a destination for shoppers and idlers.

Safford Avenue's beauty stock rose with the April completion of an upgrade along the Pinellas Trail, which rolls through the middle of the two-lane road from Meres Boulevard to Lemon Street. The $600,000 project included resurfacing a section of Safford Avenue, and adding benches, new sidewalks and brick crosswalks, fencing, bike racks, historic lighting and landscaping.

Guinan also expects more sidewalk traffic when a renovation of the train depot on Tarpon Avenue is completed later this year. When it opens, it will include an archive room for the society's thousands of photos and historical artifacts, a visitor information center, redesigned exhibits and expanded activities.

But some aren't as giddy with the improvements.

Allen Wilson, owner of Bill's Real Deal Bar-B-Que, hopes the city will respect the corridor's history as a place for black businesses and help bring some back.

"This part should be considered part of the historic district as well," he said.

Wilson, 51, said he would probably attend one of the city's meetings to share his feelings about how the trail renovations blocked off accessibility to his business and might have injured his business.

Guinan and Mullally said they would also show up to the meetings to give their opinions and urge the city to nurture development of more mom-and-pop stores like theirs.

"If we have more businesses like that bring people here," Mullally said, " we won't have people going to the Wal-Marts."

[Last modified July 4, 2005, 01:42:23]