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Downtown renewal takes a step closer

Oldsmar City Council members unanimously okay the site plan for the mixed-use Kings Row development.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published December 24, 2005

OLDSMAR - The City Council's vision of a revitalized downtown with Old Florida charm and a small-town feel is coming together with this week's approval of a site plan for a mix-used development on St. Petersburg Drive.

As proposed, the Kings Row development would consist of nine condominiums and more than 7,400 square feet of retail space.

The Kings Row development would be pedestrian-friendly, said one of its designers. Storefronts would be right on the sidewalk with the homes on the second floor. The parking would be in the back, with some angled parking on the side.

That's just the kind of project Oldsmar officials had in mind when they created a new town center code 21/2 years ago. The code seeks the construction of buildings with an Old Florida or Mediterranean revival look and feel.

The city also wants to bring much wider sidewalks to its downtown. A normal sidewalk is 4 to 5 feet wide. By comparison, the proposed sidewalk for another development, the proposed Olds Square town center, is 15 feet wide.

"Our hope is to have people strolling on large promenade walks in front of the buildings and storefronts," said Gerald Paradise, the city's director of planning and redevelopment.

Kings Row's two-story buildings would sit on what is now an unoccupied .61-acre site.

City Council members unanimously approved the site plan Tuesday night after a brief presentation.

The project is still in the permitting phase, said Keith Zayac, president of Keith Zayac and Associates, the civil engineering and landscape architecture firm on the project. He said construction should begin in the spring.

"This is now the third project we've done in the city's redevelopment area," said Zayac, who also sits on the Safety Harbor City Commission. "It's exciting to see this really taking shape."

One of the three projects is Washington Park Village, a proposed development of 15 townhomes on the corner of Washington Street and St. Petersburg Drive. That project also is in its permitting phase.

The other is the Oldsmar library. Zayac said he is working with architectural firm Harvard Jolly, based in St. Petersburg, on construction plans.

Pricing for the condos hasn't been established yet, said Joe Zimmerman, president of developers Tri-County Family Home Inc., located in Oldsmar. Once the condos are registered with the state, the units will be available for sale at the end of January.

Two-bedroom, two-bath units will be about 1,200 square feet. Three-bedroom, three-bath units will be 1,600 square feet, Zimmerman said.

The retail space also hasn't been filled. Kings Row will have a Spanish Mediterranean revival design, similar to the new library across the street, said Tampa architect Francisco Semsch, who designed the Oldsmar Galleria, Washington Park Village and is working on the new town center.

Kings Row is the first development on St. Petersburg Drive with on-street parking, Semsch said.

"It sets the stage for future retail projects to have parking on the streets and start to have the sense of downtown," Semsch said.

[Last modified December 24, 2005, 01:39:36]