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A place for home or industry?

Residents who live near Buckeye Mobile Home Park oppose a city proposal to designate it as suitable for light industry.

By SHANNON TAN
Published September 3, 2005

LARGO - Neighbors of the Buckeye Mobile Home Park don't like the idea of seeing the place redeveloped for some sort of industrial use.

"We want it to stay residential," said Peg Decker, 65, who lives at the New Haven Condominiums just across Donegan Road from the mobile home park. "We don't want commercial or industrial."

But that could happen. City commissioners are scheduled Tuesday to consider changing the city's future land use map to designate the Buckeye park as an industrial land use.

The park is at 1100 Donegan Road, off Seminole Boulevard. It sits on the south side of the road along with industrial buildings and the CSX railroad tracks. Across Donegan Road, to the north, are single-family homes and apartments.

The process started when two developers informally asked the city about increasing the allowed density on the 3.66-acre park to allow for the construction of townhomes and condominiums. Newell Toth, whose family owns the mobile home and RV park, says there are no plans to sell, and the developers did not turn in a formal request to change the land use map.

Still, the inquiry got city officials thinking. They concluded that in the future the property would be more compatible with surrounding development if it had an industrial land use designation.

So the city proposed amending the property's future land use map from residential urban to industrial limited.

"A new residential development (to replace the park) will not be compatible with the industrial uses" nearby, said planning manager Bob Jarzen.

Jarzen said the industrial limited designation prohibits outdoor manufacturing or storage, and is limited to "clean" industry.

But many residents who live near the park oppose the change. They worry that the mobile homes and RVs would be replaced with an industrial facility, worsening traffic and hurting their property values.

The park owner says they have nothing to worry about.

"It's my sole livelihood," said Toth, whose family bought the park in December 1980. The 60-unit rental park is assessed at $710,000 by the property appraiser's office for tax purposes. The park is 50 to 60 years old, Toth estimates.

Toth says he has no problem with the change, as long as he's allowed to continue operating the park. He pointed out that the park was zoned commercial and manufacturing before it was annexed into Largo several years ago.

But Largo's planning board opposes the change. The board voted 4-2 last month to recommend that the City Commission reject the proposed change.

Planning board member Chester Rowe voted in favor of the city's proposal. He said the city does not have an adequate industrial base.

"The industrial base is the most positive financial base of any community," he said. "It doesn't take the resources that residential or commercial does. It's a more solid tax base."

Rowe says Donegan Road would serve as a buffer between the residences to the north and the industrial area to the south.

Some residents disagree.

At the Planning Board meeting Aug. 4, neighbor Peg Decker submitted a petition with 113 signatures opposing the change.

"It's a peaceful little area in the county," Decker said.

Richard Baker, 71, can see the park from his front yard. Since moving in a year ago, Baker has added a pool and hot tub. He worries that an industrial facility would affect property values and bring in more traffic.

Baker says there's enough light industrial buildings in the area and would love to see townhomes or condominiums being built there.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "Why change it?"

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Shannon Tan can be reached at shtan@sptimes.com or 445-4174.

[Last modified September 3, 2005, 01:20:24]