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Neighbors reach townhome limit

The Riviera Bay Civic Association opposes efforts to add 11 units to a 34-townhome development.

By LORRIE LYKINS
Published June 25, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - At first, the Riviera Bay Civic Association was in favor of the 34 townhomes scheduled to be built near Second Street and 99th Avenue N.

That changed when they found out the developer has requested a zoning variance from the city that would allow 11 additional units. Residents are concerned about traffic and environmental impacts, and some said they don't think the proper environmental impact studies have been done.

"It looks like a great project, but they are asking for extremely large variances for the additional 11 units that shouldn't be allowed," said David Hoover, president of the Riviera Bay Civic Association. "Those additional 11 units could potentially generate 110 more trips one way through our neighborhood."

Riviera Bay is bounded by 78th Avenue N and 99th Avenue N and Fourth Street and Riviera Bay.

Neighborhood association members have addressed the City Council about concerns and appeared before the Board of Adjustment.

They say they are not antidevelopment, but are supportive of responsible, environmentally sound development, which is why they came out against the additional 11 units.

But things have started to get a little strange. Hoover said a group of nonresidents circulated a petition around the neighborhood two weeks ago. The petition was in favor of allowing the 11 extra units to be added to the development. Hoover said a lot of his neighbors declined to sign, but his concern is that some people were scared into signing.

"The petitioners were saying that if the developer doesn't get approval for the extra 11 units that they were just going to put a mobile home park back in, and then they cited a high crime rate as the reason the mobile home park was taken out in the first place," Hoover said, calling the claims "ridiculous and deceptive scare tactics to get people to sign under duress."

No one seems to know who circulated the petition.

Hoover said that the developer has offered to pay to install speed humps if residents drop their opposition. However, the traffic-calming devices may not be approved roundly by the residents, a requirement of the city's neighborhood traffic planning process.

Hoover points to existing traffic problems in the area such as congestion and back-ups at Second Street and 94th Avenue N and speeding that would be exacerbated by the addition of another 100 or more cars moving in.

"With more development going on north of 99th Avenue, without some traffic rerouting of some kind, the quality of life of our residents in that area will continue to deteriorate. If they stick to just putting in the original 34 units that they are allowed, we're not going to argue with that," Hoover said.

The developer, a limited liability corporation called 99th Avenue Town Homes LLC, could not be reached for comment. The company lists an office suite on MacDill Avenue in Tampa as its principal address, but no phone number is listed on its registration documents with the Florida Department of State's Division of Corporations.

The issue comes before the city's Board of Adjustment on July 21.

Meetings

Readers wishing to submit information for the Neighborhood Notebook can contact Lorrie Lykins at SPTimeslistings@yahoo.com.

[Last modified June 25, 2006, 02:58:53]