Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

A tale of two cities' growth

Crystal River is facing crucial decisions about its future, while Inverness has witnessed measured change.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published December 27, 2005

	[Times photo: Max Bittle]
	Daniel Osorno, left, and Juan Jaramillo, both of Alex Cor Inc., smooth out concrete at the new Inverness City Hall last week. Despite rain delays with construction, the building is expected to open sometime in 2006.

The city of Crystal River doesn't change very quickly. Its population number holds steady. Most businesses are small, locally owned affairs, aside from the occasional Applebee's or Chili's.

But development proposals that surfaced this year could forever alter the landscape of this small coastal town.

The city of Inverness also continued to grow in 2005, but it has yet to face the kind of dramatic decisions being weighed on the county's west coast.

In March, a group of Tampa investors bought 60 acres adjacent to the Three Sister Springs waterways for $10.5-million. Considered the crown jewel of undeveloped coast within Crystal River, the plot will most likely house condominium units in the future.

Representatives from the Three Sister Springs project met with staffers at Crystal River City Hall in early December to discuss residential design proposals. They presented two plans, both of which complied with the city's regulations and included a mix of single-family dwellings and townhomes.

"Both plans looked very upscale," said Kurt Woerner, the city's director of planning and community development. "But on a piece of property like that - a jewel - you couldn't do anything less."

Representatives from the project will now select one of the plans, outline it in more detail and bring it back to City Hall.

Developers interested in Pete's Pier won't have it so easy. When representatives from NEHI Investments LLC unveiled sketches of a six-story resort hotel in November, they raised the ire of local people unwilling to give up their small-town atmosphere.

Critics called the 120-unit facility a timeshare; environmentalists raised concerns about its effect on nearby waterways and wildlife.

Still, the marina's future remains undecided.

Mayor Ron Kitchen announced that he was "still all ears" regarding potential development during a mid-November meeting. He added that city residents had called the resort hotel proposal both "the best and worst thing" ever to happen to Crystal River.

Popular opinion also was divided over the city's annexation of 520 acres south of the city limits so RealtiCorp could build a Wal-Mart.

The South Carolina developer approached the city after negotiations for a Wal-Mart Supercenter fell through with the county. The council voted 4-1 for the annexation, but a circuit judge ruled the act illegal in June 2005.

Though a big box store might be dead in the water, RealtiCorp still plans to develop at least part of the property. During its last meeting of 2005, the City Council voted to extend sewer service to the company's land south of the city.

"I expect we'll be seeing more development to the south, but also to the north, in the near future," Woerner said.

Inverness 2005

In February, voters elected two new members to the City Council: Bill Sheen, who won the seat when Dick Kaufman decided against running for re-election; and Sophia Diaz-Fonseca, who defeated incumbent Jacquie B. Hepfer.

Workers continued building the new City Hall, expected to open sometime in 2006. Officials had initially planned for the structure to be completed by early November, but rainy weather delayed construction.

The 26,000-square-foot building will house a 120-seat City Council chamber, multiple conference rooms and offices.

In October, the Inverness City Council made way for more growth, selling 72 acres to the county. The property will be used to build a business park south of the city, expand the airport runway and construct a new sewer plant.

[Last modified December 27, 2005, 11:35:52]